Because for all of the myriad problems and scandals and upheaval across the Orthodox world, the one thing they aren't doing is throwing the Gospel itself under the bus. Yes, there are some within the Orthodox Church pushing to apostatize for the modern, post-Christian global Left. As of now at least, most of the leadership makes it crystal clear those doing so speak outside of the bounds of the Church's teachings.
Compare this to a priest who dared suggest suicide isn't always a great assurance for salvation, or Bishop Barron, on a talk interview with Ben Shapiro, letting the world know that it's being a good person following your conscience that bringeth salvation, since it's all about love (All You Need is Love after all).
And what did the priest in our church talk about Sunday? He talked about how God is a loving God and God's love covers all things, and that's why the Church is about love. However, if one rejects God or lives in unrepentant sin, then that love of God becomes an all-consuming fire. Because God is love, but God is also a just God and sin is incompatible with the holiness of God. That second part is almost never spoken about on any side of the Tiber, and hasn't been mentioned in many moons in the parishes I've attended.
Now, as for the priest and the funeral, I'll admit there might have been a better way or time to say what he said. And the Church might have even reprimanded him and pointed that out, and informed the parents of the Church's teaching while understanding the difficult time they were in. But hell no. The priest is thrown under the bus. The Church might as well say, "What's wrong with you! We're not here to proclaim Truth! We're here to make all the people who matter like us!"
It's what the editors at America, The Jesuit Review said about Brett Kavanaugh after all. It matters not whether he is guilty or innocent. It's just that really important people will be upset if he's confirmed, and we'd rather an innocent man have his life destroyed than see that happen!
Likewise, I'll give Fr. Barron a bit of a pass since it isn't easy to actually speak the Truth on another person's talk show when the world is watching, and the Truth has already been declared incompatible with serving in high office in the US. But sadly, it's not just this or that case, or this or that individual.
I think now we are going to see just how in bed with the world much of the Christian leadership has been all these years. As the World becomes more openly aggressive, hostile and antithetical to everything the Gospel ever preached, we'll see just how much of the Gospel we were wrong about, needs modified, compromised or just plain abandoned. Or so will say those who are used to being Christian and Worldly for 6.5 days a week.
Again, going back to what a fellow who works with youth said a few weeks back. When asking why so many young people are just abandoning the Faith, one of youngsters gave the most devastating answer I've ever heard: 'Because we don't think most people in the churches really believe any of it anymore.' As long as we act like the Gospel is something we'd rather not talk about, don't be surprised that a growing number of people aren't interested in learning about it either.
To be honest, I suspect that the Orthodox Church's being less in hock to liberalism is mostly a result of sociological factors: Orthodoxy's home is in Eastern Europe, which for historical and linguistic reasons has been comparatively sheltered from the Hollywood juggernaut, and hence tends to be more conservative and traditional. Plus, the Orthodox Churches in the West are generally pretty small and invisible, and hence aren't generally put under the same cultural and legal pressure as Catholicism or the larger Protestant Churches are. When governments have tried to bring the Orthodox Church to heel, as in the Russian or Byzantine Empires, they've usually been successful, which I suspect has something to do with Orthodoxy's structure as a series of national Churches -- it's much easier to bully an organisation located entirely within your territory.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. The Orthodox have resisted the trends of Western culture largely due to their position as marginalized (if not outright oppressed) minorities. They’ve been less successful avoiding political entanglements (something not, however, unique to the Orthodox). While I believe the Orthodox overplay their disdain for the West, they do have a point that most of the corrupting influences we’re seeing sweep the world have originated in the West. And yes, they’re struggling because the biggest movement challenging – and eroding – the Orthodox are just as they are in the other traditions; they are the ones clinging to the modern, post-Christian progressivism. The only difference is that many Orthodox are still either not entirely immersed in the Western movement, or they’re still in a state of oppression or some form of persecution, largely owing to its location in largely Islamic majority states. Time will tell of course. But right now, officially at least, the Orthodox have no problem speaking the Truth, unfiltered, unwatered down. It’s also worth noting that the Orthodox, who were at the vanguard of the 20th century’s ecumenical movement, have begun to rethink that, given that it appears the world is no longer a safe place for ‘let’s compromise on all the non-important things’; when increasingly everyone sees the entire Faith as non-important at best.
