OrthodoxyToday.org was established to provide interested readers with articles that bring a moral perspective to pressing cultural questions. It is my conviction that American culture needs moral renewal.

America experienced periods of moral decline before (see my article: Orthodoxy and the American Awakening) and managed to meet the challenges with an impressive measure of success on some occasions. But today the stakes seem higher.

Science in particular stands at the frontier of astonishing capabilities that reach directly into life and death. Moral clarity is needed here more than ever. Hence the many articles about abortion, physician assisted suicide, euthanasia, and other sanctity of life issues.

At the same time, questions about homosexuality, teenage promiscuity, the collapse of the family, and other pressing issues affect almost every American. Everyone has someone in their immediate family who is affected by these sweeping cultural changes. It is important that we understand why these changes occurred and what they portend for the future.

Although the site is called OrthodoxyToday.org, anyone who thinks clearly is represented here. If an article is compelling, if it employs sound moral thinking and analysis, it's worth reading, in my opinion. You may notice however, that most authors don't think in a spiritual vacuum. They recognize a touchstone higher than themselves.

(If you want to understand why moral clarity and courage is necessary, I recommend Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "A World Split Apart". Pay particular attention to the last paragraphs.)

OrthodoxyToday.org is maintained by Fr. Johannes Jacobse, a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America.