He was born in 1961 in the Perm region, graduated from high school and then from the Ural Electromechanical Institute.

After graduating from the institute, Sergey worked in the city of Tobolsk in his specialty, in 1986 he moved to Yekaterinburg, where he made a good career: from the head of the electrical department to the deputy director for trade at a fish gastronomy plant.

Obedience and writing

In 1994, Maslennikov discovered the works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, and became interested in the study of Orthodoxy. He also scrupulously studied the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures by the holy fathers of the church. Sergei Mikhailovich realized that he had found his life's work - studying the works of the holy fathers and bringing their heritage to people.

In 1999, Sergey Maslennikov became a novice of a monastery near Yekaterinburg, and soon headed the Sales Department in the Yekaterinburg diocese. And a little later he began to conduct "Lessons of morality" for children.

Along with this, Maslennikov walked up the career ladder - he is an altar boy and a reader in the parish. And after some time he received a more important task - to lead a Sunday school for adults.

However, Maslennikov's most beloved brainchild was the "School of Repentance", which was created in one of the parishes of Yekaterinburg. He taught these classes for 5 years, and he himself developed the program and taught teachers.

At the same time, he lectured on "Asceticism for the Laity", conducted seminars on repentance and atonement for sins, although he did not receive a special theological education.

In 2010, Sergey Maslennikov's writing career began: he began writing a book called "Christian Virtues", and a few years later he released the cycle "Passion - Diseases of the Soul". In total, 8 books were published from his pen, the circulation of which amounted to 300,000 copies. The book "Reconciliation with Christ" brought him an honorary award - he was awarded the Alexander Nevsky medal and received the All-Russian Literary Prize.

Beginning of controversy

All books devoted to Orthodox postulates are reviewed, and according to its results, they are given a church stamp if they correspond to church dogmas.

The first books by Sergei Maslennikov had such a stamp, but in 2015 it was withdrawn by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church. This was followed by a ban on the sale of these books through church shops. According to one of the reviewers, Oleg Vasilyevich Kostishak, Maslennikov received comments on the content of several books, but he did not respond to them. Therefore, the books were deemed unsuitable for study by Christians.

The fact is that, according to theologians, Maslennikov described the teachings of the Orthodox Church through personal experiences, which is unacceptable. According to priest Georgy Shinkarenko, this leads to a "distortion of the understanding of the path of salvation" and a departure from salvation as the main goal of every Christian. The priest is sure that Maslennikov not only has inaccuracies in understanding the dogmas of the church, but he generally misunderstands the meaning of the life of a Christian.

In his books, Sergei Mikhailovich gives many references to the words of the saints, but he interprets them in his own way, and this leads to errors, mainly to a mechanical and formal comparison of the statements of the holy fathers.

One example is the Diary of a Penitent, which Maslennikov advised parishioners to fill out. The Diary contains a classification of all sins, and everyone should note which of the sins he committed today and repent of it. One of the priests admits that such an approach can lead to sectarianism and religious fanaticism.

The later works of Sergei Maslennikov, in the opinion of many residents of reputable monasteries, have a formulaic approach. And the requirement to show the "Diary of a Penitent" to a person who is not even a priest is similar to an attempt to control the state of a person's soul. But no one can decide for a person how he lives - the Church only teaches.

Therefore, Maslennikov's approach to Orthodoxy is in no way consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Church.

In the vast expanses of the Internet there is no such corner where Tatyana Shchedrina would not leave her “creative traces”. For 1.5 years, she has been spreading lies and slander, insulting everyone who is involved in the School of Repentance: the author of the conversations of the School of Repentance, S.M. Maslennikov, the rector of the temple, Father Andrei Kanev, teachers, students, supporters of the School. She wrote letters to Moscow to those who could help to ban the School, and drew Professor Osipov into this process.
… Wherever she, poor thing, just didn’t wave this “order without reason”, wherever she put it, she was even ready to stick it on the fences, if only the School of Repentance was closed. Why, apparently, the School hooked her tightly, which does not give her peace to this day?
The "creative traces" of Tatyana Shchedrina can be found on the websites of the author and ru tracker on 2 branches, where even now she "works fruitfully" under the nickname Tatyana_730.

