Who is Vladimir Moss?

[Ignatius21]

I keep running across his writings on many websites. I've read his own biography and he's a reader in the Orthodox Church, and also an historical scholar. I notice that people frequently (in blogs, etc.) mention his name as a counterpoint to popular works like River of Fire, etc. Not so much to refute them as to show that they aren't the only views in Orthodoxy.

A few random blog comments have said he's a "jurisdiction-hopper" or even a "schismatic," but terms like that can be flung around with great ease. Is he a member of some separated, ultra-purist wing of Orthodoxy that thinks itself to be the only true church, or does he just have a POV that clashes with some of the more ecumenically-minded Orthodox?

I have noticed that he likes to drop the H-Bomb (that'd be "heresy") pretty frequently against other Orthodox writers.

Having read several of his essays I get the impression that he's fighting against what he sees as a tendency in modern Orthodoxy to diminish or flatly deny the juridical/penal/wrathful aspects of theology, as though God can be either loving or just--essentially the flip-side of Protestants who so emphasize God's justice that God's love gets left on the cutting room floor. Coming as I do from a Reformed background, I appreciate his attempts to maintain a balance without destroying one aspect of God in favor of another. It often has bugged me that the Reformed often lack a balance.

Anyway, I figured I'd ask since I have no way of knowing whether he's any sort of reputable figure or reliable source, or where he falls within Orthodoxy. If he's the Jack Chick of Orthodoxy, I obviously don't want to spend time reading him.

I should hasten to add, I'm not asking about this man as an individual, but about where his opinions fall within the spectrum of Orthodoxy. I'm not asking whether he's part of a "schismatic" church because it reflects on him as an individual, but simply because that seems to be relevant to his status as a prolific public writer on topics of Orthodoxy (and especially his use of the term "heresy" to describe things that are obviously accepted by a lot of Orthodox believers).

 

[Kristos]

I have never heard of him...is he associated with a seminary?

 

[Ignatius21]

Seems he's had quite a long career of teaching and writing, but I don't think he's been part of an actual seminary.

Best I have is his own bio on his website: Vladimir Moss - The Biography of an Orthodox Christianity Author

His articles are actually "e-books" and fairly lengthy, but well written. One I just skimmed (and got the gist well enough, I think) was this: http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/downloads/219_THE_NEW_SOTERIOLOGY.pdf

 

[Protoevangel]

His refutation of the River of Fire is marginally good. As good, at least, as the River of Fire itself.

That said, he is a schismatic*, and as you have noted, he likes to thrown the title heretic around a lot. I would not recommend his articles or books in general; much of what he writes has merit, but when he takes it upon himself to declare Anathema on the EP... No, most of his stuff is best avoided.

* This is only to the best of my knowledge - based on interviews I've read with him, and some of his articles that I've read. I do not know with any certianty exactly which jurisdiction he is currently associated with.

 

[Ignatius21]

His refutation of the River of Fire is marginally good. As good, at least, as the River of Fire itself...

...but if you are discerning, much of what he writes has merit... Indeed, some of his articles are absolutely top-notch.

I would take this to mean, that regardless of whether he himself is a member of an "iffy" jurisdiction within Orthodoxy, someone could hold more or less to his views on things like hell, justice, wrath, etc. and still be considered comfortably within the bounds of historic Orthodoxy?

Obviously yelling "heretic!" at others doesn't make for good behavior or many friends, but I get the impression that his views (at least as expressed theologically in his rebuttal to "River of Fire") are not by any means outside the realm of Orthodoxy.

 

[Protoevangel]

I would take this to mean, that regardless of whether he himself is a member of an "iffy" jurisdiction within Orthodoxy, someone could hold more or less to his views on things like hell, justice, wrath, etc. and still be considered comfortably within the bounds of historic Orthodoxy?

I actually had to revise my post.

But in general, I would say yes. Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco was part of ROCOR when it was not in communion with World Orthodoxy.

