Problems in the Orthodox Church? - Archbishop Alexander (Golitzin)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- In this episode Archbishop Alexander (Golitzin) discusses a couple of the bigger problems with Orthodoxy in the West.
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This is the eleventh episode from my interview with His Eminence Archbishop Alexander, formerly Professor of #Patristics at Marquette University, and currently the OCA's Archbishop of Dallas, the South, and the Bulgarian Diocese.
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I always enjoy what Archbishop Alexander has to share. It's my hope that he's perhaps being a bit overly cynical in saying this threatens our very survival, though I could be wrong. It seems like there's still growth happening (certainly at my parish) in spite of the ongoing canonical issues with Bishops and overlapping jurisdictions. I think the real issue this contributes to is our failure to display a unified presentation to the world of our one faith and brotherly love. I'm no expert, but my gut feeling is some kind of major crisis, possibly real persecution, will be required to shake us into action and start behaving and functioning as we should.
The parish I attend has grown from 10 communicants at Sunday Liturgy to 50 or so in the past two years. Many are Catholic and Protestant converts.
There is hope!
I love listening to him. Thanks for posting
Herman! Thanks, my friend. It was great meeting you in Mt. P a couple weeks ago.
Likewise, brother...thanks for stopping by!
I had the privilege to meet Archbishop Anastasios of Albania this summer. I referred in our meeting to the Orthodox Church of Albania. He told me he did not like this term and corrected me, I should have referred to the Orthodox Church in Albania. He is the living embodiment that "one city, one Bishop" and even "one country, one Archbishop" is a perfectly feasible realisation of God's will.
Hmm. America is TECHNICALLY 50 countries. How to divide up jurisdictions in either a federated or confederated republic has always been vexing, even before the jurisdictional chaos the Bolsheviks caused. Before WW1, it looked like Moscow would eventually get the western half of the USA, and Constantinople the Eastern half; Antioch and others were not even on the radar. Sigh. But should there be equal Archbishops for both Wyoming and Rhode Island? Wyoming is the fifth largest state and RI is the smallest, yet they both have roughly the same population. Or should a single Archbishop of a sparely populated state also preside over one or two other nearby sparse states as well, Wyoming plus the Dakotas, perhaps. Conversely, California is both huge AND densely populated; perhaps it needs TWO Archbishops at either end of the state. It’s a puzzle, to be sure.
Thanks for posting this word of wisdom from Abp. Alexander, whose word has weight. Protestant interlocutors will always challenge Orthodox to speak from scripture, and that should not pose a problem to our defense of Orthodoxy. Divine Worship for instance, upon which we place supreme importance, is Biblical and follows the ‘pattern shown to Moses on Mt. Sinai’. This is one of the things I learned from Abp. Alexander.
Since Catholics are a much bigger denomination than any Protestant religion maybe focus on them more. The Satanic pedophile Pope raping children is much worse than someone challenging you.
Off of my experience many Orthodox interlocutors know little or nothing about the biblical doctrine of isopsephy/gematria within their own writings. Many sadly mock the doctrine to scorn. Very sus.
@@paladinhansen137 isopsephy?
@@paladinhansen137 don’t think gematria is the key to much other than Talmudic pettifoggery. The Gospel meant for the world’s salvation is not esoterically encoded to protect it from unschooled eyes. I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Abp. Alexander is taking about preaching the Gospel from a form foundation in scripture that does not rely on esoterism.
@@claesvanoldenphatt9972 Yes. Isopsephy (/ˈaɪsəpˌsɛfi/; ἴσος isos meaning "equal" and ψῆφος psephos meaning "pebble") or isopsephism is the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number.[1] The total number is then used as a metaphorical bridge to other words evaluating the equal number,[2] which satisfies isos or "equal" in the term. The early Greeks used pebbles arranged in patterns to learn arithmetic and geometry, which corresponds to psephos or "pebble" and "counting" in the term.
Isopsephy is related to gematria: the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet
Loved this!
An idea I had is for sharing disputed jurisdictions among different rites in rotation. Consolidate each town and city with multiple bishops officially under one permanent jurisdiction, but let the current shared bishoprics stand until they each repose, with the last one standing being the first of the new line. When he reposes, the rite whose first of, say, five traditions, gets first dibs on selecting the next bishop. This shall be decided in the order the last generation of shared bishoprics repose. Once he reposes, the NEXT tradition, who’s last shared bishop was the second to repose, will pick their next bishop, and then the third will eventually do the same and so on. This seems the most fair and reasonable solution to reestablishing canon law regarding each town and city. Each parish will continue with their local rite tradition as always. We must basically develop pan Orthodox vicariates.
That would make way too much sense.
I think that someday, whether through cooperation with the Holy Spirit, or in opposition, God's will be done. Cooperation and submission to Christ would be so much easier, but we (humans) have such a track record for opposing God's will that it is hard to imagine it being done in cooperation with His will. I think that the will of God will be done either way though.
