Why Orthodox do not accept Ecumenism

In the American mass information media one could read the report of how five Orthodox Churches discontinued their membership in the National Council of Churches of America. The National Council of Churches includes the majority of leading Protestant denominations in this country.

At the center of the disagreement between the National Council of Churches and the five Orthodox Churches are the liberal tendencies and sympathies of the members of the Council of Churches, in particular as regards such questions as the female priesthood and the place of homosexuals in the Church.

The jurisdictions which have discontinued their membership are the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, the Orthodox Church in America (the former Metropolia), the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Serbia Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America.

Four eastern churches still continue to remain members of the National Council of Churches as before: The Coptic Church in North America, the Diocese of the Armenian Church in America, the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA (i.e, the Moscow Patriarchate in North America), and the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch.

Frequently in our days we encounter the term "ecumenism." What is it? Why does ecumenism provoke rapture in some, and words of sharp criticism in others? In order to answer this question, we offer for your consideration this article, which was compiled from materials in the journal "Russian Pastor" (No. 11(3) 1991).

Ecumenism, in its contemporary aspect, appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century as an expression of the desire to overcome the age­old divisions of Christians into a large number of religious bodies (denominations or confessions) and to establish anew the visible unity of all Christians.

Protestant associations played the leading role in the dissemination and realization of the ideas of ecumenism. Out of Protestant circles there sprang up the initiative which had as its aim the practical implementation of these ideas at the World Missionary Conference held in 1910 in

Edinburgh. During this conference, at the suggestion of Anglican Bishop Brent, a decision was made to organize a world­wide movement of Christians concerning questions of Faith and Order in the Church, and in this way a beginning was laid for the Ecumenical Movement. Parallel with the Faith and Order Movement, which strove to bring about unity among Christian bodies by overcoming existing differences in questions of faith and Church order, a movement called "Life and Work," which strove to realize the unity of Christians by working together in all realms of practical life, also became active.

After holding several conferences, these two ecumenical movements finally united in 1948 in Amsterdam with the founding of the World Council of Churches.

At the present time, the World Council of Churches includes 317 different Christian bodies, consisting mainly of numerous Protestant denominations. The Roman Catholic Church considered a more suitable role for itself to be that of observer of the work of the World Council of Churches and did not enter into its membership. Many local Orthodox Churches are members of the World Council of Churches, but not all. The Church of Jerusalem, all the Greek and Romanian Old­Calendar synods and the Russian Church did not enter this world­wide ecumenical association.

The Ecumenical Movement set as its aim the uniting of all Christians into one Church. Meanwhile, the way used to attain this aim brought about a new division in the Christian world. While some accept the activity of the World Coun cil of Churches with enthusiasm, considering it the breath of the Holy Spirit, others reject it, viewing it as a deviation from the truth, as a new heresy, or, as the pan­heresy, according to the expression of the now­reposed Serbian theologian, Archimandrite Justin Popovich.

Orthodox critics of ecumenism consider that this movement takes as its guiding principle Protestant ecclesiology, i.e., the Protestant view of Christianity and the Church. According to Protestant ecclesiology, one truth and one Church do not exist; but all the numerous Christian denominations possess particles of the truth. Because these truths are relative, it is possible, through dialogue, by some means to achieve a sum total, and, in this way, to arrive at the one truth and the one Church. One of the means of attaining this unity, according to the understanding of the ideologues of the Ecumenical Movement, is to conduct joint prayers and divine services, which in time will bring about communion from one chalice (intercommunion). At the last assembly of the Council of Churches, which was held in Canberra, Australia, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches came out with an appeal for intercommunion. He expressed the thought that Christians "dissemble before God when they gather together for joint prayer but do not share communion."

The question might be raised: Why do the Orthodox object to joint ecumenical communion? We believe that within the World Council of Churches joint prayer and communion are accepted as the means for attaining external unity among Christians, while for the Orthodox, joint prayer and communion at the Liturgy are the expression of already existing unity within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Or, as this was concisely formulated by Saint Ireneus of Lyons already in the second century: "Our faith is in agreement with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist confirms our faith." Patristical theology teaches that the members of the Church make up the Church­the Body of Christ­because in the Eucharist they partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Outside of the Eucharist and Communion, the Holy Fathers teach that there is no Church. All the Church is in the Eucharist and Communion. Joint communion would be a recognition that all who partake belong to the One, Apostolic Church, while the realities of Christian history and of our time, unfortunately, show the profound dogmatic and ecclesiological divisions of the Christian world.

The canons of the ancient Church­in particular, the 45th Apostolic Canon and the 23d Canon of the local Council of Laodicia­strictly forbid prayer and communion with those who have fallen away from the Church.

Those Orthodox who participate in the Ecumenical Movement affirm that by their formal membership in this organization they are witnessing to the truth, which dwells in the Orthodox Church. The position of the Roman Catholic Church is, perhaps, more consistent: The Vatican never formally entered the World Council of Churches, believing that the Roman Catholic Church is the authentic Church of Christ.

Critics of the work of the World Council of Church also point out that this organization does not only not further unity, but deepens the divisions of the Christian world by entering into dialogue with non­Christian religions. These tendencies within the World Council of Churches objectively coincide with similar processes on the broader world plane. It is well known that in the United States, a few years ago a "Temple of Understanding" was founded as a commonwealth of united religions. After it was organized, several meetings were held at which representatives of ten of the biggest religions of the world prayed jointly. With their decision concerning the establishment of closer inter­religious dialogue and cooperation, the theologians and church figures of the traditional Christian denominations confirm that the World Council of Churches is more and more approaching the position of freemasonry. This position consists of putting aside all the differences between faiths, with the aim of creating one, universal world religion, which would contain in itself something from each religion. Conservatively disposed Christian theologians consider that a universal world religion also implies a universal world government with one economic order and one world­wide nation­a mixture of all existing nations­with one leader.

In this way, the idea of a lively dialogue between divided Christians concerning their gradual unification has led to the Church and Christianity being trampled upon.

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