The orders to ban the creative activity of S.M. Maslennikov cannot be called a decision of the Church. This is a personal decision, a personal opinion of Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, which is based on the personal opinion of Metropolitan Clement, Chairman of the Publishing Council, but not the decision of the theological commission for reviewing works, which assigned stamps to all 28 Maslennikov’s works, and the Metropolitan himself was a member of the commission Clement, who also voted for the assignment of these same vultures. Since neither one nor the other reasons indicate any, then these decisions not only cannot be called the decision of the Church, but they remain the personal unjustified decision of the two metropolitans. This is what they offer for the 8th step: the 8th commandment of beatitudes - blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
This is not about the entire Church of Christ. We are talking about representatives of the earthly Church, who sometimes make mistakes, and sometimes they are right. This is where you need to look, who is wrong now? Those who blaspheme and persecute and slander, or those who reward? But how to compare, how to determine which of them is mistaken and who is not mistaken? That's where there is a correspondence to the Truth - they are right. If others do not even indicate the reasons for the persecution, then this is clearly ordinary human envy, the envy of Cain ...
But, as we see, there are also healthy spiritual forces that have appreciated the work of the Orthodox writer Sergei Mikhailovich Maslennikov, dedicated to the salvation of people, presented in a simple and accessible form. The name of the nomination "Theology for the People" rightly reflects and fully corresponds to the creative activity of the author.
Contradictions to the teaching of the Holy Fathers in the writings of S.M. Maslennikov was not identified. Therefore, everyone has every right to refer to his works.
The Siberian Blagozvonnitsa publishing house continues its long-term and fruitful cooperation with an Orthodox author.

Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! In the days of Great Lent, we are pleased to begin publishing the valuable works of authorship by S. M. Maslennikov “The School of Repentance. On the Path to Salvation” and “Asceticism for the Laity”. From listeners' feedback: “What I heard in Sunday school made a tremendous impression on me. I've been looking for this for so long! What the teacher said, like a balm overflowed my soul, I could not believe what I heard, everything was so close to me, so necessary, I looked around, saw ordinary women around, probably not understanding their happiness.

about the author

Sergey Mikhailovich Maslennikov is the author of a series of talks "On the Path to Salvation", as well as a series of books "Passion - Diseases of the Soul" and "Christian Virtues".

Sergei Mikhailovich was born on July 26, 1961 in the city of Chaikovsky, Perm Region. In 1978 he graduated from high school with a gold medal. In 1983 he graduated from the Electrotechnical Faculty of the Ural Electro-Mechanical Institute of Railway Engineers. She has been married since 1982 and has two children.

From 1983 to 1986 he worked in his specialty at the Tobolsk signaling and communication distance as an electromechanic, senior electromechanic and head of the section. In 1986 he returned to Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) and until 1994 worked at the fish gastronomy plant as head of the electrical department, chairman of the trade union committee, deputy director for trade, acting director.

In 1994 he was baptized. At this time, he developed an interest in the study of spiritual literature, and in 1996, leaving all worldly affairs at once, he devoted almost three years to studying the works of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) and the interpretations of the Holy Fathers on Holy Scripture. In 1999, he worked for some time in one of the monasteries in Yekaterinburg. In the same year, he was asked to head the Sales Department of the Yekaterinburg diocese. Continuing to study the works of the holy fathers, Sergei Mikhailovich simultaneously conducted "Lessons in morality" for students from the 1st to the 11th grade at secondary school No. 129 in Yekaterinburg.

Since 2002, he worked in the church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Seven Keys of Yekaterinburg, where he carried out the obediences of an altar boy, reader and chanter. At the same time, he simultaneously held an announcement and a Sunday school for adults. The latter required a repeated, more scrupulous and thorough reading and study of the works of St. Ignatius. During this period (2003-2008), about 200 hours of audio lectures of the "School of Repentance" series appeared.

Since 2005, he has been appointed teacher and then senior teacher of the School of Repentance established by the rector of the parish with the blessing of the ruling bishop. While holding this position, he collected and processed the educational materials of the School, developed the program, worked with students (parishioners), and trained teachers. Thanks to the School, the parish almost quadrupled in a short time, and the number of communicants on Sundays is about 300 people.

Since 2010, he began to work on compiling books of the series “Passion - diseases of the soul” and “Christian virtues” (only 8 books with a total circulation of about 300,000 copies) and conduct lectures “Asceticism for the laity”.

In January 2015 for his book « Reconciliation with Christ » he was awarded the title of laureate of the All-Russian Literary Prize in honor of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky in the nomination "Theology for the people" and was awarded the medal of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky.

About the award.

