How to Live in Discouraging Times

How to Live in Discouraging Times Eastern Orthodoxy is in some ways the most counter-cultural of Christian traditions. That's one reason I continue to be drawn to many of its writers. Take this passage for Father Stephen Freeman's blog on AncientFaith.com. He speaks of the Orthodox stance in relation to modernity, but much of what he says will make sense to any Christian who feels like a "stranger in a strange land": Orthodoxy should not seek to destroy the alien culture which surrounds us, but to endure it, and in the love of Christ, in the ascesis of the body and mind, heal that which is broken. In my own experience, such redemption is not the work of a single generation.... We have not been given a commandment to change the world, but a commandment to obey the gospel. That obedience, I believe, today includes the necessity that we "reendure and relive, precisely as our own, the religious tragedy of the modern world." And he ends the little essay with hope: "We live when and where we are for a reason (known only to God). But it is here and now that we will find salvation, and in the peace of that salvation in its fullness, thousands around us will be saved."

A Modern Tribute to Jesus This unusual obit made the rounds during Holy Week, introduced with "Sam Roberts, an obituary writer for The New York Times, imagines how, given the facts available then, his predecessors might have reported the aftermath of an execution in the Middle East one Friday two millennia ago."

Can We Trust People to Be Responsible? The Finnish government is doing its part to eliminate government bureaucracy and help its people: This year, the Finnish government hopes to begin granting every adult citizen a monthly allowance of €800 (roughly $900). Whether rich or poor, each citizen will be free to use the money as he or she sees fit. The idea is that people are responsible for their actions. It's that last phrase that separates political ideologies—whether people are responsible or whether the government needs to step in and make them better people than they are. I for one will be interested in seeing what happens in Finland in the years to come.

Be Quick to Listen To Quick to Listen—CT's new podcast. It's one way we're trying to help readers/listeners go deeper with at least some of the news that rolls over us. This week the conversation surrounds the tragic suicide bombing in Pakistan, featuring K. A. Ellis, an advocate for the persecuted church. Also: Speaking of listening: my recent editorial on listening to others' narratives. Mother Theresa's prayer for turmoil and how it was answered. How much it costs to be a bridesmaid!

Grace and peace,

Mark Galli Editor, Christianity Today