ECUMENISM
One has to welcome rejection of the age-old separation
of Christians, but only if this is done with the objective of
disclosing the treasures of Orthodoxy, to bring those who have
fallen away from the Church back to unity in Orthodoxy.
The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
toward ecumenism has always been of a sober, strictly Orthodox
character, in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Fathers.
The outlook of our Church was particularly well-defined in a statement
issued on December 31,1931, when the Russian Church Abroad appointed
its representative to the Committee for the Continuation of the
World Conference on Faith and Order: "Preserving the Faith
is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the Synod of
Bishops confesses that the Church has never been divided. The
issue lies only in who does and who does not belong to Her. Moreover,
the Synod of Bishops fervently welcomes all attempts by the heterodox
to study the teaching of Christ about the Church, in the hope
that through such investigation, especially with the participation
of representatives of the Holy Orthodox Church, they will eventually
arrive at the conviction that the Orthodox Church, which is the
"pillar and the ground of truth" (I Timothy 3:15), has
fully and without any adulteration retained the doctrine taught
by Christ the Savior to His disciples."
The Ecumenical Movement takes as its guiding principle
the Protestant view of the Church. Protestants hold that there
is no single truth and no single visible Church, but that each
of the many Christian denominations possesses a particle of the
truth, and that these relative truths can, by means of dialogue,
lead to the One Truth and the One Church. One of the ways of attaining
this unity, as perceived by the ideologues of the Ecumenical Movement,
is the holding of joint prayers and religious services, so that
in time communion from a common chalice (intercommunion) may be
achieved.
Orthodoxy can never accept such an ecclesiology.
It believes and bears witness that there is no need to assemble
particles of the truth, since the Orthodox Church is the repository
of the fullness of the Truth, which was given to Her on the day
of Holy Pentecost.
For the Orthodox, joint prayer and Communion at
the liturgy is an expression of an already existing unity within
the bounds of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. St.
Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century) concisely expressed this: "Our
Faith is in accord with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist confirms
our Faith." The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that the
members of the Church comprise the Church-the Body of Christ-because
in the Eucharist they partake of the Body and the Blood of Christ.
Outside the Eucharist and Communion there is no Church. Communing
together would be an admission that all those receiving Communion
belong to the One Apostolic Church, whereas the realities of Christian
history even of our time unfortunately point out the deep dogmatic
and ecclesiastical division of the Christian world.
ABORTION is
the termination of a pregnancy by taking the life of the baby
before it comes to full term. The Scriptures teach, "For
You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's
womb" (Jeremiah 1:5). When a child is aborted, a human being
is killed. For the Christian, all children, born or unborn, are
precious in God's sight, and are a gift from Him. Even in the
rare case in which a choice must be made between the life of the
child and the life of the mother, decision-making must be based
upon the recognition that the lives of two human persons are at
stake.
CULTS
The word "cult" has several meanings.
The usage to which we refer designates a group of people who focus
on a religious doctrine which deviates from the tradition of the
historic Church as revealed by Jesus Christ, established by His
Apostles, and guarded by the seven Ecumenical Councils of the
Church. A cult usually forms around an individual who proclaims
a heresy as truth. The error itself assures the separation of
the group from historic Christianity. Many cults claim the Bible
as their basis, but they alter the historic interpretation of
Scripture to persist in their own idea. Cults may do some things
that are good (e.g. care for the poor, emphasize the family) and
thus at least appear, to casual observers, to be part of true
Christianity. St. Paul's counsel on cults is: "From such
withdraw yourself (I Timothy 6:5). Thedanger of the cult is that
it removes those in it from the life of Christ and the Church,
where the blessings and grace of God are found. All cults die;
the Church lives on.
MARRIAGE
Marriage in the Orthodox Church is forever. It
is not reduced to an exchange of vows or the establishment of
a legal contract between the bride and groom. On the contrary,
it is God joining a man and a woman into "one flesh"
in a sense similar to the Church being joined to Christ (Ephesians
5:31,32). The success of marriage cannot depend on mutual human
promises, but on the promises and blessing of God. In the Orthodox
marriage rite, the bride and groom offer their lives to Christ
and to each other-literally as crowned martyrs.
DIVORCE
While extending love and mercy to divorcees, the
Orthodox Church is grieved by the tragedy and pain divorce causes.
Though marriage is understood as a sacrament, and thus accomplished
by the grace of God, and permanent, the Church does not deal with
divorce legalistically, but with compassion. After appropriate
pastoral counsel, divorce may be allowed when avenues for reconciliation
have been exhausted. If there is a remarriage, the service for
a second marriage includes prayers offering repentance for the
earlier divorce, asking God's forgiveness, and protection for
the new union.
PRE-MARITAL SEX
The Orthodox Christian faith holds to the biblical
teaching that sexual intercourse is reserved for marriage. Sex
is a gift of God to be fully enjoyed and experiences only within
marriage. The marriage bed is to be kept "pure and undefiled"
(Hebrew 13:4), and men and women are called to remain celibate
outside of marriage. Our sexuality, like many other things about
us human beings, affects our relationship with God, ourselves,
and others. It may be employed as a means of glorifying God and
fulfilling His image in us, or it may be perverted and abused
as an instrument of sin, causing great damage to us and others.
St. Paul writes, "Do you know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and
you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body..." (I Corinthians 6:19, 20).
HOMOSEXUALITY
Although there is much more open discussion about
homosexuality in today than in previous times, there is sufficient
reference to it in ancient writings. The frequently used synonym,
sodomy, comes from the apparent homosexual activity among men
of Sodom (Genesis 19), and the severity of strictures set forth
in the Holiness Code with nothing short of the death penalty being
imposed, suggested that the need for discipline must have been
great, (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). The Old Testament understood
normal sexual intercourse as not only a way of expressing a loving
relationship, but also as a divinely appointed way of creating
new life.
In the New testament, St. Paul condemns male prostitutes
and homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:9-11). In the first chapter of
his epistle to the Romans (1:24-32), he also judges it as unnatural.
Homosexuals are included elsewhere among the immoral persons who,
St. Paul says, deserve judgment by God (I Timothy 1:10). There
is no example in all of the New Testament of approval, acceptance,
or even tolerance of homosexuality.
Throughout Christian history, this disapproval
has continued to be the case. In the patristic era freedom from
homosexuality was seen as a mark of the Christian's ethical superiority
to the wanton way of life that converts had left. Patristic thinking,
like scriptural references, were directed to the practice of homosexuality,
not to the desire itself. The Orthodox Church does not condemn
the person who keeps this propensity in check, and ministers to
homosexuals who wish to find release from this inclination.
These, briefly, are some of the characteristics
of the Orthodox Church. The Church is One, since our Lord Jesus
Christ founded only one Church. It is Holy through its sanctification
by its Founder and Head, Jesus Christ, and through the operation
of the Holy Spirit. It is Catholic, since it is universal, and
knows no limitations of place or time. It is Apostolic since it
was founded by the Holy Apostles and has maintained unbroken the
apostolic succession through the Laying-on of Hands. This is the
Orthodox Church-the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Should one desire to learn more about the Orthodox
Church you are invited to speak to your local priest who will
prepare a list of reading materials, for study and discussion.
With acknowledgement to Archpriest Victor Potapov
St John the Baptist Cathedral, Washington DC.
Back
to Top
