2/7/2011
Priest George Maximov
I believe in African priests and I know that they are able to understand Church issues no less than Russians and Greeks.
Thus, schism is by no means a trifle or an administrative disagreement, as Patriarch Theodoros is now trying to present it to the African clergy. Schism is a straight path to hell.
Continuing on the theme of modernism, I want to mention why there is spiritual danger in it. Because a truncated, distorted Orthodox faith, a certain ersatz or stub of it—which the modernists propose rebuilding for themselves—is deprived of the power of grace.
We talked with Fr. George Maximov on a range of subjects—from the crisis of faith in our young people to criticism of the Church by “experienced theologians” and pastor “burn-out”.
Rating: 9.2|Votes: 50
The Orthodox of various countries are looking on in perplexity and horror as the primate of a respected Church suddenly proclaims as his own canonical territory what has for over 300 years been accepted by everyone without exception as part of another Local Church, and pronounces those whom the entire Orthodox Church has unanimously recognized as schismatics to be part of the canonical Church—at the same time threatening to pronounce as schismatics those who have been abiding in Eucharistic unity with all the Local Churches.
Rating: 9.1|Votes: 62
It kind of makes sense now why Constantinople did it and why they wouldn’t listen to any pleas from other Churches not to do it. It was a low-hanging fruit, so “pleasing to the eye” and so easy for picking.
Rating: 9.7|Votes: 33
In the video below Orthodox Filipinos speak about their conversion to Orthodoxy and how the holy faith has renewed their lives.
Priest George Maximov, Anton Gotman
Rating: 9.9|Votes: 28
The guest of today’s program is Anton Gotman, who had been practicing Buddhism for a long time. In this interview, he will tell us what he was looking for but couldn’t find in Buddhism and how Christ touched his heart.
Priest George Maximov, Elena Smirnova
Rating: 9.6|Votes: 48
Sometimes the journey to the Light takes people through years of serving dark forces. This is what happened to Elena Smirnova. She used to practice witchcraft and esoteric arts, and summon evil spirits.
Priest George Maximov, Alexander Lyulka
Rating: 8.9|Votes: 29
Alexander read many atheistic and anti-Christian books trying to convince himself that Christianity was unviable, but discovered the depth and intellectual power of Orthodoxy instead. He will tell us how his intellectual quest led him to faith.
Priest George Maximov, Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)
Rating: 10|Votes: 32
Now modernism acts more cautiously, systematically, and consistently, without loud slogans and excesses, but the scope of its struggle has become significantly wider. Modernism digs a deep mine under Orthodox dogmatics, while claiming that its only goal is to purify the later accretions to traditional beliefs.
Rating: 9.4|Votes: 14
The patristic consensus, as on a whole the dogmatic authority of Church Tradition, places an insurmountable barrier on the path of those who would like to introduce some new teaching of their own into Orthodoxy. Even were you to convince the majority of modern men about it, it wouldn’t work out with the ancient saints who have already died and left their confession of faith without your innovation.
Rating: 8.9|Votes: 10
The guest of today’s program is Abdias Bijanov, an Orthodox Assyrian. His search for the meaning of life initially led him to the Nestorian Assyrian Church of the East, but eventually he found the Truth in Orthodoxy.
Priest George Maximov, James Evans
Rating: 9.3|Votes: 31
The guest of today’s program is James Evans, an Orthodox Englishman. He will tell us why he prefers to live in Russia rather than in England, what he gets from singing in the Orthodox church and how his journey to Orthodoxy began.
Rating: 8.8|Votes: 29
Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. Amongst its sons, George MacGuire, the founder of the “African Orthodox Church” occupies a worthy place. By the time he died the Church numbered about 30,000 faithful, fifty clergy, and dozens of parishes in the U.S.A, Uganda, Kenya, Canada, Venezuela, Cuba, and Antigua. Who was this man, and why did he turn his spiritual search toward Orthodoxy?
Barbados is an island state in the Caribbean. The first British settlers, together with the ancestors of the present-day black population, appeared there only in the seventeenth century, nearly two centuries after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. So what could connect Byzantium and Barbados?
Priest George Maximov, Julia Posashko
The guest of today’s program is Yulia Posashko, a former Baptist.