I first met Sergey Mikhailovich Maslennikov about 10 years ago in the church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Yekaterinburg, he then helped the priest in the altar at the services; after the service, he left the altar, people surrounded him, and he answered questions. Such a picture can be seen, probably, in many temples. Somehow, I was immediately impressed by the expression on his face, somehow especially calm, deeply attentive. I then thought that it was a father, probably.

Then I went to Sunday school for the first time, these are just the conversations that you now have the opportunity to hear on disks called "The School of Repentance: On the Path to Salvation." What I heard in Sunday school made a tremendous impression on me. I've been looking for this for so long! What the teacher said, like a balm overflowed my soul, I could not believe what I heard, everything was so close to me, so necessary, I looked around, saw ordinary women around, probably not understanding their happiness. Sometimes I was perplexed - why did they need all this, it was about asceticism, then I mistakenly thought that this was the lot of some chosen people. My soul triumphed over what I heard: the man spoke the truth, and my soul responded to these words with triumph! My soul was tormented, it needed the true word, and now it has found it.

The path of Sergei Mikhailovich to the temple passed by my house, and I, waiting for him along the way, accompanied him to the temple; of course, our conversation often went on for half an hour or more. Then, during the day, I came to the temple and spent some more time in conversation with him, the communication did not end there, I met him from work, escorted him home, and we talked while he had strength. My soul was richly nourished by the talks of this spiritual man. I was lucky, at that time none of the parishioners especially needed Sergei Mikhailovich, which sincerely surprised me, but I pretty much used it. In the future, when the School of Repentance was formed, it became much more difficult to get through to it. We talked with him about a very important topic - about how to live by faith, about how to learn this heavenly, divine science - Orthodoxy. He always had time for me. In general, all the people who communicate with him have the impression that you are special for him and you have some kind of special relationship with him. I never saw him irritable or in a bad mood. He is always in some special mood, probably, this is the state of a praying person. For me, Sergei Mikhailovich is an example of special selflessness, humility; probably, only such unearthly qualities can attract to Christians, the understanding that they have something so special, attractive, unearthly, as if a special, eternal life beats in them with a powerful inner source.

Brothers and sisters, I assure you and hope for your Christian understanding that I do not want to do anything or make Sergei Mikhailovich a saint or a miracle worker, or anyone else like that. Never seen anything like it! I think that this is alien to true humility. Sergei Mikhailovich considers himself a disciple of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov); he himself says this, that he was brought up on the creations of this great saint of our time, from his creations receiving everything necessary for his spiritual experiences. I think that some of his inherited qualities also play a significant role here: many have read St. This is truly a student! Let us listen to his discourses and he who truly has a thirst will quench it.

It is worth adding, I think, an important detail - Sergei Mikhailovich almost did not prepare for the conversations, there was simply no time. He planned a topic that had to be considered for the benefit of the listeners, and with God's help he conducted an hour and a half conversation. Therefore, one can probably judge the spiritual state of a person, understanding that such a deed cannot be done without God's help. Sergei Mikhailovich does not consider conversations to be “his own”, he considers them to be the property of Christians. In recent years, there have been repeated meetings with different people who, from acquaintance with the conversations, experienced feelings similar to mine.

Brothers and sisters, it was not at all easy for me to write these lines, I did it for the first time, I read my brother’s question above and decided to tell my impression of meeting this person. Maybe someone will tell about it in a completely different way. The most important thing, perhaps, is that I did it sincerely. Of course, I have a great gratitude to God that he brought me together with this man. Many thanks to Sergei Mikhailovich for his long-suffering towards me, for those countless spiritual advice that helped and still help me make my earthly journey with the hope that it will be accomplished safely for me. Amen.

Vladimir, parishioner of the temple
in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos

Without a doubt, we are sure that many visitors to our site are already familiar with the soulful works of Sergei Mikhailovich. For those who, for one reason or another, have not yet turned their eyes and ears to them, we invite you to join us and listen carefully and comprehend some of them.

So, today we offer you to get acquainted with a series of lectures by Sergei Mikhailovich Maslennikov under the general title “Asceticism for the Laity”, may your heart not be embarrassed by such a strict title.

Asceticism for the laity. Part 1.

Asceticism for the laity. Part 2.

Asceticism for the laity. Part 3 Asceticism for the laity. Part 4

DSNMP: A little hint: since some videos are quite long in time and it is not always possible to view them at one time, you can use a program, such as FormatFactory, to convert the video file to MP3 audio format, which, in turn, using a program, for example, MP3cut, cut into several short files, let's say 15-20 minutes each. After that, burn it all to a CD or USB drive and listen to it on a player at home or in a chariot (car).

