The Christian Faith and War

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1. A Desperately Needed Voice Crying in the Wilderness of Ignorance that is the West

   Posted by Isaac Crabtree on 3rd Oct 2014

   I just bought a second copy of this magnificent pamphlet because it so convincingly and inspiringly overthrows the delusion that love towards enemies never means lifting up the sword in defense of the Church and of the innocent.
   
   Such a myopic and distorted view is prevalent throughout America, in my experience, because as with so many other subjects (e.g., life after death, confession and communion, ecumenism, the spiritual life), the teachings of the saints are cast aside by a few "enlightened" (or perhaps "endarkened") who, in the words of the forward of the English translation of the Exomologetarion, "move on the fringes of the Church's life and experience," or something like that.
   
   Blessed Met. Anthony was a great scholar, a true exemplar of the Christian life, and one sent by God to the Church to guide it through a very difficult period for Russian Orthodox Christians living in exile from their homeland. Using what I knew from this excellent work, I responded to a dear Orthodox friend of mine, citing some liberal quasi-Orthodox groups equivocation of all violence, with, "Tolstoy strikes again!" There really is nothing new under the sun.
   
   Christ our Teacher has spoken to me very profoundly from this little work.

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