tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post2864145178230461589..comments2024-01-12T04:58:49.069-05:00Comments on Kyrie, Eleison!: Controversies in Orthodoxy?Anastasia Theodoridishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092531121989260111noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-83535190175304395302008-08-03T23:03:00.000-04:002008-08-03T23:03:00.000-04:00While Fr. Gregory makes some good points in his co...While Fr. Gregory makes some good points in his comment, at the same time I do like how Frederica does a nice job of showing how for the most part we do manage to avoid the pitfalls and whims of what's going on in the world around us. Granted, she's going off of her own experience and knowledge though not necessarily empirical - but I think how she presents things does need to be out there so as to help those who are pro-choice be able to re-evaluate their position from someone that is not only compassionate, but even has more credibility as one who used to be pro-choice. <BR/><BR/>I like how by doing things in my own life and how I go about dealing with others and acting on my Faith - minds, hearts, and lives can be saved for Christ's glory and I've always liked how Frederica presents that reality. I've grown tired of Christianity being presented as one of myriad ways to be political, as opposed to simply being a way of life and by living our lives for Christ and letting Him do His transformative work in us we can be used to transform the world around us.<BR/><BR/>Not really empirical, no. Breath of fresh air - yes.Ioannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453891478784907686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-32901097550899248392008-07-31T10:49:00.000-04:002008-07-31T10:49:00.000-04:00Frederica Matthewes-Green's argument is as much em...Frederica Matthewes-Green's argument is as much empirical as it is theological.<BR/><BR/>What she asserts about the theology of the Church--our lack of a central authority analogous to the Papacy in the Catholic Church--is certainly correct.<BR/><BR/>Her empirical conclusion--or rather assertion--that we have some how by that fact avoided the great cultural conflicts is simply false. <BR/><BR/>Look for example at the Pew Charitable Survey on the American Religious Landscape. Orthodox Christians as pro-choice in significant greater numbers than the general U.S. population. We are also more inclined to espouse a pro-gay rights agenda than I for one would hope.<BR/><BR/>De-centralization does protect us from these issues, but not in they way Frederica Matthewes-Green suggests. I would argue that our decentralization takes the form of practical (if not official) congregational polity on the parish level. As a result, clergy and laity tend to self-select to be involved with communities that either (1) agree with their own views on cultural issues or more likely (2) do not challenge their thinking on these issues. And of course how can the community do so? A pro-life in a parish where most of the laity is pro-choice is unlikely to raise the issue save at the potential expense of his own livelihood.<BR/><BR/>To repeat: While she is right on her description of our theology, she is wrong on the empirical facts. <BR/><BR/>I should add that a centralized polity does not seem to produce significantly different views (e.g., among Catholic faith). As a social scientist this suggest to me that whatever the other value we might ascribe to our ecclesiology, it seems to make very little difference in the views on cultural issues held most Orthodox Christians.<BR/><BR/>In Christ,<BR/><BR/>+FrGFr. Gregory Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02674042923019379740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-47326101500955196302008-07-30T13:18:00.000-04:002008-07-30T13:18:00.000-04:00Though, this is also the reason why some longstand...Though, this is also the reason why some longstanding issues related to jurisdiction, bio-ethics, and other topics sit as long as they do. On the one hand the decentralization insures that no novelty finds its way into the Church, but it also makes it difficult for Orthodoxy to speak with one voice on complex issues. Metropolitan Philip (Antiochian) gave a great talk on this subject earlier this year.Byzantine, TXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17845681957622343484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-66719382222990100392008-07-30T12:38:00.000-04:002008-07-30T12:38:00.000-04:00I think what has also helped has been the Orthodox...I think what has also helped has been the Orthodox Church has never become, with a few exceptions, as political an entity as other religious sects. You don't see Orthodox Christians holding riots and launching massive protests like in Muslim countries, and though they meet political leaders or talk about certain hot topics, they never become as politicized as some Evangelicals or Charismatics do. <BR/><BR/>The side effect is that when you become involved in something, you need to survive within it. If you become involved in politics, you need to adapt to the political turmoil of your time. Hence why so many churches are falling back on what the past generation thought.<BR/><BR/>But I think it's quite beautiful when the author makes the statement that Orthodoxy is less of an institution and more of a spiritual path. It is a pity that so many people - who see our worship, ranks, and cathedrals and think we're "crypto-Papists" - cannot understand this.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04232209481041145155noreply@blogger.com