Posted on 01/11/2022 9:31:10 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
On January 7, 2022, my friend Rod Dreher had a post on his American Conservative blog about the direction Pope Francis is trying to take the Catholic Church. Rod went on to say:
"For the time being, American Orthodoxy is not as vulnerable as American Catholicism is to liberalizing, but Orthodox would be fools to think we are somehow protected. I brought this up to an Orthodox priest once, who said…he wasn’t worried about us Orthodox. I think that is whistling past the graveyard."
I sent Rod an email explaining why I thought there were several reasons Orthodoxy has a stronger chance of resisting the cultural landslide. He asked to publish it on his blog, so you’ll find what I wrote in his blog post linked below (January 10, 2022). My bit begins about a third of the way down. I’ll also provide the text below.
FMG to Rod Dreher:
Rod, I think there are a few reasons we can trust Orthodoxy will stand firm under the coming onslaught.
1. The first has to do with theology. My family left our mainline denomination when bishops started preaching strange things, like denying the Resurrection. We found in Orthodoxy a church where theology can’t be changed. I’ll explain why that’s so below. But I want to be clear I’m not claiming it’s the perfect Church. The Orthodox Church is as susceptible as any other church to temptations of power. Our leaders aren’t infallible. But the main thing my husband and I were seeking was theology that won’t change, and we found it.
In the West, we think of theology as something that comes from theologians, kind of like milk comes from cows.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.ancientfaith.com ...
Isn’t the Orthodox Church part of the World Council of Churches?
There is a Greek Orthodox church near me.
I have considered going there.
Yep. There’s that “justice” word again.
World Council of Churches
Inspiring the worldwide fellowship of churches to work together for unity, justice and peace.
https://www.oikoumene.org/member-churches/orthodox-church-in-america
Anyone in the Vatican listening? ANYONE? The Keeper of the Keys needs his locks changed!
Read th NT book of Ephesians for the Bible’s authoritative teaching on the NY church. You will find no priests, no incense, no icons, no cult of the saints. Without the Bible as your “plumb line” you will not recognize Christ’s design and plan for his ‘ekklesia,’ or ‘called assembly.’. All the liturgical churches base their religious exercise on Fifth not First century practices, and thus imported many residual pagan practices of the waning Roman empire. Ortgidoxy (maintainin upright glory literally) distinctive is “We have the original recipe.”. My loving reply is the Bible, and the first Century practices of the early church described in Acts are to be our guide.
For the time being, American Orthodoxy is not as vulnerable as American Catholicism is to liberalizing, but Orthodox would be fools to think we are somehow protected.
I hope the best for the Orthodox, but I think this statement is accurate.
And why does this Orthodox, unchanging, traditional woman have a hyphenated name?
This is all true!!!!
However, there are three vile websites that are attempting to corrupt the Orthodox Church with all sorts of poison, including the “gay” agenda!!!! And there are a few prominent Orthodox priests and parishes that push this heterodox garbage.
At least several of these priests have “gay” adult children. These priests have a tough row to hoe, and we should pray for them. We are all sinners!
Nevertheless, the Orthodox Church is the true Church of Christ and His Apostles, and is overwhelmingly sound in worhsip and teaching!
Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine inheritance.
Grant victory to Thy Church over her enemies,
and protect Thy people by Thy Holy Cross!
Not with the eco-freak Patriarch of Constantinople in charge. Bergoglio with a Greek accent.
Somewhat tangential, but I just read something about why Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas in January. They still have it on December 25, but using the Julian calendar that is equivalent to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox churches in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, Armenia, Ethiopia and several other countries celebrated Christmas on January 7, but the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1923 so in Greece and Cyprus they celebrate Christmas on the same day that Catholics and Protestants do. Apparently the Orthodox Christians in Jerusalem also celebrate Christmas on the Gregorian calendar December 25. At least according to that article.
You wouldn’t have a Bible at all if it weren’t for those “liturgical churches”. They preserved it for you through all those centuries when there was no printing and little literacy.
hmmm, Średnik - why are you only look at the book of Ephesians?
Look at the book of the Apocalypse of St. John i.e. Revelation.
In the book of Revelation, we start with a Divine Liturgy, it moves to the Divine Eucharist and ends with a blessing - it is a liturgical book.
In that book you have priests, incense, saints.
hmmm, Średnik - why are you only look at the book of Ephesians?
Look at the book of the Apocalypse of St. John i.e. Revelation.
In the book of Revelation, we start with a Divine Liturgy, it moves to the Divine Eucharist and ends with a blessing - it is a liturgical book.
In that book you have priests, incense, saints.
Also, well, priests, incense, saints are part and parcel of the Bible, not just non-Judaic religions.
Except for that pesky Genesis.
All the ancient churches except for the Catholic Church (which is to the left of the WCC) and some "uncanonical" Eastern Orthodox traditionalists, are members of the WCC. That includes the ancient ethnic churches of the east.
Also the Orthodox Church was going liberal before the Catholic Church. One of the Patriarchs of Constantinople (who was allegedly a Mason) put his churches on the Gregorian Calendar. And now the "canonical" Orthodox churches are a mess.
Any religion that disappeared for 1200 to 1800 years and has to be restored like a dinosaur skeleton was never true to begin with.
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