Priest George Shinkarenko

Priest Georgy Shinkarenko, cleric of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Alexandrov, head of the information department of the Alexander Diocese of the Vladimir Metropolis, answers questions about Sergei Maslennikov's CDs and books.

Should I enjoy life?

- Father George! Once, on the Soyuz TV channel, I saw a speech by Sergei Maslennikov, who was called a catechist of one of the churches in Yekaterinburg. The program was called attractively - "Asceticism for the laity." But what I heard was shocking. Sergei Maslennikov told how he denounced the vanity of a boy he knew. “You feel good when you wash the dishes!” - he asked him. "Oh sure", - answered the boy. “So - this is the very vanity and there is !!!” - concluded the catechist. Obviously, it is necessary to teach a child to wash dishes not with joy, but with disgust or even hatred? What can you say about such installations?

- Firstly, it must be said that from all the audio CDs and books by S.M. Maslennikov, the stamp of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church was withdrawn. The archive of his speeches was also removed from the Soyuz TV channel. That is, now these works cannot be distributed in churches and church shops, listening and reading them is not useful for a Christian. We will return to the reasons for this decision.

But since people who have managed to immerse themselves in the lectures of this person turn to me, as a priest, with questions, I want to comment on some of his misconceptions.

I had to delve into the “Diary of a Penitent,” which all students in the “School of Repentance,” headed by Maslennikov, were required to keep. From the first lines, there is a feeling of an inept or well-planned, sectarian retelling of the work of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). Inexperienced missionaries use such speech in conversation with people who are absolutely non-church. And sometimes it is a game of pseudo-simplicity in order to gain trust, pass for "your own, simple guy." I was simply cut off by such a free interpretation of the article of St. Ignatius "Preparation for the Sacrament of Confession":

“... The first people Adam and Eve violated God's commandment, thereby losing Eternal Life - God - and let death into themselves, selling himself and all his descendants(that is, you and me) into slavery to the devil”, “we are in constant sorrow, suffering and illness, serving the devil with our sins, being at enmity with our Creator ...” How can one speak of the soul "She was killed sin, was unfit for communion with God, for Paradise, for Eternal Life, that immortal « soul died» , call us all "willing victims of hell"?

The following is a list of sins, divided into groups and categories according to severity. It seems to me that this convention is very far-fetched. First of all, we must remember that "God is love" and if so, then, as the saints say, there is no unforgivable sin, except the unrepentant sin.

All students of the "School of Repentance" were required to fill in the "Diary" and follow the following rule:

"Passion of passions with examples of their manifestation for the whole past life (8-10 lessons) according to the “Diary of a Penitent”.

“An analysis of the sins that are repeated today - lifestyle adjustment».
"Determination of frequency of repetition of sins".

« Meeting with the teacher before every Communion for parsing sins and checking the quality of prayer».

I don’t know how an experienced confessor can allow me to fill in such a diary, with sins that are disgusting to read, let alone list them out loud later? Total control over the state of the soul on the part of a person who, moreover, is not a priest, cannot end in anything good! As a priest, I will say that even a detailed enumeration of such sins is a huge temptation for both the priest and the one who confesses. And where is the line of what is possible and what is impossible in the vicinity of family people and in general in life? Why do we take upon ourselves the authority of God to say: "God will punish or condemn"(which cannot be, in principle, based on the doctrine of the properties of God) for an apple plucked from an abandoned garden or a bucket of carrots picked from the field after harvesting and left to freeze there? Confessing sins in such a distorted way, a person drives himself into a rigid framework: every step is a sin. How to live? How to be saved? Orthodoxy becomes not a religion of love, but a religion of fear and punishment. Every sinner in the works of Maslennikov is called an enemy of God, a person is suggested that he is friends with Satan. And this is what is meant to be taught to children?

In the false image of God the overseer, God the punisher, which is imposed with such an approach, there is not a single gram of love and mercy, although there are an abyss of quotes taken out of context.

The horror of sin, sometimes not yet committed, can bring a person to despondency, depression and sometimes suicide or insanity. And this is confirmed by numerous reviews on the Internet. One of the victims, Elena, who listened to the audio conversations, wrote this: “I was surprised that everything seems to be rightly said, but… Some kind of dead end lies ahead... I began to understand that I would not be able to escape, because no matter what I did, there would still be an infinite number of sins. A lot of people despair of it."

