Latest news with #Psalms
Chicago Tribune
15-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
‘It feels like home': St. Iakovos Church in Valparaiso opens the door on new chapter
Tasha Fotopoulos was among the dozens of Greek Orthodox faithful standing in front of St. Iakovos on Saturday waiting for the Thyranoixia, or open the door ceremony. 'It's something we've been waiting for, for some time,' Fotopoulos said. The Valparaiso mom of Lia, 3, is expecting her second baby, a boy, in the next few months and already plans to baptize him in the newly completed church. She, her husband, Paul, and other family members have been attending services at the temporary building, just south of the new church near Valparaiso, since 2012. Fotopoulos, whose St. Iakovos church roots go back to when it was housed in a former church school, said she likes the parish because of what she termed 'small family vibes.' The parish, at 36 West County Road 700 North, is home to about 140-150 families, according to the Rev. James Greanias, priest at St. Iakovos. 'It feels like home. It literally includes our family and church family,' Fotopoulos said. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, head of the Greek Orthodox Church of North America, began the door-opening ceremony by telling those in attendance: 'You have labored long and hard to build this spiritual home inspired by the words of the prophet and King Solomon who said I have built the exalted house, a place to dwell forever,' Elpidophoros said. Elpidophoros used his staff to knock on the sanctuary's outer door asking to be let in. He blessed the congregants with holy water before chanting in Greek, quoting Psalms, 'Lift up the gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall enter.' From inside the church came this question: 'Who is the king of glory?' 'The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord powerful in battle. Lift up the gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall enter,' Elpidophoros answered. Greanias called the opening of St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday a 'culmination of our founding families original dreams and goals.' 'It's the hard work and sacrifice and prayers of so many throughout the years and some very major donors who helped make it happen. The church is a result of everyone's hard work, prayers and giving,' Greanias said. The newly completed church is a 32,000-square-foot brick Basilica-style building. The Thyranoixia celebration was followed by Hierarchical Great Vespers as parishioners entered the church after first kissing the Iakovos church icon and making the sign of the cross. Paul Spanopoulos came to church with his wife, Denise, to view first-hand the opening of the church that many of his family members, many deceased, had had a hand in founding. 'They are here in spirit…This was the work of many Orthodox parishioners and others and it's a very spiritual feeling and both heartwarming and heartfelt to see this happen,' Spanopoulos said. Services continued on Sunday with Orthros beginning at 8:30 a.m. followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Also taking part in the two-day services were His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, along with His Grace Bishop Timothy Hexamilion. The congregation, which began celebrating services in 1981 at a former Methodist Church near Valparaiso University, moved temporarily in 2007 to the old St. Paul's School gymnasium. The congregation has been at the present building, located south of the new church, since 2012. Greanias said he was assigned 26 years ago by His Eminence to get ready to build the new church. 'I was able to fulfill my marching orders,' Greanias said. He also finds it personally satisfying to note that his late father, the Rev. Louis Greanias, also was responsible for opening St. Demetrios Orthodox Church in Hammond in the 1950s. 'Two Father Greanias opened two churches: St. Demetrios and St. Iakovos,' he said.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Southern Baptists voted on a resolution to overturn same-sex marriage. A Louisvillian wrote it
First, Denny Burk and the resolution committee used a verse from Genesis, then another, then one from Ephesians, Psalms and Deuteronomy. The professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, a Christian college off Louisville's Lexington Road affiliated with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, used the verses to write a resolution on "restoring moral clarity through God's design for gender, marriage and family." "Whereas, legal rulings like Obergefell v. Hodges and policies that deny the biological reality of male and female are legal fictions, undermine the truth of God's design, and lead to social confusion and injustice," a line of the resolution stated. The resolution was part of a focus by the Southern Baptist Convention, which has long had a fixation on opposing LGBTQ+ rights, and also abortion