On Ecumenism
The Holy Monastery of the Paraklete
Oropos, Attica, Greece
2004
Introduction
The Orthodox Church is, by its very nature, catholic and obviously ecumenical (universal). It welcomes with open arms all peoples, of all races and all times, and invites them all to come. Christ, who is the head, addresses the world diachronically: “Come to Me all of you” while at the same time sending out His apostles to teach the Gospel of salvation “to all nations.”
This component and inherent feature of the Church, ecumenicity or universality, is today being contested by two movements which express the spirit of the age: Ecumenism and Globalism.
Globalism is promoted by powerful socio-political forces and projects the model of a single united humanity, while Ecumenism is active in the religious sector, attempting to realize the vision of a united Christianity and aiming ultimately at one universal religion, a “pan-religion.”
In this paper, we will attempt to provide an outline of the Ecumenical movement, of which the Orthodox Church is a participant, since, for most of the Church its nature and work remains unknown and certain developments within ecumenical circles have raised fears and provoked concerns. . . . Read More
Contours of Conversion and the Ecumenical Movement
Hieromonk Alexy (Trader) of Karakallou Monastery, Mount Athos
An address prepared for the Academic Conference
Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, and Disenchantment
University of Thessaloniki, September 20-24, 2004
Christ is “the true light that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world,” and as Saint John Chrysostom notes, “grace is shed forth upon all, turning itself back neither from Jew, nor Greek, nor Barbarian, nor Scythian, nor free, nor bond, nor male, nor female, nor old, nor young, but admitting all alike, and inviting with an equal regard.” In other words, Christ calls all “to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Although some of the nations have different names today, Christ still continues His same work drawing many who were born into heterodox communities to the Orthodox Church. Their accounts of how they have come to Orthodoxy are like unto a tapestry woven from the wonderful workings of grace and the mystery of the human heart. There are many reasons why someone in a heterodox confession may come to Orthodoxy, but the most important factor is always the presence and influence of divine grace that acts in various ways and at various times, touching the soul of someone who is receptive to illumination and leading him to seek the Truth and then sell all that he has in order to acquire that pearl of great price, the Orthodox faith. . . Read More
The Serbian Orthodox Church vis-a-vis Ecumenism
Bishop ARTEMIJE of Raska and Prizren
An address prepared for the Academic Conference
Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, and Disenchantment
University of Thessaloniki, September 20-24, 2004
Ecumenism is a child of the 20th century. It was born at its outset, experienced a metamorphosis in the World Council of Churches around the middle of the century and by its end, it was on its last breath being fiercely rejected. Unfortunately, it survived this crisis, and continues to trouble the Church of God in the 21st century.
This theological conference on ecumenism, in our humble opinion, is long overdue but not hopelessly so. Therefore, we thank God, as well as all those who worked to make this eminent gathering possible, in order that the issue of ecumenism may be considered from various perspectives, which should be of great help to all local Orthodox Churches, as well as the Church as a whole and every faithful person. It will help the Church take the proper position toward this, not only the latest, but also the most dangerous ecclesiological heresy, which our well-known theologian, Fr. Justin Popovich, consequently called pan-heresy because it encompasses all heresies previously known in the history of the Church. . . Read More
Ecumenical Impact on Orthodox Witness and Mission
A Convert’s Reflections
Fr. John Reeves
An address prepared for the Academic Conference
Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, and Disenchantment
University of Thessaloniki, September 20-24, 2004
The School of Pastoral Theology * The Aristotelian University
Twenty seven years ago (last week, in fact), I stood outside the doors of the St Seraphim Church, Dallas, Texas, awaiting reception into Holy Orthodoxy. I was asked whether I confessed the Orthodox Church as the Bride of Christ wherein was true salvation which was in the Ark with Noah at the Flood. I confessed it with all my heart. I believed it then. I believe it now.
Orthodoxy was for me the Pearl of Great Price. Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas had counseled me upon my entry into the Church that, as grave as the situation was in my Anglican life, there remained but one reason to convert to the Orthodox faith: Namely, that I believed it to be true. He, himself a convert from the Baptists while yet in his teens in the early 1940’s, was the perfect one to give that advice.
Thus, I come before this august gathering of prelates and priests, of theologians and spiritual fathers, as an American, a convert to Orthodoxy, a “village priest,” quite humbled by this privilege, to speak on a subject of concern to us all. I bring the perspective of one who has sought refuge in Orthodoxy from the doctrinal and moral morass afflicting many of our partners in the ecumenical movement.
In my seminary training, in an Episcopal seminary in the 1970’s, I was alarmed by trends away from apostolic faith and witness then present in my denomination. Equivocation on the Incarnation, the Resurrection and the Miracles was readily accepted. Doctrine was nuanced away. Ordination of women to the priesthood was on the horizon. Advocacy for abortion, for which some Episcopal clergy were already providing “ministry services,” (transporting young women to abortion clinics)--and acceptance of homosexuality raised few eyebrows amongst faculty or most students. . . . Read More
The Mystery of Baptism and the Unity of the Church
The Idea of “Baptismal Unity” and its Acceptance by Orthodox Ecumenists
Fr. Peter Alban Heers
An address prepared for the Academic Conference
Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, and Disenchantment
University of Thessaloniki, September 20-24, 2004
“The Church can be experienced and ‘tasted’ only from the inside
and not externally: without the right faith (orthodoxy) and outside
of living a life according to this faith, the Church does not exist.”
– Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro
The Church as the Pillar and Stronghold of the Truth:
The Question of Autocephaly and the Church
Your Eminences, Revered Fathers, Beloved Brethren in Christ, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Orthodox Church’s understanding of heterodox baptism flows from and is determined by its self-understanding of being the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church,” which alone performs the one baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. This is so, for the Church is known in her mysteries. In and through the mysteries the Church exists and is continually formed, her borders are set, her members identified. “Those who live their lives outside the mysterial (sacramental) life are outside the body of Christ.”
The “One Baptism” and the Baptism of Heretics
Holy Baptism is the portal of entry into the Body of Christ, and thus the foundation and presupposition of all subsequent mysteries. As the Lord Himself has solemnly declared: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” . . . Read More
Uncut Mountain Press Monographs
Uncut Mountain Press monographs—learned treatises on particular subjects of importance for contemporary Orthodox Christians— are distributed free of charge to the faithful for their edification and the upbuilding of the Una Sancta. Most of the monographs that UMP makes available on the net in PDF format are chapters from forthcoming books, advertisements for which you may find at the end of text or elsewhere on the site. We encourage every priest or interested layman to download these texts, print them out and distribute them to others in their community.