Is this the fruit of repentance?

The fanaticism and religious exaltation of Maslennikov, the frivolous interpretation of the holy fathers can be very dangerous for many people who are not yet mature in spiritual life. Having heard references to the authority of the holy fathers, many may think that this is an interpretation of their teaching. But in fact, a forgery is taking place: the teaching of the Orthodox Church is served through Maslennikov's personal spiritual experiences. And, unfortunately, the result is a distortion of the understanding of the way of salvation.

A very important assessment is given on the website of the Center for Religious Studies in the name of the Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyon in the conclusion of the Russian Association of Centers for the Study of Religions and Sects (RATSIRS) “Activities of the “School of Repentance” by S.M. Maslennikov is banned by the Yekaterinburg diocese”, published on January 13, 2015 [ :

“People often turn to our Center about the “School of Repentance” by S.M. Maslennikov. We are informed that a group of admirers of this self-proclaimed teacher operates in several churches in Yekaterinburg. Maslennikov's books and CDs were widely sold in church shops in the churches of the diocese. Maslennikov and his followers taught at Sunday Schools. Currently, Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye has responded to numerous complaints from believers in the Ural capital regarding Maslennikov's activities. Of course, the Maslennikov group, its methods and distinctive features, as well as its close relationship with some of the clergy of the diocese, require serious study. Nevertheless, based on the materials of Maslennikov's lectures, his book "The Diary of a Penitent One", as well as the stories of people who have encountered the activities of this pseudo-Orthodox guru, one can identify the following destructive signs in his organization and distributed literature:

- Maslennikov's group divides people into "true" Christians ("correctly penitent" - in fact, followers of Maslennikov) and "untrue" ones, who, according to Maslennikov, will not be saved.

- Not having a holy order, Maslennikov himself excommunicates people from Communion.

- Maslennikov believes that the spirit of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), and sees himself, in fact, as the only correct interpreter of his teachings. Followers and admirers of Maslennikov go even further and see their teacher as a new Ignaty Brianchaninov. Some of them even see in Maslennikov a physical resemblance to St. Ignatius and speak openly about the special spiritual succession of the Yekaterinburg preacher from the saint.

- Maslennikov's "School of Repentance" takes a rigidly fundamentalist position on most issues, denying any economy and perceiving the world in a black and white spectrum: for example, it is argued that only church-going Orthodox Christians can be recorded in health notes. The practice of most parishes, which takes into account the consequences of decades of atheistic persecution and condescends to human infirmities, makes it possible to submit notes about "misguided" family members, i.e. unchurched, but baptized people who do not consciously take an anti-church position. Such an "ideologically substantiated" rejection of general church practice, of course, "confirmed" by pre-selected quotations, plays an extremely important role for such groups in opposing itself to the entire church fullness, which "does not pass the test" for the title of true Christians and faithful followers of the holy fathers.

- Very similar to sectarian practice is the fact that the teachers of the "School of Repentance", having neither the holy dignity nor the blessing of the hierarchy, considering themselves experienced leaders in the spiritual life, look through a special "diary of the penitent" (as they say, "preparing for confession in order to unload the priests"), often dictating to a person what exactly he needs to repent of. Since each "novice" is forced to keep a diary, without guaranteeing the secrecy of confession, there is a danger that the free access of the leaders of the organization to the personal information of the members of the "School of Repentance" subordinate to them can lead to abuse, pressure, blackmail. Unfortunately, at the moment there are already complaints from the victims, indicating the presence of such violations in the community.

We are pleased to note that these and other gross abuses were suppressed by the Yekaterinburg diocese and the activities of Maslennikov’s organization, as well as the distribution of his literature was prohibited.”

On the spiritual harm of books and speeches by Sergei Maslennikov

The website of the Patriarchate has published an interview with acting. Head of the Secretariat of Scientific and Theological Reviewing and Expert Evaluation of the Publishing Council O.V. Kostishak "On the spiritual harm of books and speeches by Sergei Maslennikov". There are many important points. I think it is useful for readers to get acquainted with this interview.

Oleg Vasilyevich, the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church has withdrawn the stamp from the books of Sergei Maslennikov and prohibits their distribution. What is the reason for such a measure?

