Heterodoxy is Hazardous

One goal of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is surely to convert as many Heterodox Christians as possible.

Why? Because being a Heterodox Christian can be hazardous to a person's spiritual health, not to mention agonizing!

Take the case of the worldwide Anglican Communion as only one example. The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been counselled by the Tanzania meeting of the Anglican Primates to repent from ordaining actively gay Bishops and performing same-sex blessings by September the 30th or face a reduced status in the Anglican Communion.

The Bishops of TEC have said for the most part, that they will defy the Communique. Grace and Saint Stephens Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs is undergoing a split between those loyal to conservative and "orthodox" rector Don Armstrong and around 100 parishoners (including most of the choir) who went down the street to Shrove Chapel to stay in the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Colorado.

Again the strange dichotomy of many an Epicopal parish might be in place here: Speaking from experience as a former Episcopalian myself, one of the most frustrating things about the current Episcopal scene in the United States is the strange fact that many of the "orthodox" Episcopalians and Anglicans lean towards the charismatic and evangelical end of the religious spectrum and as such, they favor more upbeat and contempary music and liturgies.

The Liberals, on the other hand, tend to be more "traditional" in church culture and end up favoring the best church music, the best traditional "high church" forms, and the oldest Episcopal cultural norms. They may hold to beliefs that deny the faith, but no-one can beat them when it comes to their style of worship.

So the choice facing many an Episcopalian / Anglican today in the U.S. is attending a parish that is a rough equivelant to a "Vineyard Christian Fellowship" or a "Calvary Chapel" with Sacraments or a mid to high church parish long on style but empty of orthodox content. Some choice. This is why our family ultimately became Orthodox.

We had a brief detour in the LCMS for about a year-an-a-half at a "Confessional Lutheran" church, but I, for one, was never a true Lutheran and couldn't ultimately accept the Lutheran Confessions. I just wasn't a Protestant anymore.

Back to Grace and Saint Stephens: As of this writing, it is unclear who will maintain control of the nearly 100-year old church building. Will this beautiful orthodox building be controlled by the liberals who don't believe what the architecture displays "written in stone" and stained glass or will the "orthodox" faithful find a way to keep the building and avoid another The Church nightclub being established?

And this battle over church property is being played out all over the United States. A person only need look at what is happening in the Diocese of Virginia to see other battles in progress.

And you're no safer if you're a Presbyterian! In the supposedly "conservative and orthodox" Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Colorado, a church in Greenwood Village is struggling to stave off a "purpose driven" takeover of what was supposed to be THE TRADITIONAL PARISH in the greater Denver area.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church is being torn up by those who want to take the church in the direction of many "mega-churches" and those who wish to maintain traditional worship and presbyterian polity. The "Purpose Driven" movement has been doing what ECUSA-style liberals could never get away with in the more "conservative" evangelical denominations such as the EPC and the Southern Baptist Convention: Undermining traditional churches and replacing them with "contemporary" purpose-driven hedonistic wastelands.

Truly the only safe place to be if you are a traditional Christian is the Eastern Orthodox Church. This is because the way we worship is as absolute as the Nicene Creed and the Sacred Scriptures. Even the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is a limited option at best. Most RC parishes are heavily influenced by Vatican Two.

In my next posting, I will explore how an Orthodox Parish can accomodate some of the culture and tastes of Heterodox Christians in the life of the community while maintaining strict standards during the Divine Liturgy. In Orthodoxy, altering the Divine Liturgy in any way is an absolute non-starter!

Have a blessed and Holy Pascha!

Columcille Silouan