Priest George Maximov, Priest Sergius Labunsky
Rating: 9.9|Votes: 15
Today the guest of Father George’s program is Priest Sergius Labunsky. His adolescent interest in Medieval Europe initially led him to a Catholic church and even to a Catholic monastery, but eventually he found the path to the true Orthodox faith.
Priest George Maximov, Sergei Bednenko
Rating: 7|Votes: 3
It happened during my second long-term business trip overseas. I was already a military man, getting ready to become a professional intelligence officer.
Priest George Maximov, Teymuraz Kristinashvili
Teymuraz Kristinashvili, a guest of Spas TV program My Path to God, will tell us about his journey to God and how a nun’s humble prayer overcame the resentment of a sick person. We will hear about the miracles and inexplicable events that happened with his family and learn how a businessman can enter the Heavenly Kingdom.
Rating: 10|Votes: 4
Why do patriotic young men turn into followers of Nazi ideology? What is the difference between Russian and European skinheads? What makes Neo-Paganism attractive to soccer fans? Is it easy to overcome prejudice toward Christianity? Do we need to preach Christianity in the streets? These are the topics of the interview with Ivan Katanayev.
Priest George Maximov, Jesse Dominick
Rating: 8.3|Votes: 11
On September 15, 2016, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk gifted the Pope of Rome a piece of the relics of the much beloved great wonderworker St. Seraphim of Sarov, in a shrine the shape of a Paschal egg. Unsurprisingly, this has caused consternation among the Orthodox faithful, especially of the Moscow Patriarchate. The issue is not one of begrudging any and all pleasantries towards the Catholic prelate, but is focused rather upon the importance given to and the seriousness with which Orthodox Christians relate to the holy relics of the saints.
Rating: 9.5|Votes: 15
The guest of today’s program is Margarita Kaplun, of Jewish descent and a daughter of an Assistant Rabbi. After personally experiencing the power of praying to Our Lord Jesus Christ, she was baptized and led her parents to faith.
Priest George Maximov, Andrey Vetchinkin
Despite his rationalist/ evolutionist background, physicist Andrey Vetchinkin was acutely unhappy with the scientific basis of the theory of evolution. He converted to Orthodoxy after encountering phenomena that could not be explained or understood by his usual rationalistic approach.
Today Father George will discuss with hieromonk Diomedes (Lukyanyuk) such questions as why people become monks, can obedience be the reason for monks to go into schism, how to avoid the temptation of going into schism, what is monastic renunciation of one’ own will, and whether there is a difference between Greek and Russian monasteries.
Rating: 9|Votes: 1
The guest of today’s program is Archpriest Lev Semyonov. After taking interest in their interpretation of the Bible, he joined the Unification Church … How did he, a Unificationist preacher and one of the leaders of the Russian division of this sect manage to separate the truth from lies? Is it difficult to quit a sect and why? What should you do if your close friend has joined a sect?
On April 19 a conference was held at St. Tikhon's University in Moscow on the topic "The Pan-Orthodox Council: Opinions and Expectations," in which participated numerous hierarchs, priests, and theologians, among them Fr. George Maximov, a well-known missionary priest in Moscow, who offered a presentation entitled "Misgivings regarding the upcoming pan-Orthodox Council." In his talk he addresses what he sees as some problematic theological points arising from the council documents, as well as problems with the council's procedural regulations.
Rating: 9.7|Votes: 6
The guest of today’s program is Priest Igor Zyryanov. He started his journey to God in his early youth, but initially this path led him past the Church. He was a Protestant for 18 years, 12 of which he was a pastor of a Pentecostal community and an active missionary. Several years ago, he and his community converted to Orthodoxy.
Rating: 9.5|Votes: 8
The guest of today’s program is Yevgeny Verner, actor and producer. As a descendant of an old Jewish family, he came to Christ through Judaism. In his interview to Father George, he tells us his story about how the Savior literally called him. He also discusses so-called “national” religions, Cabbala and whether or not modern-day Judaism is the successor of the Old Testament traditions.
