[The_Reader_David]

I cannot speak for the Greek priest who lives near you. I do know, however, that the reevangelization of Albania after the Communist captivity happened under Greek clergy, that Holy Orthodoxy is the fastest growing Christian group in Africa, that the Holy Orthodox Church now has a foothold in Indonesia and is winning converts from Islam, despite the fact that conversion is a death sentence.

Perhaps your neighboring priest is lazy in spreading the Gospel, perhaps he has sufficient spiritual sight to understand you are mired in protestant preconceptions (such insight is not unheard of in Orthodox clergy and monastics).

[Boiler Plate]

Dave,
Save your silly insults for some other potential convert. Your reliance on writings that have always been in question and clearly do not align themselves with the central theme of the Bible (Which is Christ) leaves with little more than a mystical cult like religion. You are highly steeped in tradition that has gone on for ages and apparently gets accepted simply because you have always done it.
I asked you to provide another example from Jesus' teaching to support this concept of repentance in proxy and all you can do is throw back insults. Why, because there is no example of Christ allowing for someone repentance in proxy. The whole of scripture speaks against the concept but somehow because you guys hang on to a questionable writing you think that the balance of scripture should be thrown out to allow for your crazy concept. Well go ahead with your heresy it is no concern of mine. As far as Pastor across the street goes he is no different than any other Orthodox minister or layperson I have met, they simple do not evangelize. It seems that for the most part you guys seem to have a Hyper-Calvinist view and that if God wants you to be saved than you will come to Church on your own.
While I applaud your efforts in Albania and Indonesia, you can't possible believe that compared to the evangelism done by the protestant and catholic churches over the last 500 years even to this present day that the soul winning efforts of the Orthodox church are much of a priority. Evangelism in those of those of us who are not orthodox is our highest priority and if your spiritual leaders are taught how to be discerning enough to avoid spiritual dregs like myself, shame on you for Christ came for the spiritually sick (Matt 9:12, Mk 2:17,Lk 5:31).
Again I ask you, since you are so enlightened, to explain how your verse in Maccabbees jives with what Paul writes in Romans 9 especially with verses 27 and 28.


23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Good Luck,
Boiler Plate