A British citizen—or should I say, a British subject—I recently acquired French nationality. This process prompted the following reflexions on how our identity as Christians meshes with our civic identity and national allegiance. I conclude with a wake-up call, warning that the Orthodox Church’s response to racism, ethnophyletism, and authoritarianism needs to be sharper and better informed.

PART ONE

On 24 June 2016, along with millions of my compatriots, I woke up to the shocking news that the UK had voted by a slim majority to leave the European Union. Although the Leave campaign lied and broke the law to achieve its ends, it soon became clear not only that the result would be allowed to stand, but that the type of Brexit being pursued was a “hard” one, involving a break with the European Single Market and therefore the end to freedom of movement.  Read More

Matthew Heimbach wields an Orthodox cross as a weapon in 2014.

Orthodoxy in Dialogue’s readers who have followed us from the beginning will recall our response to the deadly right wing violence in Charlottesville VA in August 2017: Open Letter to Our Beloved Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, Response to Racist Violence in Charlottesville, VA, and Editorial: Our Response to the Assembly of Bishops. Orthodox Christian Matthew Heimbach participated in the terrible events of that day.

One of our readers has brought the following to our attention:

A Bad Day for Right-Wing Wackos

Folks like the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Aryan Nation, etc. seem to be such unhappy and angry people that we are not sure they actually have good days. But they definitely have bad days, and a whole bunch of alt-righters definitely had one of those yesterday. Read More

✠

Grant rest eternal in blessed repose, O Lord,

to the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep,

and may their memory be eternal.

Memory eternal. Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη. Вѣчная память. Veșnica pomenire.

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~ TOTAL ~

$2500

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As we journey to Bethlehem this Nativity Fast, please consider including the hungry and the homeless in your budget for Christmas gifts, decorations, new clothes, parties, and elegant meals.

On Christmas Eve, we will walk the streets of downtown Toronto delivering cash into the hands of our shivering brothers and sisters who wonder if they can afford a cup of coffee to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Since Christmas 2017, Orthodoxy in Dialogue has given tens of thousands of dollars on the streets of Toronto on Christmas, Pascha, and other times of the year—all provided by you, our faithful readers and lovers of Christ. Some years, we collect enough to give everyone $40. One year, we were able to give each person $100. We wish you could be with us to see their faces awash with tears of joy and gratitude, and to experience with us the rush of divine grace from on high as we encounter our newborn God and Saviour over and over again on our frozen sidewalks, who Himself had no home in which to enter the world and be born. Let’s strive together to make this our best year ever.

Send you contribution, whether large or small, to editors@orthodoxyindialogue.com via PayPal. In your message, include your name, place of residence, and—if you wish—the name(s) of the person(s) in whose memory you make your offering. Check back often to see our total collections rise over the next six weeks. Donors’ names and our running total will be updated daily at the top of this post. Please also share this post widely on social media.

Send your offering as a gift, not as payment for a purchase.

Please pray with us that our merciful Lord, who comes to be born of the Virgin, grant success to our project.

We wish you a holy and spiritually fruitful Nativity Fast.