Pluralities and majorities

…are necessary for parliaments and parties but not for God’s Church, which is the pillar and foundation of faith, independently of the above categories and even in contradiction of them… St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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The "Christianization" of atheism

Now it is not what is pleasing to God or the Church that is good, but what is ‘progressive,’ ‘liberal,’ revolutionary; that which is ‘right-leaning’ is the concatenation of all evils. ‘It is in agreement with Marx!’ – this is the highest praise for any teaching, for any opinion. Even holy Christian doctrine is assessed [...]

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The principle of Christianity

People who deny the Church constantly speak about ‘evangelical principles,’ about evangelical teaching; but Christianity as life is completely alien to them . . . St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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Included in the concept of the Church is this:

…the Church is that point at which dogma becomes moral teaching and Christian dogmatics become Christian life. The Church thus comprehended gives life to and provides for the implementation of Christian teaching. Without the Church there is no Christianity; there is only the Christian teaching which, by itself, cannot ‘renew the fallen Adam.’St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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The justification of desire

As today is one of the feasts of the New-Martyr St. Hilarion receive a word from him: …there is nothing easier than to re-interpret Christ’s teaching according to one’s personal taste and to invent ‘Christianity,’ passing off, under this name, the dreams of one’s heart and the images of one’s own idle fantasy. The sacred [...]

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The question of faith

…a great many people enter into the questions of faith and the Church solely as bold and decisive reformers who want to remake everything according to their own personal desires.St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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Denying the Church

If anyone denies the Church with its religious ideals, then Christ becomes for him only a teacher-philosopher in the category of Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Lao-Tse and others. St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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Seeker sensitivity

… there is, in our days, such an abundance of those who are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). A new sport has been created, if we may call it that, a sport of “god-seeking.” “God-seeking” has become the goal in itself and if their [...]

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The Church and "Christian morals"

Christianity is not concerned with the interests of reason; but only with those of the salvation of man. In Christianity, therefore, there are no purely theoretical tenets. Dogmatic truths have moral significance, and Christian morals are founded on dogma. Included in the concept of the Church is this: the Church is that point at which [...]

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The ‘relevancy’ of the Church

No, it is not the insufficiency of life in the Church which must be spoken of, but of the insufficiency of Church consciousness in us. … Unfortunately, we ourselves do not value our Church and the great blessing of Church life enough. We do not confess our faith in the Church bravely, clearly, and definitely. [...]

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In full bloom…

…the cult of individualism blossoms luxuriantly [in the West], finding prophets in fashionable philosophy and singers in the belles-lettres, Christ’s ideal of the Church can, of course have no place; for it negates self-love and self-will in people and demands love from them all. St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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No dams here…

Those who speak about the insufficiency of life in the Church usually refer to the insufficiencies of church administration, the thousands of consistory papers and so on. For all those who genuinely understand Church life, however, it is as clear as God’s day that all these consistories with their ukases do not affect the depth [...]

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нельзя!

Since this is my first incredible quote post from Russia I thought it apropos that I post a Russian source. (As a side note: I went yesterday to Novo-Devichy monastery and in the Church they have an icon of St. Hilarion; while I was venerating I was yelled at by a wrinkly babushka [as if [...]

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boundaries…

For, according to the Apostle James (2:19), the devils also believe; as attested by the Gospel, they confessed their faith like the Apostle Peter did (Matt. 16:16;8:26; Mark 1:24; Luke 8:28). But do they belong to the one Church of Christ? St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

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If you’re out there Al, this ones for you.

Our forebears, Adam and Eve, sought to become “like gods” without God, relying on the magical power of the beautiful “apple.” This is how many of our contemporaries dream of being saved: with the Gospel, but without the Church and without the God-man. They hope on the book of the Gospel exactly as Adam and [...]

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