Obviously yelling "heretic!" at others doesn't make for good behavior or many friends, but I get the impression that his views (at least as expressed theologically in his rebuttal to "River of Fire") are not by any means outside the realm of Orthodoxy.

Right.

At least in my own reading, I have found his rebuttal to "River of Fire" to have more patristic support than the "River of Fire" itself does.

 

[buzuxi02]

Vladimir Moss is waaayyyy overrated. He is the only 'scholar' the GOC- florinite old calendarists have, so they try to build him up. His inaccurate writing on the legitimacy of God the Father depictions is laughable and he loses all credibility.

 

[Euthymios]

Dr. Moss has contributed much in terms of sharing the lives of British saints, but I don't recommend his polemical writings. I don't believe he is entirely honest and accurate, and like so many people today, has certain biases.

 

[Euthymios]

HELP!

I never subscribed to any threads, but keep receiving email notifications every time someone comments on a thread I commented on. The emails contain a link showing me where to go in order to no longer receive these email notifications. But nothing in the link explains how to stop receiving these email notifications. This is disturbing, because I never authorized these email notifications to begin with.

 

[jckstraw72]

I would avoid anything he might write on ecclesiology (not sure if he has) because, as others have said, he is indeed a schismatic. However, I find him to be a good researcher and he presents many good sources. He has a nice article on monarchism, and I think his River of Fire Revisited is hella better than the River of Fire. He also has a good article on the after-life, but I haven't read too much of him.

 

[Euthymios]

I heard he believes in Bible Codes, a Protestant/Jewish invention. This shows there is something seriously wrong with his ability to discern. The Bible Codes heresy is not simply off base, it's not even Orthodox. It's way out there.

Moss referred me to the Russian True Orthodox Church (RTOC), also known as the Tikhonites, a few years ago. But when a RTOC priest named Father Vladimir Mordvinkin of Sacramento directed me to a parish in the Serbian Patriarchate, this raised questions and suspicions in my mind about the RTOC. I told Moss about this, and he asked me if I was sure Father Vladimir Mordvinkin was in the RTOC (Stefan) jurisdiction. I said yes, and later even gave Moss a complete copy of my email correspondence with Father Vladimir Mordvinkin. Moss never bothered to give me any explanation for this contradiction. He totally left me hanging. Bishop Stefan and Father Vladimir also left me hanging, with no explanation or apology. The RTOC claims that the Serbian Patriarchate is graceless and heretical, so it makes absolutely no sense for one of the RTOC priests to refer me to a church they consider apostate. This kind of hypocrisy is one of the reasons why I lost all faith in the "TOC"/"GOC" (and RTOC) movements. They are too hypocritical, contradictory and disobedient (to their own ecclesiologies) to be of God. I believe many TOC/RTOC and GOC clergy to be of bad will. I believe some of these groups are just political operations. So, when and if I get slandered as a result of this post, remember that what the RTOC did has absolutely nothing to do with me (this is not about me, it's about the RTOC). One of their priests told me to confess and commune in a parish in the Serbian Patriarchate. This is a fact.

 

[buzuxi02]

Well that's actually all of them. What they say is just to appease hardliners in their ranks. In fact most of their websites are run by the hardliners, thus their ecclesiologies that you think they follow is actually the webmasters and not that which takes place on the parish level. Most ecclesiological practises, in terms of dealing with schismatic opposition is adjustable, for a lack of a better term. It varies between akrivia and eikonomia depending on the level of friendliness and/or animosity towards each other.

