Anglican and Oriental Orthodox Church leaders meeting in the UK have shared their fears about the future of Christianity in the Middle East. This was the first Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission in 12 years. The dialogue’s central topic was the Holy Spirit, but Christian persecution in countries across the Middle East was inevitably a key…
We have just received news from Ventislaz and Zlatina Karavaltcheva (Bulgarian Orthodox missionaries who have worked previously in Georgia and Ukraine) that the first stage of an imprtant reseource for Bulgarian schools has been released. This year nearly 2,000 first graders in Sofia and other parts of Bulgaria will have the opportunity to learn the basic…
LOI are sad to hear of the attack on the Coptic bishop, Bishop Makarios of Minya, in Egypt, on Monday morning (30 September) when he and his vehicle came under fire. The bishop, according to a statement issued by the Minya Diocese, was visiting the village of Garees in Abu Qerqas to offer condolences to the family…
As 45 participants, from Orthodox and Evangelical communitiaries around the would, gathered for the Opening Banquet of the Lausanne-Orthodox Consultation tonight we were reminded of the ‘Inextinguishable flame of Christ’. Welcoming us to St. Vlash monastery and to Albania, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania reminded us of the suffering of the…
Last night Archbishop Jeronymos of Mwanza, Grace Mathews and Mark Oxbrow arrived at St. Vlash monastery. For those of you still on the way here I can tell you it is a very beautiful location with the cathedral, a place of prayer, at the heart of everything. At the liturgy this morning we prayed for you all…
One of the key note speakers from the 2013 Lausanne-Orthodox Consultation, Dr. Brad Nassif, has an article in the current edition of Christianity Today on the unlikely topic of the Filioque – the subject of theological debate for over 1,500 years. By reflecting on his grandmother’s recipe for humus, Nassif suggests that this debate might not…
Running parallel to the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative (LOI) is the Lausanne-Catholic Initiative which is exploring the future of relationships between Evangelical and Catholic Christians. They have recently released three videos of the proceedings at their last consultation in Chicago. You can find these videos (called “Lausanne Conversations 1/2/3” at http://www.act3network.com/videos – but you need to scroll down the…
With sorrow, many of us have followed the development of the conflict in Ethiopia. That sorrow is mixed with concern for those we know and care for in that country, especially as we have benefited from Ethiopian involvement in LOI’s work for a number of years. We also hosted an Orthodox-Evangelical consultation in Addis Ababa…