Governance & Unity Essays - Orthodox Christian Laity

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BE INFORMED – Orthodox Christian Unity in the USA

By Webmaster on October 16, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity BE INFORMED – Orthodox Christian Unity in the USA A STUDY GUIDE to HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT AND WORK OF THE ASSEMBLY OF CANONICAL ORTHODOX BISHOPS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS TIME FOR THE LAITY TO ACT! The Assembly of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in the USA is a work in progress. The Assembly has concluded its 6th Meeting held on September 15-17, 2015. The bishops could not reach a consensus and move ahead to develop a blueprint for a unified Orthodox Christian Church in the USA. Many see the Church as a…

Trying to Understand the Work of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops and the Antiochian Orthodox Reaction

By Webmaster on October 8, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Trying to Understand the Work of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops and the Antiochian Orthodox Reaction In light of the aftermath of the meeting of the Assembly of Bishops September 2015, certain questions have been brought to mind about where we are at this point in time and how we got here. In an effort to help people understand the situation, we are responding to questions that have been presented to us. We hope that these questions and responses will help you draw your conclusions on the dynamics of Orthodox Unity up to this point in…

Opinion Piece on Sixth Assembly of Bishops in Chicago, IL – September 15-17, 2015

By Webmaster on September 24, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by George Matsoukas The case for Unity among the Orthodox Jurisdictions is made more manifest by the sabotaging of the Assembly of Bishops by the Antiochian Archdiocese. The dispute between Old World Patriarchs undermines the establishment of canonical order in the USA. The dispute over Qatar appears to be the reason why the Patriarchate of Antioch changed its mind and negated its signature on the Chambésy Accord of 2008. The act and statement presented to the Assembly of Bishops are contrary to the integrity and history of the Antiochian Archdiocese that brought seekers home to the…

A New Ecclesiology for the Orthodox Church?

By Webmaster on September 23, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by Seraphim Danckaert Orthodox Christians often find themselves answering the following question: why is Orthodoxy divided along ethnic lines into different churches? At least officially, the answer to that question has been quite clear: we are not divided; we are one Church, united in faith and worship, with an administrative structure that organizes itself along local lines, in accordance with the ancient traditions and canon law of the first millennium of Christian history. In recent years, however, there’s been a problem: while the answer given above is true in theory, it’s often not implemented in practice.…

An Orthodox Church Canonist Comments on Whether or not an Exarch of Constantinople Can Lead the Assembly of Bishops

By Webmaster on September 15, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The argument presented to me by the Antiochian Archdiocese leadership is that Archbishop Demetrios cannot preside over the Assembly of Bishops of the USA, because he is an Exarch. (See a reasonable explanation to the contrary below by Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, Assistant Professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary). The games must stop! The bishops have the responsibility to make canonical the Churches outside the boundaries of the former Roman Empire. Orthodox Christianity as presently organized in the so-called Orthodox Diaspora is uncanonical. The Assembly of Bishops of the…

The Canonical Status of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the Orthodox Church

By Webmaster on September 14, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Franciso CA by Archbishop Gregory (Afonsky) The Russian canonical school of the 19th and 20th centuries studied the question of the Patriarch of Constantinople’s canonical status in the Orthodox Church with care and diligence. For the most part books and monographs on the subject were well-disposed, explaining the Patriarch of Constantinople’s exceptionally high position in the Church both during the Byzantine and Turkish periods as a result of particular historical circumstances. During the Byzantine era the Patriarch of Constantinople, as the hierarch of the imperial capital and bishop of New Rome, received not only the…

Will Canonical Order – Orthodox Christian Unity in the USA – Emerge from the Sixth Meeting of the Assembly of Bishops?

By Webmaster on September 2, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Will Canonical Order – Orthodox Christian Unity in the USA – Emerge from the Sixth Meeting of the Assembly of Bishops? Canonical Orthodox Churches have always been Churches in specific geographical areas. Where the Bishop is, so too is the Church. The Church is not a colonial extension of bishops ruling or directing from other geographic areas. Canonical order is bishops in a geographic area meeting as a Synod, electing their own head and working with clergy and laity to build up the body of Christ. This is not true for the Churches outside the boundaries…

Orthodox Christian Concerns: A Lament for Our Millennial Daughters

By Webmaster on August 12, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Patheos Orthodox Christian Concerns: A Lament for Our Millennial Daughters By Jennifer Nahas Originally posted on January 16, 2015 What is best about the Orthodox Church—holding true to early teachings and traditions—also presents its greatest challenge: making sure tradition doesn’t trump appropriate treatment of others. While many prize the richness of the Orthodox Church, our traditions can lead to exclusion of some from fully participating in the community of Christ. It’s a fine line, preserving ancient rites without marginalizing particular groups, within a patriarchal structure, and is ripe for discussion, particularly as it pertains to women. Many Orthodox Christians immigrated…

From Kevin Allen’s FB Page: I Support an “Autocephalous” American Church

By Webmaster on August 6, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Kevin Allen From Kevin Allen’s FB Page: I Support an “Autocephalous” American Church I have changed my position and perspective on canonical “administrative unity” for the Orthodox Church in the U.S. (This does not reflect the opinion of AFR or anyone else). The only “unity” model/solution I would support to the non-canonical fragmentation of multiple bishops and “jurisdictions” – acknowledged as a canonical “anomaly” by many (not all) our hierarchs – is an “autocephalous” American Church; represented on its Synod with all the respective bishops that are currently on the Canonical Assembly of Bishops. The US Synod would have…

Questions for Metropolitan Joseph and the Faithful of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese

By Webmaster on June 30, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Where is ANTIOCHIAN participation in the Assembly of Bishops in the USA and in Europe? Where is the participation of the Laity of the Antiochian Archdiocese on the matter of Unity? Why have the many years of leadership – promoting Unity, the legacy Metropolitan Philip, been reversed by Metropolitan Joseph? Why do the problems of the Patriarchates in Europe and other regions have ripple effects on the work of the Assembly of Bishops in charge of the spiritual lives of the faithful in the United States? Controversy between Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem caused a directive to…

Reflections on a Conference in Preparation for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church

By Webmaster on June 30, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity George Karcazes, Vice President and George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) had the privilege of attending the recently-held conference co-sponsored by the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA ) and the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University held at Fordham University School of Law, Lincoln Center Campus, on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27, 2015. On Friday evening, the Florovsky Lecture on “The Decisive Importance of Councils in the Life of the Church” was delivered by His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware at the Leon Lowenstein Center of the Lincoln Center Campus,…

Defend Your Flock! Please.

By Webmaster on June 29, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Women in Theology by Maria Gwyn McDowell The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has issued a statement regarding the recent Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage. I appreciate the following from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon: The ruling does not change the teaching of the Church, but it does remind us of the need to be Christ-like in our dealings with everyone. The state has the responsibility to enact laws that protect the rights of each individual. The Church, while it does not bless “same-sex marriages” or view them as sacramental, does see the image of Christ in every individual,…

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Browsing: Governance & Unity Essays