Ye are the light of the world.. . .
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 05:14,16).
There is no denying the fact that we
moderns do not like being told that one Church is the true Church. It
offends our democratic sensibilities. Nevertheless, one cannot understand
Orthodoxy without understanding this claim. It is on this basis that the
Orthodox Church has participated in the Ecumenical Movement. The raison
d'etre of the Orthodox Church's membership in the World Council of
Churches (WCC) is of being involved with Ecumenism is that She might bear
witness to the light of Christ- to the undefiled doctrine of the Apostles.
For many people, however, Orthodox
participation in the WCC creates more confusion than illumination. Many
Evangelicals assume that the Orthodox Church shares the liberal theology
that is held by the most vocal members of the Ecumenical Movement.
Hopefully this book will help to dispel that misconception. More important
for us, however, is the confusion that arises over the nature of the
relationship between Orthodoxy and other Christian communions. Orthodox
participation in ecumenical dialogue seems to imply that the Orthodox
somehow "recognize" other churches as equals and that a of "union of
churches" is possible.
This confusion arises from the fact
that the Orthodox and Protestant members of the WCC participate in the
Ecumenical Movement for very different reasons, with very different goals
in mind. The late Fr. John Meyendorff was a veteran of ecumenical
dialogue. Although he remained dedicated to Orthodox participation in the
Ecumenism of the WCC, he was nevertheless keenly aware of the delicate
nature of that participation. He wrote:
"It is undeniable that Orthodox
ecclesiology or its attitude toward the Church means that it cannot
participate in the work of the Council on the same basis as the other
communions that have emerged from the Reformation. Orthodox and
Protestants simply do not see the same thing in the World Council of
Churches."
Protestants, for the most part, see
the Church as some invisible entity, or perhaps as an entity that is yet
to be fully realized. Many are content to engage in ministerial
cooperation and common worship, while leaving long-standing doctrinal
disputes unresolved. The "unity of the Church" is something to be achieved
through dialogue of Ecumenism.
For the Orthodox, this approach is
not merely mistaken, it is decidedly heretical. The Church is not a human
institution, She is the Body of Christ. Her unity is the unity of Christ.
She can be no more divided than Christ can be divided. The purpose of the
Orthodox participation in ecumenical dialogue is to call all men to union
with Christ in the one, true Church of Christ.
Given the fact that Orthodox and
Protestants have such different understandings of the purpose of
ecumenical dialogue, it is not surprising that these dialogues have
yielded very little real fruit. Since the formation of the WCC, the
mainline Protestant denominations that make up the majority of the
Ecumenical Movement have moved steadily away from Orthodox theology rather
than toward it. Furthermore, I know of no Protestant churches that have
converted and been received into the Orthodox Church as a result of
ecumenical dialogue.
Because of this, there are many in
the Orthodox Church, myself included, who believe that the Church should
cease Her participation in the Ecumenical Movement. At the time of this
writing, the Churches of Jerusalem and Georgia have withdrawn from the WCC,
and the Church of Serbia is seriously considering doing likewise.
Furthermore, there are strong movements in this direction in Russia,
Greece, and the United States. Based on a simple cost/benefit analysis, it
is evident that Orthodox participation in the WCC has produced very little
fruit and a considerable amount of confusion - even among Orthodox.
Although he remained committed to
the Ecumenical Movement, Fr. John Meyendorff saw dark clouds on the
horizon long ago:
"To be more fruitful and to be able
to exercise some influence on the course of the discussions, they [the
Orthodox] ought to participate more effectively and be present in greater
numbers. If this is not done in the near future, it is certain that the
Protestant majority in the Council, by a process if internal logic, will
lead the organization more and more in a direction incompatible with
Orthodox principles and make their presence impossible."
In spite of increased Orthodox
participation since the time Fr. John wrote these words, the "process of
internal logic" has continued unabated. For many Orthodox today, Fr.
John's prediction has finally come true. On the whole, conservative
Evangelicals have either stayed on the periphery or avoided the Ecumenical
Movement altogether. I cannot say that I blame them. It is imperative for
Evangelicals to understand, however, that the call of the Orthodox Church
is not to dialogue or discussion, but to conversion.
The Church does not presume to judge
the eternal destiny of those outside Her bosom; judgment belongs to God
alone. Yet, in Her love for mankind, She summons all to enter Her loving
embrace. The Church alone is the Body of Christ, the fulness of Him that
filleth all in all (Eph. 1:23). To this fulness She summons the world. To
this fulness, She summons you: The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come" (Rev.
22:17).
From: The Way - What Every
Protestant Should Know About the Orthodox Church by Clark Carlton, Regina
Orthodox Press, Salisbury, MA, 1997