DeleteWhile I believe the Orthodox overplay their disdain for the West, they do have a point that most of the corrupting influences we’re seeing sweep the world have originated in the West.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but I note that a lot of western leftist intellectuals were inspired and supported by the Soviet Union. IOW, these corrupting influences might have originated in the west, but they were actively supported and spread by a country with a thousand years of Orthodox heritage.
The only difference is that many Orthodox are still either not entirely immersed in the Western movement, or they’re still in a state of oppression or some form of persecution, largely owing to its location in largely Islamic majority states.
If we're looking at the situation globally, I'm not sure there is much of a difference -- the Catholic Church in the West is full of progressives, true, but the situation in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa is much as you describe the situation of the Orthodox Churches in these areas. Also, it's worth noting that the Orthodox Churches in the old Soviet bloc were often riddled with communist agents, who used their position to help their governments keep power (reporting the contents of confessions to the secret police, that sort of thing). I don't think that sort of thing is very different in kind to progressive Catholic priests who use their position to undermine the Faith in favour of left-wing secular politics.
No, the western intellectuals supported by the Soviets had no bearing on the Orthodox. If the Orthodox leadership compromised with the Soviets, it was out of fear. Similar to the Christian leaders compromising with the Left today; in this modern case the fear of being ostracized or talked mean about. But the influence was from Soviet Union, which Orthodoxy saw as antithetical to Orthodox Christianity (which the USSR would brutally persecute when it didn't get in line). So the two are different. And yes, the Soviet ability to put agents throughout the Church was often what led to Orthodox going the easy way and just joining the party. It's worth noting that those who are joining the obviously anti-Christian Left are not under nearly the same overt persecution, but are caving nonetheless. The Orthodox pull no punches about their disdain for those who threw in the towel with the USSR (or the Ottomans for that matter). Their point is to avoid doing the same again.
DeleteI never meant to suggest that Orthodoxy and Soviet ideology were compatible, or that the Orthodox themselves were complicit in spreading Soviet propaganda. I merely think that "most of the corrupting influences we're seeing sweep the world have originated in the West" isn't a very good point, since a thousand years of Orthodox heritage didn't stop Russia embracing those corrupting influences, and Russia was a major factor in the spread of those influences in the West. If the Orthodox East is really less immune to corrupting influences than the Latin West, we wouldn't expect the world's main communist state to have been located in the East, nor would we expect Western communists to need help from the East in spreading their views.
DeleteAh, got ya. True, and I've pointed that out. The thing is, right now they are trying to resist by learning their lessons from the past. I think it would do the rest of the Christian world good to learn from their past mistakes as well. Especially since the forces arrayed against the Church today are not too far from those same Soviet forces of old.
DeleteI'm devoutly Roman Catholic but I am getting so tired of these cotton candy responses to important issues concerning the faith.
ReplyDeleteI respect Bishop Barron but that response was embarrassing. It reminded me of Fr James Martin's hollow response to Penn Jilette when he also gave a hollow response about conversion (calling it pious nonsense) to which Penn reacted in a way that made Fr Martin look like a goofball. If you haven't seen it David you can find it on YouTube.
Geesh. But then, you see the allure. I found it along with praise and adoration for it as a sign of 'everyone getting along.' That is, Christians throwing the teachings of their Faith under the bus, and those who would convert us from the Faith cheering us on. It makes you wonder how many will remain faithful when the real persecution comes.
DeleteYou have to watch this though. It's great how Penn pretty much says it's that weak approach to apologetics that turns him off... as Fr Martin looks like a goof in that seat
Deletehttps://youtu.be/LZnzWz71jCc
Irony moment: I remember many, many years ago, Mark Shea posted a video of Penn basically ripping into the wimpy/sissy Christian evangelism and praising those Christians willing to get into his face about the Gospel (not condoning violence or hatefulness, but simply saying give it straight, don't water it down). Mark pointed out that trying to go along with the world was the worst way in the universe to evangelize, and that we sometimes just need to make our proclamation what it is, unvarnished Truth, and let the Spirit do the rest.
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