The Publishing Council really reviewed the works of S.M. Maslennikov for several years, and some of them were given a church stamp. However, in the course of acquaintance with the latest works, in which the author ignored the previously indicated remarks, a serious danger to the reader and listener was discovered in them. I want to emphasize that the decision to withdraw the stamps assigned to the works of S.M. Maslennikov, was caused not by his individual erroneous opinions or inaccuracies that the author expresses, but on the whole by an incorrect, one might say, system of his views on Christian life.

- What kind of person is Sergey Maslennikov? Where does he serve?

According to data available in open sources, Sergei Mikhailovich is a layman, lives in the city of Yekaterinburg, and received the Sacrament of Baptism at a fairly mature age. He is not a clergyman and has no theological education. The path of his spiritual knowledge is very doubtful. Carrying obedience in one of the Yekaterinburg parishes, he actively carried out catechism activities that went far beyond the boundaries of the parish. A strong emphasis in his catechism and writing activities S.M. Maslennikov does on the doctrine of repentance - in the form in which he understands it. The catechism courses themselves are called by him the “School of repentance”. All of his works are dedicated to one degree or another to repentance, which is uniquely understood by the author.

- What is the spiritual harm of Sergei Maslennikov's books?

In his works (I think, not out of malice, but out of spiritual illiteracy) S.M. Maslennikov is trying to explain everything in an accessible and simple way where it is accessible and simply cannot be explained, he is trying to detail what does not need detailing, he is trying to speak cataphatically where only apophaticism is possible. Spiritual practice recommended by S.M. Maslennikov, is unhealthy and, as a result, can lead a person to a terrible spiritual dead end. It is worth saying that St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) himself, actively quoted by S.M. Maslennikov, wrote about the danger of the form of spiritual life proposed by the author and directly connected it with the passion of pride. It is very important for us to remember that Christianity is not a set of rules, and the Bible and the books of the fathers are not quotes. Christ is a Personality, and Christianity (and asceticism, and repentance, and everything else that is necessary in spiritual life) is love for Christ and striving for communion with Him.

- Tell us more about the inaccuracies in the presentation of Orthodox teaching in the books of Sergei Maslennikov.

CM. Maslennikov often takes it with great confidence to assert something when there is no direct answer and cannot be (which is not uncommon in Orthodox theology). The author's idea of ​​passions and virtues is made up of a mechanical and formal comparison of the sayings of the holy fathers, while the Holy Scriptures, liturgical texts and works of the holy fathers require a long and organic understanding. Claims to the works of S.M. Maslennikov, as mentioned above, relate, first of all, to the system of his views, which in some places leads the author to serious mistakes. Figuratively, we can say that from the phrase of St. Silouan of Athos "Keep your mind in hell and do not despair" S.M. Maslennikov left only the first part of it. In all his works, the author makes a special emphasis on how sinful and sinful a person is, how unworthy of God's love he is, how much he should repent, etc. A clear illustration of this approach, in my opinion, is compiled by S.M. Maslennikov and everywhere he promoted "The Diary of a Penitent". In this "Diary" sins are classified into "mortal", "everyday" and "forgivable" (although, as you know, the difference between mortal and non-mortal sin is more than arbitrary), detailed in detail and set out point by point. In particular, the author defines it as a sin even if someone woke up from hunger at night and took food; it is also considered a sin if parents praise their child.

I emphasize that the "Diary of a Penitent" is offered by the author to all, without exception, preparing for confession. It should be said that confession is a very lively matter and only in its most general form lends itself to any kind of structuring. The general rule of how to confess can be called the words of St. Ambrose of Optinsky: “Hide nothing, speak straight, do not round off,” and how and with what words this will be done is a matter of conscience, sensitivity and spiritual sobriety of the confessor and confessor.

You asked about inaccuracies in the works of S.M. Maslennikov. I can say that sometimes his thoughts take on an even more tangible form. For example, we can cite the following excerpt from the audio recording of his lecture: ""Who can say about himself that he is humble? This is a sign of vanity and hypocrisy!" Listener's question: "And if in a prayer there is:" ... a humble, sinful and unworthy slave ... "?" Answer S.M. Maslennikova: “Omit this word! If it confuses you, let it out! The meaning of prayer is not distorted, not distorted, but for us it becomes more understandable, accessible.” There is hardly any need for comments at the moment. Of course, it is wrong if we do not adjust ourselves, corrupted by sin, to the Church teaching, but try to adapt the Church teaching to our understanding - even when this adaptation takes the most “pious” forms.