One issue with this is the differing geographical boundaries of different jurisdictions' administrations. Texas, for example, is under a Diocese of "Mid-America" for ROCOR and the Antiochians, but for the OCA it is grouped in a more culturally based Diocese of the South. Universal lines of administration would have to be agreed upon, as well as the hairy financial stuff.
Your Eminence: Please bless? Unless "the Lord builds the House, we labour in vain..." We have had "colonization" by Orthodox immigrants and now is the Holy Spirit's time to realize in our nation His formative Will to begin to build a "New Thing" in America, on the old foundations so precious to us Orthodox. The Holy Spirit has deigned to have compassion by visiting the communities of the poor and hungry (for Him) with the (Book of Acts) Holy Spirit's Baptism and thus, an understanding of the Holy Scriptures.(especially in the African-American roots). The nexus of the The Holy Spirit "leading us into all the Truth.." (of Orthodoxy, as He has our family).. and the Holy Scriptures being actively lived by Faith and in the Love of Christ and for one another will bear great fruit in small places. Elder Sophrony has shared with my friend M. Aemiliani, that Orthodox cannot expect the same "form" in America as it had in the Mother Country. Small Home Churches and Convents with the Experience of the Holy Spirit's awakening (new and better use of "Woke") with the love of one another in Christ will surely bring a witness to bear on our society. As it looks now, we see persecution perhaps being unifying act of the Lord's compassion in drawing us together. We cannot be without the reality of the Holy Spirit guiding us by Holy Scriptures. His Wedding garment must be a reality upon each one of us daring to call ourselves "Orthodox Christian"..anything else is hypocrisy and dismissed by the Lord as a snare. We find strange doctrines replacing the Fathers' teachings because many are unbaptized and remain without being really taught the Faith before their entrance into the Church. I could write a book about my own encounters (ie.Bultmann being taught in catechumen classes)! How welcome is your compassion Your Eminence, so evident in your words. We encourage the humbling of our leaders and people to be praying from and as directed by St John the Forerunner to "ask the Lord Jesus to baptize each in His Holy Spirit"! To be filled to overflowing with the All-Holy Spirit as He leads us in HISl Way in "the New World". Please pray for our Mission outreach among the non-Orthodox in obedience to the assignment given to us by our dear Archbishop so long ago! And we pray for you as "right-believing Bishops" in each of our Divine Services .
I been trying to tell someone anyone I vlogged my recent experience on my page but some things aren’t what it used to be I just hope for more new young intelligent minds bringing new energy to the Faith
Good point.
As a traditional Roman Catholic sitting quietly in a pew bemoaning the decline of the Church it occured to me that perhaps our traditional liturgy has served those who needed serving over the past 1500 years. Not a sad or despairing thought ….
I would love to hear more from the Archbishop on Protestant theology and culture
I think we have enough orthodox priests contrasting Orthodoxy and Protestant theology. What the Orthodox need to do is start setting the example. Much of Protestant and Roman Catholic witness has lost its salt. So the Orthodox need to show its gifts that it can offer to this dying western culture.
The eagerness of protestants to convert to orthodoxy tells me perhaps his eminence is incorrect. My biggest concern is the priesthood won't be equipped to handle the waves that will come, and that the church will be watered down by I'll informed converts. The orthodox church needs to remember that her beauty lies in the truth of christ in her, and it need not rush.
Amen
The ecclesial multiplicity issue may end up solving itself as certain jurisdictions suffer immense clergy shortages.
I’m not informed enough to know which jurisdiction that is!
@@orthodoxguy2006 All of them!
I totally agree, after 35 years as convert and finally seeing all the division and hear you tube orthodox sound like a broken record about everything but Chist is sad ,but there is nowhere else to go .
Revelation 14:12
King James Version
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
People!!! love one another and do not break but build. And when building do not build your happiness on others ruins because God is strong and He will protect us as True Orthodox Church who is not seeking power and dictators but people who serve God, church and people. Forgive me because I’m not Theologically educated but I see clearly if head of the church will not destroy our OCA then we are fine. We are growing, flourish and serving. What do you do? We past that time when persecution on Orthodoxy was for many years overseas. Now we have no problem as Orthodox Church. If heads of Orthodox Church having problems, then they need to resign office and let other people protect and love church with its own people . Lead to grow and do everything for church to grow but not destroy. I went through persecution in Ukraine. That was enough.
Is OCA in communion with ROCOR ?
Yes it is. For now anyway
My wife and I refer to overlapping Bishops in the same city or area or ethnic titles Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, ROCOR, OCA, Antiochian, Romanian, ETC. as Orthodox Denominationalism. VERY SAD. Keeps us divided and surely causes St. Peter and St. Paul to weep
very pessimistic?