Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese leaves NCC

[furay]

http://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/2005/07/breaking_news_o.html

July 28, 2005

Breaking News: Orthodox Leave NCC Dearborn, Michigan. July 28, 2005.This afternoon the Archdiocesan Convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America voted overwhelmingly to leave the National Council of Churches USA. (http://www.ncccusa.org/members/index.html) The Archdiocese is holding its annual convention this week in Dearborn, Michigan.

The action was not a temporary “suspension” of membership, but a formal withdrawal from the NCC. The clergy unanimously approved the withdrawal, followed by a unanimous vote of the lay delegates supporting the move. An announcement of the final vote was met with thunderous applause by the Convention.

Reasons given for the withdrawal include the general liberalism of the NCC, whose General Secretary, Bob Edgar, withdrew his signature from a statement defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Metropolitan PHILIP, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, was reportedly outspoken in calling for the church to withdraw from the NCC, stating that the relationship had proven fruitless.

The National Council of Churches USA (http://www.ncccusa.org/members/index.html) has listed on its website "36 member communions and denominations." It now has 35.

Note: An interview about this vote and its consequences with the Very Rev. Olof Scott, the newly-elected chairman of the Department of Interfaith Relationships, is scheduled to air on Ancient Faith Radio (http://www.ancientfaithradio.com/) this coming Sunday, July 31, 2005, at 5 PM EDT.


:thumb:

[Anoetos]

Good for them, I never really understood why EO's were involved with that in the first place. It is to their general credit that their position as guardians of The Truth has usually been held as incontrovertible and exclusive.

Of course the RCC won't follow suit, they're too much in love with ecumenism, but maybe some of the other EO jurisdictions will.

What's perhaps ironic is that the Antiochians have been often criticized for too easily pursuing and permitting converts, the charge has actually been made that they in some sense "Protestantizing".

This was the church Peter Gillquist et al joined after (in the opinion of some) not having been properly or completely purged of "Augustinianism".

[Jezz]

Good for them, I never really understood why EO's were involved with that in the first place. It is to their general credit that their position as guardians of The Truth has usually been held as incontrovertible and exclusive.
Yeah, I agree. Those Orthodox who participate in things like the NCC and the WCC are there because they see it as their responsibility as guardians of the Truth to be there to witness to the Truth. Unfortunately, it seems to have had little effect. At least, to human eyes.

That said, I think that pulling out is the right move. If they can't even get them to do something as simple as agree with the traditional definition of marriage, then there is insufficient common ground to proceed.

Of course the RCC won't follow suit, they're too much in love with ecumenism, but maybe some of the other EO jurisdictions will.
Possibly. I think that the mixed reaction of the Orthodox jurisdictions is actually a good thing, in a way, because it reflects the ambiguous nature of ecumenism. If all the jurisdictions jumped in, then the liberal Protestant jurisdictions would have seen it as a tacit approval of tolerance for their liberal views. The mixed reaction of the jurisdictions, IMO, quite nicely gets represents the Church's view of ecumenism as being a mixed bag - on the one hand their presence says that they want to witness to the Truth, but on the other hand their absence says that they already have it and won't compromise it.

What's perhaps ironic is that the Antiochians have been often criticized for too easily pursuing and permitting converts, the charge has actually been made that they in some sense "Protestantizing".

This was the church Peter Gillquist et al joined after (in the opinion of some) not having been properly or completely purged of "Augustinianism".
Yes, that is a good point. In some cases I think that the charge might be valid (and I say this as an Antiochian myself), but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

[Hail Mary]

Of course the RCC won't follow suit, they're too much in love with ecumenism, but maybe some of the other EO jurisdictions will.

One tiny problem with your statement. Its going to be a little hard for us to follow suit (actually its impossible). And there's a good reason for that, but it has nothing to do with your statement that we're too much in love with ecumenism.

[Jezz]

One tiny problem with your statement. Its going to be a little hard for us to follow suit (actually its impossible). And there's a good reason for that, but it has nothing to do with your statement that we're too much in love with ecumenism.
Well, are you going to leave us all hanging like that? What is the reason? I'm very curious now!

[George Blaisdell]

Anoetos, is that your mug??

If yes, it's a GREEAATTT mug!!!

Arsenios

[furay]

Well, are you going to leave us all hanging like that? What is the reason? I'm very curious now!
Probably because the Roman Catholic Church has never been a member of the National Council of Churches USA. :wink:

[Anoetos]

Anoetos, is that your mug??

If yes, it's a GREEAATTT mug!!!

Arsenios

Yes, that's me...just trying to put a face on the beast...

'Sfunny, when I have a goofy Av, I tend to be goofy, when I have a serious one, I tend to be serious...this one is, well...

I'm smiling at least...

Thanks for the kind words.

[spiritmech]

Yes, that's me...just trying to put a face on the beast...

'Sfunny, when I have a goofy Av, I tend to be goofy, when I have a serious one, I tend to be serious...this one is, well...

I'm smiling at least...

Thanks for the kind words.

Now we know why Anoetos gets all the girls.
sm

[Anoetos]

Yeah...

Chicks dig me.

[spiritmech]

Now we know the real reason Ano found the Jesuits distasteful: "Father, how can I withhold from the world the large piece of man-meat that I am? That wouldn't be charitable."

sm

[Anoetos]

Now we know the real reason Ano found the Jesuits distasteful: "Father, how can I withhold from the world the large piece of man-meat that I am? That wouldn't be charitable."

sm

Well, that and because there were a few of them who wouldn't stop 'bothering' me.

[spiritmech]

Well, at least you had fewer boyfriends than you would've had in a jail.
sm

[Anoetos]

Okay, my uncomfortableness-meter just overloaded.