nathanielkidd on 1255391810|%B %d
This weekend I had the privilege of witnessing what may very well have been an historic event. Nashotah House hosted an Anglican-Orthodox Ecumenical conference, which, besides being quite interesting and inspiring, was also quite well-attended by men who wear purple and tall hats. Seriously — I don't think I have seen so many Bishops in the course of my whole life — much less in one room.
There is certainly a lot of work left to be done in building ecumenical relationships and negotiating ecclesial structures toward unity, but I would say (with a little hard work) we could put full intercommunion on the fast track, and achieve it between the Orthodox Church and (some) Anglicans within the next couple hundred years.
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| Metropolitan Jonah, Archbishop Duncan, et al. |
Still, I enjoyed every moment of the conference. In particular, I enjoyed meeting Metropolitan Jonah, who is a Christian leader of the first order. (Anyone who can still take himself lightly after you dress up like the Byzantine emperor, and can casually direct the focus of any conversation to the Gospel is a person worthy of admiration and emulation.)
But on this side of things, I can't help but be a little confused. The discussions provided plenty of reason for hope, but also plenty of reasons for cynicism. We have a lot in common in mission, desire, governance, and outlook (and the people: something like thirty percent of the OCA are retreaded Episcopalians). Great. That can all serve as the basis for a lot of discussion and collaboration. And we have a sense of unity in Christ; a glowing ember that perhaps can be fanned into the flame of full fellowship.
But I couldn't help but come away with the impression that the Orthodox folks believe (on some level) that the best way to solve all our problems is if we all just become Orthodox. Here, I am less convinced.
Of course, one of my professors asked me during the conference when I was planning to become Orthodox. I guess I have a reputation (probably fairly enough) for being the most East-leaning of the Junior class. I don't have any particular doctrinal issues with Orthodoxy, and cultural barriers are ones I don't mind crossing. So if God called (and my wife also heard the call) we wouldn't have a problem becoming Orthodox. Or, even if we became convinced that it would be a better way to serve the Gospel. And quite frankly, all things being equal, I would be sorely tempted.
I love the depth and the beauty of the Orthodox tradition, in expressed in both its liturgy and its theology. And, there is certainly plenty to be discovered and re-articulated from that tradition that may serve us in sharing the Gospel with a postmodern world. John McGuckin expresses this reality particularly poignantly in Standing in God's Holy Fire, a short introduction to the Byzantine spiritual tradition.
"For a society that is in danger of losing even the distant memories of its root religious civilization, at a time when its preferred religions have shrunk back in the face of serious social decline, and its schools of political, philosophical, and artistic thought have elevated short-term, self-interest to new heights, the Church's task is not less than to show the way back to a renewed sense of the Beautiful. It will be in the Christian reinterpretation of the Greek notion of kalokagathon, no less than the ideal synthesis of a religious, mystical, and moral transcendental. … If the Church can find the wit, and the energy, for the task, then this pro-paideusis will be no less than the re-evangelization of the western world."
But I fear that attaching myself to the wonders and exotic splendor of Orthodoxy would only serve my own spiritual tastes, and would severely detract from my interest in and ability to minister to this broken world. Orthodoxy is an illumination of the Gospel: a beautiful and complex illumination, but not the only illumination. It is a legitimate and particularly deep and well-formed expression of the faith, but it is not the only expression. It's antiquity gives it authority and precedence over my own half-baked ideas, or those of the fashionable mega-church. It is a mature tradition, but that should not imply that other traditions cannot mature. And, we must bear in mind that there are peculiar benefits to youth that we ought not negate.
Thus, at the end of the day, I have the utmost respect and reverence for Orthodoxy, and I desire to learn as much as I can from it, even at the expense of a deeper exploration of the Western tradition. But I simply cannot cross the line. I do not need Orthodoxy to affirm the orthodoxy of my faith (although that would be nice.) Nor do I desire to be a part of a true, pure church, as Orthodoxy often proudly presents itself. Indeed, I need the brokenness and imperfection of my church to compel me outward for Jesus' sake and in his name.
So, for the love of the Gospel, I cannot become Orthodox—while, for the love of the Gospel, I find Orthodoxy deeply alluring. It is a creative and dynamic tension that I pray will propel us both forward in faith in love of Christ and service to the Gospel. I pray and hope fervently that God will lead us together in our mission, and I pray for the strength and courage to sustain this longing for unity in Christ — not just between Anglicans and Orthodox, but between all Christians, and indeed, all people. As always, however, the work is the Lord's — and the best I can do is maintain an open and listening heart, eager and expectant to receive his direction.
photo: Fr. Gregory Jensen
Son, I love hearing about your enriching experiences at Nashotah House! How cool to be witness to such powerful folks and get a feel for their spirits!
Nathaniel,
I'm glad you had this experience of Orthodoxy, everyone should be confronted with what is in your words "a mature tradition". I myself attended various Orthodox churches before settling where I am now in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. One thing you should realize is that while Orthodox bishops present a solidarity, the rank and file of the different Orthodox traditions have deep seated enmities toward each other that they will express in unguarded moments. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America is probably the largest Orthodox body in the US and feel that their bishops should hold authority over the other Orthodox Churches in the US. The OCA originating out of the Russian Orthodox Church in the US, reluctantly claim pride of place because the Russian Orthodox Church was the first Orthodox Church to evangelize Alaska and the upper Pacific Coast while it was in the possession of the Russian Empire. The Antiochan Orthodox Church is the most humble of the groups and put forth no hierarchic claims, but slowly build their presence in the US, especially in their Western Rite Vicarate, much to the consternation of the Greeks and the OCA. And I must leave out entirely the ROCOR, and various Old-Calendar Jurisdictions because the list is too long.
One representative from the Vatican in Catholic/Orthodox Ecumenical dialog made the statement, "You can't negotiate with the Orthodox Church because there is no Orthodox Church". This is certainly true looking at it from a Roman Catholic Perspective. The Orthodox tradition is an amalgam of different churches and allegiances to the different Patriarch's, each claiming to be the best, most pure, representative of the "Orthodox" tradition.
Nathaniel from reading your blogs I can tell that you are a man who values, but does not over value, reason in his approach to the divine. While you find in the Anglican Tradition the "three legged stool" of Scripture, Tradition and Reason. You would find in Orthodoxy that the stool only has two legs Tradition and Scripture. For example I was told at an OCA church that I could not be confirmed unless I assented to a a belief in a literal six twenty-four hour day creation. I was given two reasons. One, this was what the scripture literally said, and second, this was how the church Father's interpreted it.
Don't get me wrong Orthodoxy is beautiful. Their pageantry is amazing. An Orthodox service has the scent (literally) of the Holy. But as you mentioned their idea of evangelization is not, "Go ye…", but "Come ye…"
I think you will be more satisfied, ultimately, in the Anglican Tradition, borrowing whatever seems good from Orthodoxy. 1 Thessalonians 5.21:
"…but test everything; hold fast to what is good". I personally practice the Jesus Prayer and venerate Icons because these are valuable practices preserved by the Orthodox tradition, but not everything will stand up to the test.
+Pax,
Brother Cuthbert Rollings OSB