before the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Burk, a strong traditionalist voice within the Southern Baptist Convention, proposed the language in the resolution. Burk is also the president of the Louisville-based Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, an advocacy group that opposes LGBTQ+ rights. On Tuesday, during its annual meeting in Dallas, the Southern Baptist Convention voted on a resolution to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Southern Baptist delegates, known as "messengers," overwhelmingly approved the measure following little debate on the resolution's language. Andrew Walker, an ethicist at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary off Lexington Road in Crescent Hill, chaired that resolution committee. "What we're trying to do is keep the conversation alive," Walker told The New York Times. Burk told USA TODAY he was grateful the SBC had taken up his call to overturn Obergefell. "We know that we are in the minority on this issue, but we want to be a prophetic minority," Burk said. "We don't mind being countercultural when it comes to marriage. We want to bear faithful witness to God's good design — that marriage is the conjugal union of one man and one woman." The Courier Journal requested an interview with Walker but received a message that Walker was on sabbatical, writing a book. The follow-up contact did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Courier Journal also requested an interview with Burk, who is also on sabbatical until July 31. The Courier Journal also requested an interview with Albert Mohler, the president of the seminary and a prominent evangelical leader. Mohler did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative reporter. Reach her at skuzydym@ or on social media @stephkuzy. Liam Adams, who covers religion as part of the USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Southern Baptist repeal same-sex marriage based in Louisville
New York Times
10-06-2025
- New York Times
Finding God, and Nietzsche, in the Hamas Tunnels of Gaza
Each morning, Shelly Shem Tov would enter her son's empty bedroom and recite Chapter 20 from the biblical Book of Psalms, an ancient plea for deliverance. All the while she was unaware that her son, Omer Shem Tov, happened to be uttering the very same verses of Psalm 20 — 'May the Lord answer you on a day of distress.' He had adopted the same daily ritual about 130 feet underground, alone, in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza. Mr. Shem Tov was 20 when gunmen seized him during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. He had grown up in a largely secular home, and was living a relatively carefree existence after completing his compulsory military service — waiting tables in a steakhouse to earn money for a post-army trip to South America, a popular rite of passage for many Israelis of his age. He was captured while fleeing the Nova music festival, a rave party attended by thousands near the Gaza border. A few days into his captivity, he said, he began to speak to God. He made vows. He began to bless whatever food he was given. And he had requests — some of which he believes were answered. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dear James: I'm Not Very Punk Rock
Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers' questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@ Don't want to miss a single column? Sign up to get 'Dear James' in your inbox. Dear James, I'm not very punk rock. Not even a little. I'm well into middle age and experiencing my first taste of the many small indignities sure to come. I wear sensible shoes with gel insoles scientifically designed to relieve the pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis. I have long and detailed conversations about insurance. And yet, in my heart, I believe that all is mendacity. That virtue is impossible. That the system crushes us all beneath its relentless wheel. I tell hilarious jokes about the cruel pointlessness of existence and receive only blank stares in return. If the world were to perish in flames, I'm pretty sure it would be no more than it deserved. So my question to you is simple: Is this any way to live? Also: Can you recommend any good bands? Dear Reader, You are punk rock to the tips of your gel-cushioned toes, my friend. Don't worry about that. I'm sorry that nobody's digging your nihilistic humor. Maybe work on your material a bit, soften the edges, angle it a touch toward the mainstream? Day-to-day discourse, in my experience, can absorb a remarkable amount of savage absurdism, gags about doom, and so on (this stuff is highly relatable!)