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Governance and Jurisdictional Unity Essays

 

Thoughtful and well written essays written by Orthodox clergy and laity alike about the pressing problems facing the American Orthodox Church.

 

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What’s Going On at OCF?

June 30, 2014 2 Comments
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Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The position of Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), an Assembly of Bishops Agency that focuses on the needs of Orthodox Christian College students, has been eliminated which terminates the work of the present director.  Why?  A copy of the director’s letter to the Board dated June 13 indicates a disagreement with the accounting principles employed by the Board of Directors.  OCF has issued a statement regarding the departure of the … [Read more...]

Do They See the Difference in Our Lives?: Encyclical on Ecumenism, the Pope and the Patriarch

June 20, 2014 Leave a Comment
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Source: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by Metropolitan Nicholas (Hatzinikolaou) of Mesogaia and Lavriotiki CLICK HERE for the text of the Encyclical. … [Read more...]

The Christian Diaspora in America

June 18, 2014 Leave a Comment
OCL

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by Roy L. Snyder There are almost 200 million Christian Diaspora in America.  However, none of them are Orthodox Christians.  The Christian Diaspora in America are the denominational (Roman Catholic, Liturgical, and Evangelical) and non-denominational Christians who need to return to their Mother – the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  They need to come home. Most do not know where their home is – but they are looking.  Most do not even know … [Read more...]

On the Recent Events in Jerusalem and their Ecclesiological Underpinnings

June 12, 2014 3 Comments
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Source: Orthodox Heritage By a Greek Orthodox priest "But if," they say, "we had devised some middle ground between the dogmas (of the Papists and the Orthodox), then thanks to this we would have united with them and accomplished our business superbly, without at all having been forced to say anything except what corresponds to custom and has been handed down (by the Fathers)." This is precisely the means by which many, from of old, have been deceived and persuaded to follow those who have … [Read more...]

“A Sign of Contradiction”: A Forgotten Reflection by Florovsky on the Pope and the Patriarch

May 27, 2014 Leave a Comment
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Source: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy CLICK HERE to read the essay. … [Read more...]

Blueprint for a Unified Orthodox Christian Church in the United States: Where are We? A Layperson’s Overview

April 25, 2014 3 Comments
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Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by George E. Matsoukas In 2008, a Meeting of Patriarchs of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches convened in Switzerland under the auspices of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, and charged the Bishops, in the lands outside of the traditional Roman Empire, to meet together in Assemblies of Bishops.  The purpose of these meetings of Assemblies of Bishops is to develop blueprints to establish canonical order within their geographic areas.   The Churches … [Read more...]

Which Path to Church Unity? Recognition vs. Reception

April 9, 2014 Leave a Comment
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CLICK HERE to view the article by Robert Arakaki. … [Read more...]

Death of an Orthodox visionary — in America

March 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
Terry Mattingly

Source: Terry Mattingly On Religion When major religious leaders die, it's traditional that public figures -- secular and sacred -- release letters expressing sorrow and sending their condolences to the spiritual sheep who have suddenly found themselves without a shepherd. This is precisely what Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios Trakatellis did, acting as chairman of the assembly of America's Eastern Orthodox bishops, after he heard about the death of Metropolitan Philip Saliba -- the … [Read more...]

Some Thoughts and (Unsought) Advice on Holding Church Councils

March 18, 2014 2 Comments
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Source: The Catholic World Report How the Eastern Orthodox can benefit from the lessons of Vatican II and other Councils  By Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille  The recent news out of Constantinople that the Orthodox Church has finally set a date (2016) for the holding of its much-promised but much-delayed “great and holy synod” is good news indeed. If it comes to pass, if it deals successfully with matters of substance, and if it doesn’t get bogged down in the usual jurisdictional … [Read more...]

Do Old World Patriarchs Really Want Orthodox Unity?

February 7, 2014 20 Comments
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Source: The National Herald By George D. Karcazes Special to The National Herald The letter that Archbishop Kyril, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the “Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia” recently sent to Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, as Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North and Central America is disappointing. But, it probably should have been expected. In his letter, Kyril echoes the sentiments of Bishop … [Read more...]