“In my own opinion, it comes down to Philetism on the part of a small group of old-country priests in the Midwest.”
Really? One of the reasons that we will not see an autocephallous American Orthodox Church in our lifetimes is that there are some persons, very loud persons, in the churches of the various jurisdictions, virtually all relatively recent converts, who really think they know Orthodoxy and Orthopraxis better than the Patriarchial Synods and that their Western, American very, very protestant praxis and phronema is superior to the 2000 year old praxis of The Church in the East. The Synods and most of the laity and monastics and lower clergy disagree, thank God!
“Please tell me you didn’t mean that as snottily or elitist as it sounded. Because if it was, you just lost my personal deference to your “wisdom.””
I meant it as instruction and correction to a catechumen. What effect that has on your opinion of me is entirely your affair, Yudan.
Question out of curiosity, Kolo. Could you please list some examples (not all) of what the converts are doing wrong, and what the corrections are?
I certainly don’t believe I have everything right, but it does no good to state that I and my priest are poorly catechised if I don’t know what is actually wrong.
“I meant it as instruction and correction to a catechumen.”
Thank you, but no. I have a Priest who is in good stead with his Bishop, who is in turn also in good stead with the Metropolitan. Since you’re not among their ranks, I’ll stick within the hierarchy for my instruction.
“What effect that has on your opinion of me is entirely your affair, Yudan.”
That’s good. I shan’t give it to you any further. Please respond in kind.