Pushing For Unity Of Jurisdiction - American Orthodox (ritual, gospel)

[Joannicius]

Below is a great speach Met. Phillip gave stressing the need for jurisdictional unity amoung the American Orthodox

If you love unity, you'll love this ! ! !

Calling for Orthodox unity, with diversity

By TERRY MATTINGLY
Scripps Howard News Service
23-FEB-05

Week after week, Eastern Orthodox hierarchs guide their flocks through the incense-shrouded rites that define their ancient faith.

Bishops also become experts at another intricate ritual - banquets.

So Metropolitan Philip, the Antiochian Orthodox archbishop of North America, was not surprised to be asked to make a few remarks at the final banquet of the 2004 Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church in New York City. He was surprised when Greek Archbishop Demetrios indicated that this was more than a polite request.

"I reminded him that when I speak, I tell it like it is," said Philip.

What happened next caused shock waves that reached all the way to Istanbul, even if the archbishop's words would have seemed mild to outsiders who could not break the Byzantine code.

Philip addressed the delegates as Americans _ not Greeks.

The Lebanese-born archbishop said it was time to challenge the ties
that bind the new world to the old. He said what he has been saying
since 1966, when he assumed control of a diocese that has grown from
66 to 250 parishes on his watch.

Philip brought greetings from Patriarch Ignatius IV in Damascus and
his ancient church founded by Peter and Paul. Then he ventured into
an ecclesiastical minefield, offering greetings from the 1000
Antiochian Orthodox delegates who, days earlier, had voted
unanimously to approve what many Greek lay people have long demanded
_ a constitution granting them control of their own church in North
America.

The delegates burst into applause. Philip plunged on.

"I told them that if I could sum up this new constitution, I would
begin with the words, 'We the people,' " he said. "The hall erupted
again. I told them we cannot ignore this truth _ Americans are
infested with freedom. We cannot ignore that our churches are in
America and we are here to stay."

That was all Philip needed to say. Nikki Stephanopoulos, the veteran
press officer for the Greek archdiocese, described the scene this
way: "It would be accurate to say that he received an enthusiastic
response."

The response was different in Istanbul. According to the National
Herald, the Greek-American daily newspaper, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew criticized Demetrios for allowing Philip to "spread his
propaganda in favor of establishing an autocephalous," or
independent, "Orthodox Church in America!" When Demetrios said that
Philip spoke as vice president of the Standing Council of Canonical
Bishops in the Americas, Bartholomew reportedly exclaimed: "You
should have stopped him!"

Months later, Philip continues to travel from altar to altar and
banquet to banquet, offering his own people an even blunter version
of the sermon he preached to the Greeks. This past week he was in
West Palm Beach, Fla.

The archbishop continues to tell familiar stories about life in the
Middle East. He still asks second- and third-generation Arab
children if they can speak Arabic.

But Philip said Eastern Orthodox Christians must embrace Americans
who seek ancient roots in the confusion of modern times. This will
mean learning from converts who are not afraid to use words
like "missions," "tithing" and even "evangelism." A symbolic sign of
change: One of his newly consecrated bishops once taught biblical
studies at Oral Roberts University.

Change will be difficult, but bishops must realize that they are
called to spread their faith to others, not just to "to preserve it
for ourselves," he said.

Orthodox leaders will find a way to save the traditions of their
homelands, said Philip. But the clergy and laity must realize that
their own children and grandchildren are Americans who need a faith
that is stronger than old music, familiar foods, folk dancing and
traces of an ancient language.

"I believe in Orthodox unity, with diversity," he stressed. "We will
not melt into the Greek archdiocese and the Greeks will not melt
into our archdiocese. ... But we must have a united synod that
speaks to this country. We must speak to America, not as Arabs and
Greeks and Russians and Romanians and Bulgarians. We need to speak
with one Orthodox voice on the issues that affect our country and
our country is America."


(Terry Mattingly (www.tmatt.net) teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.)

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When we get united - - - America will see the Gospel
as never before

HISTORY - ANTIOCHIAN ARM OF ORTHODOXY

[No*s]

May God bless him in his endeavors.

[Scott1]

I'm confused...... a break from the historical structure of your Church is a good thing?

[No*s]

Originally Posted by SOGFPP

I'm confused...... a break from the historical structure of your Church is a good thing?

Yeah, I think you are, and I could be as well . The situation can be quite confusing, and I'm something of a novice.

The situation in Orthodoxy is quite troublesome. America, originally, was a Russian missionary field. American churches and missions were all under that authority.

However, in 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution occurred, and the Patriarch of Moscow admonished the churches to each look to their native Patriarchs. Add to this, the Russian Churches were turned loose a little, and we gained the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia. Finally, the "Orthodox Church of America" was formed in an equally unprecedented fashion.

So the rise of Communism forced Orthodoxy into an unprecedented situation in America. It developed so that we have a Greek bishop, Russian bishop, Antiochian bishop, etc. all in one city. However, ideally, there should not be more than one bishop per city. The situation is, thus, in total disarray.

The solution cannot be "We all are going to get under one jurisdiction and all abandon our traditions." This isn't possible. However, Orthodoxy must be unified. The multiplicity of jurisdictions is the greatest barrier to Orthodox evangelism in America .

The solution proposed in that article is to form a self-ruling Orthodox Church that allows each parish to preserve its traditions and "trim" down the bishops to one per city. This unity would open doors that have been closed for some time now.

It will be different from the rest of the Orthodox world, though, in that it will have multiple liturgies and so on existing side by side. This, though, is unavoidable, and it's not unprecedented. For a long period of time in the Early Church there was a diversity of liturgies. The situation necessitates the return to that, but it will also gradually harmonize and heal.

This is the call the Metropolitan is making. He's not calling for democratic government, but the allowance of all the liturgical traditions to continue. Doing so will help to solve the current problem.

I hope that explains it for you . I may be mistaken on my interpretation of his statement, but I think I'm dead on.

[Scott1]

....hmmmm..... ok....... gonna keep quiet..... thanks for the info No*s

[No*s]

Hehe welcome .

[Joannicius]

What happened next caused shock waves that reached all the way to Istanbul, even if the archbishop's words would have seemed mild to outsiders who could not break the Byzantine code.

There is a code that many haven't broken because it takes involvement in the "global family" and being on "track" with what is happening globally to get a glimpse

(and believe me, that's all I have).

Orthodox Christian "world view" is a term I heard a few time upon comming into the Church

but now am starting to see pieces.

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How has this "world view" impacted the rest of you???

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[Linus7]

One of the problems I see with trying to organize a single American Orthodox Church is the over-involvement of some jurisdictions in ecumenism.

The Antiochians have engaged in illicitly communing Non-Chalcedonians, for example, among other things.

That will never fly with the more traditionally-minded Orthodox, who take the ecumenical councils a bit more seriously.

[No*s]

You are right...there will be some problems from ecumenism. I hope that it is overcome, though.

[Linus7]

Originally Posted by No*s

You are right...there will be some problems from ecumenism. I hope that it is overcome, though.

I hope so, too, but I am not optimistic about it.