ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Video: The House of Mercy in Russia

Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism.

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.

October 27, 2010

Video: The House of Mercy in Russia

Title: Open the Doors of Mercy To Us

This trailer presents the first 10 minutes of the CRTN - documentary "Open the Doors of Mercy to us."

Production Date: 2004
Duration: 29'

Copyright: CRTN / Blagovest Media
Language: English
Executive Producer: Mark Riedemann
Director: Nicolas Goriakin

"These are my children. There are 53 of them. We have children of different nationalities in my family: Russians, Ukrainians, German, Bashkyrs, Kazahs, Tatars, Gypsies, and Japanese. ... The Lord gave them what they have lost: they regained a family." [Fr. Nikolay Stremsky]

Fr. Nikolay Stremsky, a married Orthodox priest arrived in Saractash, a Russian village that lies 100 km from steppe Orenburg, only to be confronted with the grim reality of post communist Russian village life. Unemployment and insufficient social services have abandoned many to the streets -- particularly children. Little by little he gathered them together under his shelter. Fr. Nikolay recounts the beginning of what has today become a phenomenon in Russia -- the House of Mercy.