I know that there are reviews of the clergy of the Valaam Monastery, Optina Hermitage and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra about the books of Sergei Maslennikov. What points do they draw the attention of Orthodox believers to?

Yes, indeed, the Publishing Council requested the opinion of the inhabitants of the authoritative monasteries you named. In general, the confessors who sent their reviews were unanimous in their negative assessment of his works. In their reviews, the monks expressed the opinion that The Diary of a Penitent (it was, first of all, about him) is an attempt to structure the spiritual penitent life in an unacceptably detailed manner. “One gets the impression,” says one of the reviews, “that for him [the author] the answer to the Last Judgment is something like checking accounting records. On the other hand, the detailing of the "levels" of the same sin brings to mind the formulations of the criminal code... It is only thanks to some lexical turns that the publication of the "Diary of a Penitent" has something similar to Christianity. Otherwise, with its legalism, it could well be compared with the Old Testament requirements. It was also commonplace in the reviews that such a “patterned” approach would make it impossible for a living and grace-filled formation of a person in repentance. An attempt to love God without asceticism and repentance will degenerate into a kind of spiritual hedonism, and asceticism for the sake of asceticism and repentance for the sake of repentance - into gloomy sectarianism. A grace-filled life in the Church of Christ, correct spiritual guidance, the reading of Scripture and the Fathers will educate—and cannot but educate—a true view of spiritual life, so long as we are able to listen to the Lord God, Who will surely answer the one who asks, open to the one who interprets, and find the one who seeks Him.

- There is also video content of Sergey Maslennikov's speeches on the Internet - is it not worth watching and listening to?

Everything said about the books of S.M. Maslennikov can also be attributed to his speeches. His repeated appeals - not only to the decisions of the Publishing Council, but also to the opinions of the inhabitants of the monasteries - showed that he was rooted in his opinion and was not going to change it. I do not exclude that for someone at any stage of the spiritual life of the work of S.M. Maslennikov were helpful. However, if you look at his work as a whole, then they are hardly worth recommending.

- What to do with books that are already sold in church shops? Will they be taken off the market?

Of course, it will be necessary to suspend the distribution of S.M. Maslennikov through the church book network.

"People's Theologian"

- Father George! Experience shows that these books and CDs are unlikely to disappear from church shelves so quickly. I have seen disc sets in many temples and monasteries. You have already said that the activities of the “School of Repentance” are prohibited. I will quote a few lines from the order for the Yekaterinburg diocese No. R-37 dated July 7, 2014, signed by Metropolitan Kirill: “S.M. Maslennikov not to allow any lectures and meetings within the framework of the catechism work of the Yekaterinburg diocese to be held. Despite this, Sergei Mikhailovich is eager to teach and arranges "tours" in many cities of Russia. He and his fans are very determined, sharply criticize the decision of the Publishing Council, track critical reviews of his lectures and books on the Internet and begin to fight angrily with those who disagree. Already one expression: “The publishing department and website of the Patriarchate is not the voice of the entire Church,” indicates that such people are alien to the concept of obedience to the Church. What is worth this statement alone: ​​"Maslennikov Sergey Mikhailovich is a truly outstanding "people's theologian", revealed to us by the Lord in recent times"? I met them with a daring comparison of their “teacher” with Christ: “In the person of Maslennikov, who preaches the doctrine of Christ, Christ Himself is once again persecuted ...” What are the reasons for this phenomenon?

The statement you cited means only that these Orthodox (if they really are) fell into the gravest sin of idolatry, created for themselves an idol from Maslennikov, a kind of "guru" that is not subject to any criticism. And the reasons are in our ignorance, in the unwillingness to constantly and seriously work on ourselves. I also saw this argument: they say, in the "Diary of a Penitent" and in the audio lectures, everything is simple and clear. But sometimes “simplicity” is worse than theft if it is an attempt (and a very crooked one!) to forcibly squeeze the life of a modern family man into the monastic ascetic exploits of the first centuries of Christianity. And instead of being enlightened by reading the holy fathers, struggling with sins within themselves, they are looking for someone who will “simplely” explain the most difficult things to them, and grasp this “teaching” like a straw!

I think not everyone understands what exactly S.M. Maslennikov actually promotes. It will be useful to get acquainted with the opinion of authoritative priests and theologians.

Here is what Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family and Motherhood Protection, answered the question about the “School of Repentance”:

“A ban on confession and Communion for everyone for one year? This is nonsense in order to gain influence over people, over their souls. This is not a school of repentance, but a school of muzzling people!”