—as long as you don't come off as aggressive or out of your mind. As long as you don't come off too punk rock. To your larger point: How are we to live, make our way, proceed in the world when so much of said world is clearly an evil farce? (Huge pause while advice columnist slurps his coffee, stares out the window, and considers the question.) The punk rockers were not the first to have this insight, of course: The poets and the prophets have always known it. No one is more punk rock than the unknown author of Ecclesiastes. Or John Donne. Or Sylvia Plath. Or the author(s) of the Psalms, in certain moods. The trick, I think, is to use this world-withering vision as a stimulant rather than as a philosophical end point. Don't let it shut you down; let it wake you up. Use it to sharpen your senses and file your encounters to a keen edge. As in: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, but wow, this bag of Dunkin' Donuts Snackin' Bacon tastes amazing. Or: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, so why don't I help this elderly person with her shopping? Use it, this flame of disgust, to refine your language! Regarding bands, I have one word for you: Godflesh. (Cue sound of Godflesh fans across America falling to their knees in grateful assent.) It's all there. The beauty, the horror, the low end that purges your bowels, the guitar tone that scrapes the plaque from your heart. Start with Hymns. Wanting to be sedated, James Dear James, What are some great movies that have come out this year? Dear Reader, The last great movie I saw was Friendship. Profoundly awkward person (Tim Robinson) is absorbed at dizzying speed into charmed friend circle of smooth bro (Paul Rudd) and then—even more abruptly—rejected. At which point he shouts, in despair, 'You made me feel too free! You accepted me too quickly!' Genius. Feet up in the back row, James By submitting a letter, you are agreeing to let The Atlantic use it in part or in full, and we may edit it for length and/or clarity. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Dear James: I'm Not Very Punk Rock
Editor's Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers' questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@ Don't want to miss a single column? Sign up to get 'Dear James' in your inbox. Dear James, I'm not very punk rock. Not even a little. I'm well into middle age and experiencing my first taste of the many small indignities sure to come. I wear sensible shoes with gel insoles scientifically designed to relieve the pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis. I have long and detailed conversations about insurance. And yet, in my heart, I believe that all is mendacity. That virtue is impossible. That the system crushes us all beneath its relentless wheel. I tell hilarious jokes about the cruel pointlessness of existence and receive only blank stares in return. If the world were to perish in flames, I'm pretty sure it would be no more than it deserved. So my question to you is simple: Is this any way to live? Dear Reader, You are punk rock to the tips of your gel-cushioned toes, my friend. Don't worry about that. I'm sorry that nobody's digging your nihilistic humor. Maybe work on your material a bit, soften the edges, angle it a touch toward the mainstream? Day-to-day discourse, in my experience, can absorb a remarkable amount of savage absurdism, gags about doom, and so on (this stuff is highly relatable!)—as long as you don't come off as aggressive or out of your mind. As long as you don't come off too punk rock. To your larger point: How are we to live, make our way, proceed in the world when so much of said world is clearly an evil farce? (Huge pause while advice columnist slurps his coffee, stares out the window, and considers the question.) The punk rockers were not the first to have this insight, of course: The poets and the prophets have always known it. No one is more punk rock than the unknown author of Ecclesiastes. Or John Donne. Or Sylvia Plath. Or the author(s) of the Psalms, in certain moods. The trick, I think, is to use this world-withering vision as a stimulant rather than as a philosophical end point. Don't let it shut you down; let it wake you up. Use it to sharpen your senses and file your encounters to a keen edge. As in: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, but wow, this bag of Dunkin' Donuts Snackin' Bacon tastes amazing. Or: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, so why don't I help this elderly person with her shopping? Use it, this flame of disgust, to refine your language! Regarding bands, I have one word for you: Godflesh. (Cue sound of Godflesh fans across America falling to their knees in grateful assent.) It's all there. The beauty, the horror, the low end that purges your bowels, the guitar tone that scrapes the plaque from your heart. Start with Hymns. James Dear James, Dear Reader, The last great movie I saw was Friendship. Profoundly awkward person (Tim Robinson) is absorbed at dizzying speed into charmed friend circle of smooth bro (Paul Rudd) and then—even more abruptly—rejected. At which point he shouts, in despair, 'You made me feel too free! You accepted me too quickly!' Genius. Feet up in the back row, James
