alone among my kin, Polish/German Catholics from the Midwest, I adore fruitcake, and now I need to have one this year.

No disagreement from me! It's always about central admin policy...

the RUL system has had huge funding issues for a long time and they have to do the best with what they get. Also means prioritizing the digital resources that most students are likely to need and use. Unfortunate to be sure!

is 2-in-1 shampoo conditioner an orthodox dyophysite shower product with two and inseparable natures (shampoo and conditioner), a heretical monophysite unguent possessing only one nature, or is it a miaphysite union of two natures into a single composite

Also unsurprising that young people burned by the collapse of personalistic evangelical megachurches would turn to the structure and safety of an episcopal polity - all of the traditionalism and conservatism with very little of the instability!

This is a salient point, yes! And it's pretty clear that the driver of a big chunk of these converts is finding a church that aligns with their political preconceptions!

the short version of this is "conservative young men & women coming of age in a major period of social and political upheaval in the US are flocking to small, mostly ethnic, traditionalist denomination with exotic and aesthetically pleasing liturgies because of the sense of structure and community"

In addition! It is pretty obvious that these new adherents are selecting a denomination that suits their political preconceptions! Going from a conservative evangelical megachurch to Orthodoxy is not as big a jump as it seems because they were already social conservatives

I might even go so far as to compare Orthodoxy's growth here as comparable to the popularity of eastern religions in the 60s and 70s - Zen, Hindu movements like the Hare Krishnas, etc. - because it is at once exotic and provides a needed spiritual structure at a time when society is in flux

there are lots of alarming notes in this article but something it leaves unexplored is the element of countercultural affinity here. Most of the people interviewed have selected Orthodoxy because it cuts AGAINST mainstream trends - it's a minuscule and niche religion in the US.

I know a parish that would love to have you on Sunday! Rosary at 9:30 before Mass!

these people always wax poetic about the requirement to obey Natural Law and the dogma of Church... except when the Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of Christ, says something they don't like