Orthodox Christianity at the Crossroad: A Great Council of the
Church - When and Why
The purpose of publishing the papers presented at the Twentieth
Annual Meeting of Orthodox Christian Laity is to improve "lay and
clergy literacy" on the conference topic of "The Need for a Great
and Holy Council." The papers are presented with the hope that the
information will motivate the faithful to participate in the
conciliar decision-making process that moves the Church forward on
the issue of developing the council or another appropriate meeting.
The forces, factors, and history that inhibit calling a council are
presented in these papers. The hope of what can be accomplished
when brothers work in synergy with each other and the Holy Spirit
is also evident.
The renewal of Orthodox Christianity and the renewal of its
witness in the contemporary world of global religious pluralism
depend on such a meeting. The calling of a council free of worldly,
political, power, turf, ego and ethnic considerations will renew
the "Living Tradition" of Orthodoxy, which is its Apostolic
calling. The world is looking for this "Living Tradition," which
cannot be well-expressed by a fragmented Orthodox Church. A council
is a step toward renewing the Church and making it whole in order
to teach this "Living Tradition."
It is interesting to note-as this collection of papers points
out-that the children of Orthodox Christians living in America have
come together as Americans, in order to remain Orthodox, through
campus ministry programs that they are developing. The young adults
are leading the way to Orthodox unity. Is it not time for the
Church elders, the hierarchs, the clergy, and the faithful to look
at the example of unity that the youth are providing and move ahead
to do what is necessary to renew the Church through this conciliar
council?
ABOUT THE EDITOR
George E. Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian
Laity since 2000, recently published "A Church in Captivity, The
Greek Orthodox Church of America." He co-authored and edited
"Project for Orthodox Renewal" and continues to publish articles in
various journals, newspapers and local history publications. He is
an active member of his church and community.
Mission of OCL
Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) is a national, voluntary movement
dedicated to syndiaconia (co-ministry) of clergy and laity who are
concerned with the spiritual renewal, accountability, and
transparency in Church governance. OCL encourages the laity to
exercise its legitimate responsibilities as part of the conciliar
governance process. OCL advocates the establishment of an
administratively and canonically UNIFIED SELF - GOVERNING Orthodox
Church in North America, which is in keeping with the theology and
tradition in fulfilling its Apostolic mission.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!