Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Dr. Frances Kostarelos, PhD., is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, Governors State University, University Park, Illinois. She has written on issues related to religion and has served as a program evaluator for the Lilly Endowment grant awarded to Hellenic College for several years. CLICK HERE to read: RELIGIOUS PLURALISM, FUNDAMENTALISM AND CONTESTED IDENTITIES IN NORTH AMERICAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS LIFE: The Case of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.
Browsing: Governance & Unity Essays
Child of Governance
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity For thirty-one years, Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has been the voice crying in the wilderness. The cry has been for renewal of our ancient, apostolic faith within our pluralistic, American, cultural context. The hallmarks of this renewal are characterized by the de-tribalization of the separate Orthodox Christian jurisdictions that evolved here, so that they could work in canonical unity; administer the Church in ways that are accountable and transparent; and respect and include the input of the laity in matters of administration, governance and our journey together as a community of faithful. OCL has not wavered…
Letters sent by three parishes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America regarding the GOA’s financial crisis (click on each one to view in PDF format):
Source: Public Orthodoxy by George Demacopoulos It has always been the case that forces beyond the control of the Church have prompted changes in the practice of theological education. For example, Ottoman repression led many Greek Christians to seek education abroad. Tsar Peter I imposed Western-styled seminaries upon the Russian Church. And the Bolshevik Revolution crippled religious education throughout Russia and much of Eastern Europe. While not as dire as those examples, Orthodox seminaries in the United States face significant structural challenges. At one and the same time, the real cost of operating a seminary is steeply rising while active participation…
Source: Estiator Magazine By Peter Makrias An announcement issued by the Holy Synod affirms the fact that the time has come for our Church in America to separate itself from the Ecumenical Patriarchate and declare its autocephaly. Based on its references to the meetings of November 27th and 28th, the Phanar considers us to be its subjects and takes us for little children. “During these meetings, all the issues on the daily agenda were reviewed and appropriate decisions were taken on all items.” But what were the topics on the agenda? What happened with the “triprosopon” list of three candidates to fill the…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity State of Orthodoxy in the U.S.A. Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) completed its 30 years of service calling for transparency, accountability, unity and advocating to maintain the voice of the laity as an equal in the administrative life of the Orthodox Church, thereby contributing to Church renewal. As we have seen and experienced in 2017, disrespect and disregard for this principle has contributed to the disorder, financial mismanagement and disunity that has furthered the decline of Orthodoxy in the USA. The census statistics, surveys, research on the status of growth, retention and development confirm this decline. Since…
Source: The National Herald By Theodoros Kalmoukos BOSTON, MA – Rev. Christopher Metropulos, President of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) refuted the news that had been widely circulated around the campus, in the Greek-American community, and also in Greece, that Theological School Dean Dr. James Skedros has resigned. Dr. Skedros did not respond to The National Herald’s request for comment. Skedros was appointed to School’s deanship in May, 2014. TNH has learned that Skedros mentioned his intent to resign during a faculty meeting some time ago. Fr. Metropulos expressed his disappointment that TNH revealed…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Mark Arey As the last General Secretary of SCOBA (the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) and the first Secretary (albeit for less than an hour) of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, I have always marveled at the ‘Golden Age’ syndrome around “Ligonier” of many Orthodox Christians when it comes to Orthodox unity in the Western Hemisphere. There are still many who believe that the Ligonier gathering in 1994 of most of the Orthodox Bishops in America (represented by SCOBA primates) was an inflection point for Orthodoxy in…
by Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides Twenty years ago, I was hired by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) to develop an outreach ministry to intermarried couples and their families, otherwise labeled with descriptors like interfaith, inter-Christian, inter-Christian and intercultural couples. The reason why this subject was given special attention was because 85% or more of Greek Orthodox were intermarrying. Today, this static has not dramatically changed. One of my first tasks was to review what information existed from an Orthodox perspective on the subject. What I discovered was a small body of literature written essentially by theologians for other theologians. Conspicuously…
Source: Observer.com By John R. Schindler Originally published on November 29, 2017 One of the more interesting aspects of Cold War 2.0 is the ideological struggle between the postmodern West and Russia—a struggle that most Westerners deny even exists. President Barack Obama, after Moscow seized Crimea in early 2014, pronounced that there was nothing big afoot: “After all, unlike the Soviet Union, Russia leads no bloc of nations, no global ideology.” Obama’s statement was wrong then, and it’s even more wrong now. As I’ve explained, there is an undeniable ideological struggle between Vladimir Putin’s neo-traditionalist Russia and the post-modern West—one that prominent Russians talk about all…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) was organized 30 years ago in the Northbrook, Illinois home of Jim and Mary Koulogeorge. Orthodox Christians from different parts of the USA gathered, because they had concerns about accountability and oversight in matters of Church governance based on events occurring in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese during the 1980’s. Together, they established an independent, educational ministry, dedicated to promoting renewal in the Orthodox Christian Church. By 1993, the blueprint for such a renewal was published in book form as Project…
Does Christianity Need Another Luther or Another Reformation? A Catholic Perspective Source: Insidesources.com Posted on October 29, 2017 by The Rev. Andre Brouillette Martin Luther was a man passionate for God and the Word of God. As an Augustinian monk, a Catholic priest, and a theology professor, he scrutinized and taught the Bible, and was enamored with Scripture. His intellectual endeavor met with existential questions he was harboring. A central quest for him was that of salvation: What do I need to be saved? This question pursued him as a man aware of his sinfulness; what is the meaning of one’s struggle…