 

[Euthymios]

Vladimir Moss is the son of a British diplomat, an agent of the British Government which is the head of world-wide Freemasonry, Darwinism, Imperialism, and rapacious globalist capitalism and its materialistic humanistic ecumenism, hence Moss's family are British spies or propagandists basically. The British government helped fund Tito and Ho Chi Min and Mao ZeTung and other communists and they backed the February Revolution against the Tsar. The British government is composed of stooges, employees and relatives of the Rothschilds, the Schiffs, the Warburgs, and the general world freemason banker conspiracy, But for all that, I am willing to allow that Vladimir Moss may not be a Freemason's stooge, MI-6 or a double agent of some other power. But really, you never know the secret motivations of some people. He is also the head of the British-based Russian Imperial Monarchist Society, which is a political party, albeit a tiny one, that wants to undermine the current regime in Russia, and so he engages in the propaganda war of politicians, which is notoriously slapdash and sloppy with facts in their mud-slinging.

Vladimir Moss recognizes the RTOC under Bishop Stefan, but this group is schismatic according the the Orthodox Church.

 

[buzuxi02]

Is he really the son of a British diplomat? I think your using too much hyperbole. But I think I proved my point now that the SiR has united with the GOC. What you were told or what you thought about the ecclesiology of these churches change depending on the person. Dont believe me? Pose as an ethnic greek looking to convert to the matthewites, and tell him you have reservations because your yiayia was the most pious orthodox Christian of the new calendar. The greek matthewite priest will tell you not to worry about it that Christ is our common salvation.

 

[Euthymios]

I agree. The "orthodoxy" (or lack thereof) among old calendarists depends upon the private and subjective opinions of the man who happens to be in leadership. And the laymen, who are often mind-controlled sheeple slaves, just follow along like brainwashed slaves, who only care about superficial things in the leader (example, he's nice, or can present a beautiful homily, or speaks Greek fluently, etc). I am not opposed to the old calendar, but to the old calendar movement. There is a difference. The disaster these people have brought is reminiscent of the chaos in Evangelicalism.

 

[buzuxi02]

I have no problem with them myself. I think your more disenchanted, while I always knew it's always been that way. You can see the change even in e-cafe. I remember a few years back the posters on that forum hated the SiR, the 'resisters' were heretics worse than world orthodoxy themselves. Last few weeks with the dialogues no one on that site questioned anything. Its simply, "I'm sure they resolved the canonical impediments". I was quite surprised at how they went from being so hawkish to so dovish.

 

[Simpleman25]

Vladimir Moss is the son of a British diplomat, an agent of the British Government which is the head of world-wide Freemasonry, Darwinism, Imperialism, and rapacious globalist capitalism and its materialistic humanistic ecumenism, hence Moss's family are British spies or propagandists basically. The British government helped fund Tito and Ho Chi Min and Mao ZeTung and other communists and they backed the February Revolution against the Tsar. The British government is composed of stooges, employees and relatives of the Rothschilds, the Schiffs, the Warburgs, and the general world freemason banker conspiracy, But for all that, I am willing to allow that Vladimir Moss may not be a Freemason's stooge, MI-6 or a double agent of some other power. But really, you never know the secret motivations of some people. He is also the head of the British-based Russian Imperial Monarchist Society, which is a political party, albeit a tiny one, that wants to undermine the current regime in Russia, and so he engages in the propaganda war of politicians, which is notoriously slapdash and sloppy with facts in their mud-slinging.

Vladimir Moss recognizes the RTOC under Bishop Stefan, but this group is schismatic according the the Orthodox Church.

There is no such thing as the head of freemasonry. In the US each state has jurisdiction.

No one group nor person speaks for masonry.

 

[searn77]

Some of his writings on history I thought were well done. But I was not a fan of the theological writings from him that I read.

 

[Euthymios]

I was told Moss' also believes in the esoteric and heretical concept of Bible Codes. Dr. Mike Heiser (Ph.D in Hebrew and Semitic languages) has written against the Bible Codes, as have other scholars. I was also told Moss' believes that marital sex may help unite a person to God, or help one experience God, or something along those lines. This idea is Gnostic. Dr. Heiser briefly touches on this topic in his six hour video on Gnosticism.

 

[Euthymios]

Double post deleted.