And that is exactly what happened. A person was deprived not only of the grace-filled power of Communion, but for a whole year they were not even allowed to go to confession. By what right?

Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A.I. Osipov sharply criticizes this practice, when a general confession is demanded from a person not only announced, but already baptized, and they are not allowed to confess and receive communion for a year: “For a whole year, a person must open his soul to a layman - a teacher from the "School of Repentance"! And if he is not ready to fully open his soul to this layman, with all his sins for each of the sinful passions, then he is considered not to have passed the lesson. And until he has such a willingness to open up to the teacher… he is considered not to have graduated from the “School of Repentance”, he is not allowed to confess at the priest’s and receive Communion… It’s just real despotism here… One year to prepare, and even call it the “School of Repentance”?! My God! What are you doing?.. You turn a person away from the Church in general. Deprive him of communion…” [

The Orthodox psychotherapist Vyacheslav Borovskikh, who has been the head of the Ascetic Orthodox Rehabilitation Center for more than 14 years, answered the question about the “School of Repentance” on his website:

"Parishioners (baptized people) excommunicated from confession(!) in the form of penance until they are fully brainwashed.” “They force people to artificially evoke a feeling of repentance in themselves by repeatedly repeating certain verbal formulas.” “This course is classic neuro-linguistic programming…” “Parishioners are required to attend this school, otherwise they will not be admitted to church sacraments.” “Rejection of school or transfer to another temple is interpreted as a grave sin with dire consequences.” “As a result, people’s will is suppressed, they show complete obedience to Maslennikov ...” ]

After that, and after the decision of the Publishing Council, it is difficult to add anything.

- But CM. Maslennikov is distinguished by the fact that he reacts extremely painfully to the slightest criticism. In response to even a small remark, he bursts into angry tirades and accusations of opponents.

Those who believe that the audio lectures and books of an uneducated person strictly follow the holy fathers, let them think why in a book written CM. Maslennikov, “Pride. Selected passages from the writings of the holy fathers”, “interpretations” of the compiler take up almost half of the book (from 223 to 397 pages), why the emphasis is on personal opinion, and not on the patristic heritage, why the holy fathers are freely and biasedly interpreted in relation to the life of modern Orthodox layman?

It is surprising that, after reasonable warnings from an experienced psychologist, Maslennikov writes an angry article “Psychic attack by psychotherapist V.V. Borovskikh to the "School of repentance", accusing the psychotherapist of organizing harassment against him.

Alas, Maslennikov himself, being sure that those around him are opposed to him, are struggling with the truth that he represents, allows himself to speak like this about those who criticize his methods:

“So that in the future, those who want to peck or throw mud from around the corner should be discouraged…” incorrigibility left the parish or were Suspended from classes for their incorrigibility» . [

"If he[human] cannot accept the concept of sins, like this, suggested in the diary, he will never accept the concept of faith, the dogmas of faith, the commandments will never accept, the Gospel will never accept " .

The repentance of people who did not go through his school, he calls " ugly and crooked, meaningless, useless repentance that cannot save a person."

He apparently considers himself so successful that he does not hesitate to "theologize" in public. What is the title of his article “Refutation of Professor A.I. Osipov!

Such destructive self-conceit is very dangerous and contagious for others. Here are the statements of one of Maslennikov's ardent supporters who went through the "School of repentance": "Eminent opponents", "orthodox" idlers"(so pejoratively characterize their own parishioners!) , "hiremen against Maslennikov", "Servants of lies", "obedient hypocrites", "super-wise", "adversaries". Is it really possible to take these labels seriously for the statements of an Orthodox person in the spirit of the Holy Fathers?

It seems that it is difficult to come up with a brighter self-characterization of the "fruits" of Maslennikov's "school".

At one of the forums in Yekaterinburg, they talked about a woman, how she “I repented, took communion, but suddenly I realized that peace had come in the family, and peace in my soul, and so it became good for her ... Ha! It turns out that this terrible state when good, - must be bad. She had to ring all the bells, ask for help - after all, she stopped crying about sins !! And two weeks later… something happened to her, she realized her terrible delusion and again began to “cry” about her sins!”

We want such "fruits"? May God grant everyone who has fallen into this meat grinder to see spiritually and get rid of the sectarian spirit in faith. And to those who may encounter something similar, as a priest I say: be extremely sober-minded so that no one deceives you.