It’s an accepted truism that “you can’t please everyone.” And, as long as lazy people don’t use it as an excuse to ignore the preferences of those they are called to serve (i.e. their neighbor), it’s a useful one. But “useful” is not the same as easy. I reckon it’s easy enough when we are … [Read more...]
On the Problem of Scientific and Spiritual Validation
As a social scientist, I was trained to test models based on their internal and external validity. A good model would explain a significant portion of the variation within the sample data (i.e. have internal validity) AND have applicability beyond that sample (i.e. in the "real world" or on … [Read more...]
“Can’t I Just Serve Well?”
This is a question/conversation that comes up fairly regularly with seminarians and priests. I strongly believe that in most American parishes it is NOT enough to just serve well and that one of the things we are called to do as "fathers" is lead. Yes, we need to strengthen our own life in … [Read more...]
A Paean to the Reliable Naysayer
Many of the personalities that populate our parishes seem to come out of central casting: the community historian, the pious worshiper, the issue advocate, the reliable worker ... the list goes on and on. When priests seek advice from other preists about how to best lead, manage, and serve them, … [Read more...]
GGWB Episode #16: Honor Among Priests
"Honor Among Priests" Fr. Anthony Perkins Good Guys Wear Black Podcast (AFR, 10 November 2016) In this episode, Fr. Anthony uses insights from his former career in intelligence to explain the spiritual vulnerability of our priests (and the need for vigilance). After a commercial break for a new … [Read more...]
GGWB Episode 15: The Priest as Shaman?
In this episode, Fr. Anthony begins by talking about the need to build joy into our routines. Then, after a (satirical) commercial break, he calls for Orthodox priests to consider taking on the role of Orthodox shaman as well. … [Read more...]
GGWB Episode 14: the Priest as Pastor AND Prophet
In this episode, Fr. Anthony begins by talking about things you can learn about priests from the way the keep the altar. Then, after a commercial break for a cool new liturgical gadget, he talks about the trade-offs between the pastoral and prophetic ministries and how they are made one in love. … [Read more...]
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