Uncertain Times in South Canaan

It is difficult for me to see where truth stops and where rhetoric moves in in all this sort of writing. I received phenomenal formation at St Tikhon's, and nothing against St Vlad's (for I love that school too), but I needed the course I got. I am not about to cast aspersions about anyone here.

The real problem is that the Evil One is really pounding away at the Orthodox Church and her jurisdictions in the world and here in America. It is possible that the enemy is using this site to foster division and hostility, all the while claiming the need for 'accountability and transparency.' While the facts are that there is some serious stuff that has taken place, to look for scapegoats over and over is not, in my opinion, acting as Christians should. All of us can fall into the deepest sin at any moment, and God only knows I usually find myself there, or tempted to be there. Pointing fingers at Met. Herman, or Met. Philip or Met. Whoever and all that all to often looks to me like an attempt to take out the hierarchy at any cost, simply because they are the hierarchy. This is acting, not in Orthodox tradition, but in good modern American tradition, which is to blame, blame and blame, instead of to take personal responsibility and repent for my own sins, and to pray fervently and with tears for those around me.

The Devil hates us all. Let's try not to forget this. It saddens me a great deal to see the Church I loved so much as to leave everything in life behind to join Her and serve its Master, to be reduced to so many bitter angry people.

I have been that way too in my own Church life, about such things as parish councils, and people who know nothing about Orthodox theology and yet run Orthodox parishes. But, all the time I spent being bitter at them was time wasted. They might change with love and prayer, by the grace of God. They will NEVER change by my angry blaming and self-serving efforts. That's what I have learned. I have too many sins of my own that are so worthy of blame!!

God bless His Holy Church!!

Another comment - I have said earlier that the real enemy is the Enemy of our souls. I stick by that, but I also need to make a couple points about America and Orthodox Ecclesiology.

The United States is my country, I live here, and was born here, and have known no life in any country but here. That being said, I have noticed in my lifetime a shift from a social ethos of personal responsibility and respect for law and order, to what is now a sort of juvenile rebellion against any authority. When it is authority in the Church, the rebellion is worse. Somehow we Americans have acquired the idea that in the Church there should be NO authority (though at least some people would say Jesus Christ should be the only one.) And then, as we see often displayed here, we see all sorts of allegations, accusations, general anger and resentment over the people who lead the Orthodox Church, whether in America or Antioch or wherever.

How anyone who considers themselves to be studied Orthodox Christians and yet has this sort of attitude towards the ecclesiological structure of the Church reconciles these two ideas is a mystery to me. Metropolitan Jonah went very far in his efforts towards recognizing the need to understand that hierarchs are not perfect, when he said over and over, "authority is accountability" (if I am not mistaken.) What that means is that a hierarch is not a dictator. That is true. But a Hierarch is also a shepherd of the flock, and he is responsible to look ahead, behind and all around his flock to keep them safe from the wolves. The sheep themselves are not always aware of the dangers they are surrounded by. Quite frankly, most of them (us, the laity) are not educated enough in the fields of theology, psychology, history, architecture, music and every other subject pertinent to Church life. And for us to act like we're instant experts and know more than the people who have been specifically formed and trained, not to mention CALLED by our Lord to lead is simply reprehensible nonsense. (there I go offending someone probably!)

This is not to say that all hierarchs are right all the time. That's silly, because they aren't right all the time. But they usually are right most of the time, unless they are knocked astray by ego and self-centeredness.

Now, it is possibly true that some of the contexts in which we as Orthodox Christians have lived in this country for the last 100 years or so, and the contexts they have lived in in many places througout the world, are involved in some of the things we are trying to move past here, now.

For centuries, Orthodox Christians have been rather insular, and their various nationalities were usually overrun with people trying to get them to be something else other than Orthodox Christian, like Catholic, or Muslim. That being said, it is easy to understand why the generations of Orthodox immigrants that came here didn't evangelize much at all. They didn't even pass the Faith on to their own children and grandchildren in many cases - look at all our mostly empty parishes for your proof of this!!

This is a serious error in not following the Great Commission, to carry the Gospel to all nations. I think we are at the threshold, maybe even across the threshold, of becoming an evangelical Church, AS WE WERE IN THE BEGINNING!

But there is so much work to be done. This, though cannot be confused with the American rebellion against authority. Rather, to be an Orthodox Christian in this country, and to successfully be a witness to the faith, we need to trust and follow the lead of our authorities, the Bishops and Priests, who have been ordained by God to lead us. We should have honest authorities, but as sheep, we also need to tend to our own business of repentance. It is not the priest's fault solely that the parishes are shrinking and dying all over the place. It is ours, because we don't appreciate the gift of Orthodox Christianity for what it truly is, and we don't want to do what the Lord has asked of us. Instead, we do more productive things like go on this website to blast the bishop who we think deserves it the most today. This is shameful, and not at all what Christ has commanded us to do. Check your New Testament and even your old Testament for how people dealt with ecclesiology. For the best example, check Acts, at the beginning when Peter is talking to the other Eleven about replacing Judas. Note the lack of anger at Judas. And we have the gall to go pounding away like we do? What gives us a right that the Apostles rejected?

Last comment - some of these attitudes, I know are actually part of the greatness of Orthodox Christianity. We squabble. That seems to be a feature of our faith and it is most often for the benefit of everyone, because at least we can be honest about what we think - that's how we learn where we're wrong, and how to change. Theology is not easy - it takes lots of prayer, and lots of self-honesty and humility to even begin to understand what our faith is truly all about.

But here is a thought - I was disturbed by the comment that St Vlad's was the "more theologically astute" seminary of the two (St Tikhon's being the other.) My understanding may be incorrect, but there have been reports of some problems in the area of theological instruction at St Vladimir's which apparently is why they are trying to recruit very conservative professors and instructors from St Tikhon's. Again, no bad vibes to St Vladimir's Seminary - I love that school, and always enjoyed my visits there. But this is what I am hearing, and I think it is true. May God bless all our Seminaries to have sound doctrine and solid spiritual formation.

The other thing is the criticisms about the new monastery designs at St Tikhon's, and the question of whether or not monks should be so far away from the world as they would be here. Although there are urban Orthodox monasteries, the main premise of monasteries is for those who go to them to remove themselves from the distractions of the world, so they can listen to their own hearts, and to God and hear His will for them a bit more clearly. Throughout history, people have fled to the deserts for this very reason. The 21st century has only become more cacophonous, and it seems that the need for silence is now stronger than ever, and that is why the monasteries are usually out of town. Way our of town in some cases.

And the architecture is very Greek. In fact, it looks Athonite. Architecture matters in Orthodoxy. It would be better if we were all studied in Church art and architecture before we go criticising designs as though we were experts. Such behavior, quite frankly, only reveals such stunning ingorance, as I had about many thing when I became Orthodox, and as I am sure I still have about many things now. But, I am teachable. I pray all of us could be. Please forgive me.