Rating: 8.2|Votes: 5
If we open the Hexaemeron of St. Basil the Great or the Hexaemeron of St. Ambrose of Milan, we will see there apologetic passages, aimed at defending the biblical teaching against the criticisms of “outsiders.” Why did it need to be defended? Because for the secular intellectuals of the time, the teaching of the creation of the world by God in six days was a great scandal, just as for modern evolutionists.
Rating: 10|Votes: 2
I would like to tell you about Father Daniel Sysoyev’s participation in foreign missionary work.
Rating: 9.8|Votes: 46
We will learn how Vasily got to the other world, what he felt over there and how Christ’s love helped him to reconsider his way of life here.
Rating: 8.4|Votes: 5
"On one hand, there are in the document not a few words with which we can agree. But for all of these, there are also expressions which are by no means indisputable, and sometimes erroneous."
Rating: 7.7|Votes: 7
As you know, sin is suicidal. It pulls you in. At some point, I hit rock bottom so hard that I understood that it was either I go with Christ or I die. I chose Christ.
Rating: 7.8|Votes: 4
Vietnamese Anna Dao Bin was a member of a Protestant community for a long time and did not even know that there were other Christian denominations.
Andrei Solodkov, Priest George Maximov
Rating: 10|Votes: 7
Today our guest is Andrei Ivanovich Solodkov, sectologist and missionary. I’ll tell his secret right away: In the past Andrei Ivanovich was a member and even a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Rating: 9.4|Votes: 20
Father Thomas, a German raised as Lutheran, converted to Orthodoxy from Catholicism. He will tell us about the driving force behind his spiritual quests and the importance of dedicated insistence upon the Truth. We will also learn the answers to such questions as “Should we say in conversations with members of other denominations that their teachings are heretical?” and “What should our attitude be toward the Branch Theory?”
Rating: 10|Votes: 8
The path to Jesus Christ is a never-ending journey of self-improvement; it is the value that will be with you all your life, no matter what.
Rating: 9.3|Votes: 3
Today’s guest is an Orthodox Kabardian who found the Truth in Orthodoxy without losing his national identity.
Priest George Maximov, Oleg Kozhin
Rating: 8|Votes: 11
"After becoming Orthodox I felt the grace of God. I understood what the touch of the Holy Spirit is. The real touch of the Holy Spirit, not some kind of mystical feeling or some self-deception. "
Priest George Maximov, Andrey Gukov
I quit the Roerichian sect completely after I saw a Miracle of God. Several years ago, they started broadcasting the Descent of the Holy Fire live from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. When I first saw this miracle with my own eyes, I suddenly realized that this was the true faith in the living God, who is close to each of us faithful, rather than somewhere in a mysterious Shambhala that nobody ever saw. I understood that that was where Christ was.
Priest Stanislav Rasputin, Priest George Maximov
Today Father George’s guest is an Orthodox priest and missionary Stanislav Rasputin, who was formerly a member of the Salvation Army. In this interview we learn how Father Stanislav found this path to Church, what may help Protestants overcome their prejudice against Orthodoxy, and how important missionary work is for every Orthodox Christian.
Rating: 9.3|Votes: 26
Contrary to fabricated pagan gods that you can make to be anything but don’t really need, in your relationship with the real God you feel His response, He helps you.
Priest George Maximov, Andrei Kolobov
Rating: 9.1|Votes: 8
Today we present to our readers an English translation of Father George’s interview with former Krishnaite Andrei Kolobov.
Rating: 10|Votes: 5
I was born in a regular Korean family. Koreans have a difficult spiritual legacy—It is a mixture of Buddhism and shamanism. So if I followed in the footsteps of my ancestors, I would have probably gone in the same direction. However, God gives the right of choice to every person and after comparison and analysis we can make the best decision. My journey wasn’t easy.
Priest George Maximov, Artem Grigoryan
Rating: 8.5|Votes: 20
In association with the Russian SPAS (Savior) TV channel, Pravoslavie.Ru has begun publishing a series of remarkable stories about our contemporaries who embraced the true faith after following various false teachings.
What is the Crown Princess of Bali doing in an Orthodox church, why do Russians prefer to confess to Indonesians, and why Orthodoxy is a blessing for Indonesia—these and other themes are discussed in the Indonesian notes of Fr. George Maximov.
