OCA Priest Has Crossed The Line!

[GregConstantine]

Never Changing Gospel; Ever Changing Culture | Wonder

This priest has crossed the line, not only did he put this article on an official OCA website, he put it on a website geared towards our youth!

If anyone makes excuses for him, you are enabling him to engage in his preaching of his heresy.

Please let me know if you'd like to see something done about this. Soon, a group of us will be producing a letter that will go out to all the hiearchies of all the Orthodox jurisdictions in this country. A letter will also be going directly to Fr Arida himself. If you give me your contact info, I will send you the letters. We'll try to get signatories on the letter. I'm hoping to especially find those who are parents. They especially need to let this priest know that under no circumstances should he continue to do this.

Lord have mercy!



No more walking on eggshells, no more avoidance of confrontation, no more worrying about hurting other people feelings

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

Never Changing Gospel; Ever Changing Culture | Wonder

This priest has crossed the line, not only did he put this article on an official OCA website, he put it on a website geared towards our youth!

If anyone makes excuses for him, you are enabling him to engage in his preaching of his heresy.

Please let me know if you'd like to see something done about this. Soon, a group of us will be producing a letter that will go out to all the hiearchies of all the Orthodox jurisdictions in this country. A letter will also be going directly to Fr Arida himself. If you give me your contact info, I will send you the letters. We'll try to get signatories on the letter. I'm hoping to especially find those who are parents. They especially need to let this priest know that under no circumstances should he continue to do this.

Lord have mercy!



No more walking on eggshells, no more avoidance of confrontation, no more worrying about hurting other people feelings

Completely agree. I'm in.

 

[gzt]

I would caution you about indulging in the "culture war" and am quite worried about the truly war-like stance of yours. Especially as Arida is a relic of the 70s, a dinosaur.

 

[buzuxi02]

Very Good Constantine! Good to see the youth engaged.

If I'm reading correctly what this priest is implying, he wants to follow in the footsteps of 20th-21st century anglicanism. Where has that gotten them?

 

[xenia]

Include me.

 

[xenia]

It is one thing to wonder if it's worth the effort to engage the culture in some kind of culture war but this man claims to be an Orthodox Christian and if we don't speak up now we will only have ourselves to blame if we have lesbian bishops in the next decades.

 

[MoeSzyslak]

I attended Father Roberts parish for a bit back when I was in college, let's say 1990-1992ish. I can tell a few stories, but airing laundry here would serve no function.

I slowly back out the door.

 

[GregConstantine]

This is not the culture war, this is the defense of the faith, lets throw out all political labels and defend the faith and defend our youth!

 

[beardedone]

Honestly, I'm trying to figure out why this article stokes such a response Greg. Given that I do not know the priest who wrote this, I cannot judge his intentions. Just reading the article, without any preconceived notions about what his underlying purpose is leaves me nodding my head in agreement much of the way through. However, after reading through a few of the comments to the article, I can understand some of the reaction you are showing here.

But (and this is a big BUT), the relationship between theology and culture really does need to be addressed by Orthodoxy. In much Western theological discourse in the last few decades, the idea of contextual theology has developed in a way that allows for a "Christian pluralism." This is something I think the author of the article has probably been influenced by. The problem is that Orthodoxy has not adequately addressed the question from the Orthodox perspective. I actually wrote my thesis last year on an Orthodox perspective on contextual theology. It is what I am hoping to address in a doctoral dissertation (if I can get into a program). To dismiss everything in the article you posted would be a mistake in my opinion. However, there are hints at something dangerously unOrthodox within the article that should be questioned. I'm just not sure writing a letter to all the Hierarchies of North America is required as of yet--mostly because I'd want more clarification by the author on what exactly his point is (most of what he says does seem to be theological jargon for the sake of theological jargon without really making a real theological argument).

Greg, would you mind explaining to me what exactly it is you think is heretical in the article? I just want to know better what your reading of the article is--what exactly the heresy is that you are accusing the author of.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Lord have mercy! the responses at the bottom are pretty good though, especially since OCA people are commenting like Dr Ford and Fr Steven Vernak.

 

[gzt]

Before we all hop in on this crusade, a couple things to consider:

1. Fr Robert Arida has been around a long time. This is hardly the first time he's said stuff. Indeed, if it were not for the rest of his context, as it were, what he has stated here is banal. I need a decoder ring to catch any "lavender" tint.
2. There are, like, 5 people that read OCA Wonder. So whose agenda is it to bring this up for broader consumption when, literally, 2 weeks from now, everybody would forget it?
3. Considering the outpouring from some rather senior churchmen and some younger ones in the comments on that post, what seems more likely: this is the trend in the OCA or one lone wolf who has been beating the drum for some time and isn't getting traction?

I'm suspicious of lynch mobs in general. Who is really served by a call to action. Perhaps you could discuss who else is in this group of yours.

 

[ArmyMatt]

there is a response taken, FYI. not saying this to stop anyone from making their own, but there is a push back

Episcopalianizing American Orthodoxy, Round II | The American Conservative

 

[gzt]

I refuse, on principal, to read anything by Rod Dreher on the state of the OCA. I think you can understand why and why I would suggest that others follow course.

EDIT: at least he's signing his name this time, though.

 

[ArmyMatt]

yeah, I am no actual fan of his myself. I mostly read it for who he quoted, and some of that are actual comments on Fr Robert's article

 

[Cappadocious]

Would one of you quote an offending paragraph of the text, with commentary explaining why it is offensive? That way we can see an example of what is objectionable here.

 

[gzt]

yeah, I am no actual fan of his myself. I mostly read it for who he quoted, and some of that are actual comments on Fr Robert's article

Consider very carefully, knowing what you know about Dreher's record and past decisions: why should we read anything curated by him for our perusal?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Consider very carefully, knowing what you know about Dreher's record and past decisions: why should we read anything curated by him for our perusal?

only because he sums up the other comments at the bottom of Fr Robert's essay.

 

[gzt]

No, but this is what I mean: you're taking for granted that you should read and consider the things he is presenting here. And by doing so, he's trying to get you to care and perhaps do something. This is how he operates. So why are you giving Rod Dreher this entry into your world? Another of his fellow OCA Truthers is writing on the comments, by the way. Why are you allowing these people to craft a narrative for you to digest? It's something to consider.

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

No, but this is what I mean: you're taking for granted that you should read and consider the things he is presenting here. And by doing so, he's trying to get you to care and perhaps do something. This is how he operates. So why are you giving Rod Dreher this entry into your world? Another of his fellow OCA Truthers is writing on the comments, by the way. Why are you allowing these people to craft a narrative for you to digest? It's something to consider.

I am a big fan of Rod Dreher. I am so glad he is standing up for traditional Christian sexuality in Orthodoxy.

We don't have a pope in Orthodoxy but we do have bishops, who must discipline un-Orthodox priests. If bishops do not act, the laity must. That is the way it has always worked.

 

[Agnikan]

I am a big fan of Rod Dreher. I am so glad he is standing up for traditional Christian sexuality in Orthodoxy.

We don't have a pope in Orthodoxy but we do have bishops, who must discipline un-Orthodox priests. If bishops do not act, the laity must. That is the way it has always worked.

How does a layperson discipline a priest?