Priest George Maximov, Archpriest Michael Li
I was born in Peking, in Bei Huan, in the Russian Spiritual Mission. It was a very good time. I very much loved the services.
Rating: 8.9|Votes: 7
On November 20, 2014, five years passed since the day that priest Daniel Sisoyev’s life was cut short; he was murdered in the Church of the Apostle Thomas where he served. Many people remember him thankfully, and testify to how his words and example influenced their lives.
Rating: 8.9|Votes: 12
Excerpts from his diary supplement our understanding of how St. Nicholas related to Buddhism. Here observations are also marked by the fact that they were made by a practicing missionary.
Deacon Giorgi Maximov
Rating: 9.7|Votes: 12
Of the tens of thousands of Japanese converted to Orthodoxy thanks to his labors, a significant portion were former Buddhists, and amongst his assistants were former Buddhist monks (Bhikkhu), for example, Paul Savabe. The saint studied Buddhism during the first eight years of his time in Japan, when, in his words, he “strove with all diligence to study Japanese history, religion, and the spirit of the Japanese people.”
Rating: 5.3|Votes: 8
OrthoChristian.com offers this brief conversation with an Orthodox Syrian, Hieromonk N. from the Antiochian Patriarchate, dedicated to the very difficult situation of Christians in Syria today. The editors have chosen not to provide the priest’s name in order to protect him and his close ones from danger.
St. Gregory Palamas, St. John of Kronstadt, Deacon Giorgi Maximov
Rating: 2|Votes: 1
If a tree is known by its fruit, and a good tree bears good fruit (cf. Mt. 7:17; Lk. 6:44), then is not the Mother of Goodness Itself, She who bore the Eternal Beauty, incomparably more excellent than every good, whether in this world or the world above? Therefore, the coeternal and identical Image of goodness, Preeternal, transcending all being, He Who is the preexisting and good Word of the Father, moved by His unutterable love for mankind and compassion for us, put on our image, that He might reclaim for Himself our nature which had been dragged down to uttermost Hades, so as to renew this corrupted nature and raise it to the heights of Heaven.
Rating: 8.4|Votes: 10
On November 19, 2009, priest Daniel Sisoyev was killed. He was a missionary, a preacher, and a talented orator, whose word both spoken and written roused people from their spiritual torpor and led them to Christ. Fr. Daniel’s followers speak different languages, live in various countries, and have varying experience in preaching, but they are all united by one thing—they know that it is their duty to spread to as many people as possible the truth of these words: “there is no salvation outside the Church”.
Metropolitan Amvrossios of Kalavryta and Aighialeia writes, “We are particularly shocked by the fact that the Constantinople Patriarchate has thus left poor Fr. Ephraim, their own man, to his fate, and does not allow others to sympathize with his calamity either. That is, he denies the members of the universal Orthodox community, which includes the Russians, the opportunity to apply the Gospel words… to rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep (cf. Rom. 12:15).
Deacon George Maximov
Rating: 10|Votes: 13
Only standing upon the above-mentioned axioms is it possible, without noticing the entire absurdity of such a combination, to consider ourselves believing Christians and yet suppose that we know better what the Virgin Mary did and didn't do than the Christians of the second century, than Sts. Herman and Tarasius of Constantinople, St. Gregory Palamas, and others who wrote about these events as facts; and finally, better than the Church herself, which instituted this feast.
Rating: 7.5|Votes: 30
Last time in the Russian-language Internet, a whole campaign was conducted to discredit the miracle of the Holy Fire. The fundamental idea of these “exposés” is that purportedly there are Orthodox who themselves deny the genuineness of this miracle but at the same time continue to “dupe simple, ingenuous people.” What arguments are offered to support this idea of duping and conscious deceit?
I was a Yazid. As all Yazidi, I went as a child with my relatives to the Orthodox church; we had icons at home, before which we placed candles on Sundays and feast days—that is, it was considered normal to worship the sun and go to church at the same time. But I was very drawn to Christ. When I heard about Him on television, or when someone would tell me about Him, I would always listen with great curiosity. In 2002, my family and I moved to Moscow. Here, someone gave me a copy of the New Testament. That is where it all began…
