True Orthodoxy

by Archbishop Averky of Blessed = Memory

What=20 Is Orthodoxy?
Are=20 the Terms "Christian" and "Orthodox" Accurate For = Our=20 Times?
A=20 New Orthodoxy: Is this the Faith of our Fathers? =

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Few people today know that the Orthodox Church is nothing = less=20 than that Church which has preserved untainted the genuine = teachings=20 of Jesus Christ, the very teachings delivered to every = subsequent=20 generation of believers. These teachings came down the = centuries.=20 from the Holy Apostles, explicated and carefully interpreted = by=20 their legitimate successors (their disciples and the holy = Fathers),=20 traditioned and conserved unaltered by our Eastern Church = which is=20 alone able to prove her right to be called "the Orthodox=20 Church."

The divine Founder of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, = said=20 clearly, "I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will = not=20 prevail against Her" (St. Matt xvi, 18). To the Church, He = sent the=20 Holy Spirit. The Spirit descended upon the Apostles, the = Spirit of=20 Truth (St. John xv, 16f) Who "manifests all things" to Her = and=20 guides Her (St. John xvi, 13), protecting Her from error. = Indeed, it=20 was to declare this Truth to men that the Lord came into the = cosmos,=20 according to His own words (St. John xviii, 31). And Saint = Paul=20 confirms this fact in his letter to his pupil, the bishop = Timothy,=20 saying that, "the Church of the living God is the ground and = pillar=20 of the Truth" (I Tim iii, 15).

Because She is "the ground and pillar of the Truth," "the = gates=20 of Hell cannot prevail against Her." It follows, then, that = the true=20 Christian Church=E2=80=94palpably unique since Christ = established but one=20 Church=E2=80=94has always existed on earth and will exist to = the end of=20 time. She has received the promise of Christ, "I will be = with you=20 even unto the end of the age." Can there be the slightest = doubt that=20 the Lord refers here to the Church? Any honest and sane = judgment,=20 any act of good conscience, anyone familiar with the history = of the=20 Christian Church, the pure and unaltered moral and = theological=20 teachings of the Christian religion, must confess that there = was but=20 one true Church founded by our Lord, Jesus Christ, and that = She has=20 preserved His Truth holy and unchanged. History reveals, = moreover, a=20 traceable link of grace from the holy Apostles to their = successors=20 and to the holy Fathers. In contrast to what others have = done, the=20 Orthodox Church has never introduced novelties into Her = teachings in=20 order to "keep up with the times", to be "progressive", "not = to be=20 left at the side of the road," or to accommodate current = exigencies=20 and fashions which are always suffused with evil. The Church = never=20 conforms to the world.

Indeed not, for the Lord has said to his disciples at the = Last=20 Supper, "You are not of this world." We must hold to these = words if=20 we are to remain faithful to true Christianity=E2=80=94the = true Church of=20 Christ has always been, is and will always be a stranger to = this=20 world. Separated from it, she is able to transmit the divine = teachings of the Lord unchanged, because that separation has = kept=20 Her unchanged, that is, like the immutable God Himself. That = which=20 the learned call "conservativism" is a principal and, = perhaps, most=20 characteristic index of the true Church.

Since the TRUTH is given to us once and for all, = our=20 task is to assimilate rather than to discover it. = We are=20 commanded to confirm ourselves and others in the Truth and = thereby=20 bring everyone to the true Faith, Orthodoxy.

Unfortunately, there have appeared in the very bosom of = the=20 Church, even among the hierarchy, opinions expressed by = well-known=20 individuals which are detrimental to Her. The desire to = "march with=20 the times" makes them fear that they will not be recognized = as=20 "cultured", "liberal" and "progressive." These modern = apostates to=20 Orthodoxy are "ashamed" to confess that our Orthodox church = is=20 precisely the Church which was founded by our Lord = Jesus=20 Christ, the Church to which appertains the great promise = that "the=20 gates of Hell will not prevail against Her," and to which He = confided the plenum of divine Truth. By their deceit and = false=20 humility, by their blasphemy against the Lord, these false = shepherds=20 and those with them have been estranged from the true = Church. They=20 have given tacit expression to the idea that "the gates of = Hell"=20 have "prevailed" against the Church. In other words, these = apostates=20 say that our holy Orthodox Church is equally "at fault" for = the=20 "division of the churches" and ought now to "repent" her = sins and=20 enter into union with other "Christian churches" by means of = certain=20 concessions to them, the result being a new, indivisible = church of=20 Christ.

This is the ideology of the religious movement which has = become=20 so fashionable in our times: "The ecumenical movement" among = whose=20 number one may count Orthodox, even our clergy. For a long = time, we=20 have heard that they belong to this movement in order "to = witness to=20 the peoples of other confessions the truth of holy = Orthodoxy," but=20 it is difficult for us to believe that this statement is = anything=20 more than "throwing powder in our eyes." Their frequent = theological=20 declarations in the international press can lead us to no = other=20 conclusion than that they are traitors to the holy = Truth.

As a matter of historical fact, the "ecumenical = movement"=E2=80=94of=20 which the WCC is the supreme organ=E2=80=94is an = organization. of purely=20 Protestant origin. Nearly all the Orthodox Churches have = joined, the=20 Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia being the most = notable=20 exception. Even those churches behind the "iron curtain" = have=20 joined. For some time the Russian Patriarchate resisted, = flattering=20 herself with the purity of her Orthodoxy and quite naturally = viewing=20 this movement as hostile to Orthodoxy. She has since become = a=20 member.

The Russian Synod almost stands alone in her opposition = to the=20 "ecumenical movement." How can we explain her isolation from = the=20 rest of "global Orthodoxy"? We must understand the situation = in=20 terms of the words that "this Must take place" (St. Luke = xxi, 9),=20 that is, the "great apostasy" clearly predicted by the Lord = (Sol ii,=20 3-12). "it is permitted by God," as [St.] Ignatius = Brianchaninoff=20 said almost a century ago. (Another spiritual father, = Theophan the=20 Recluse, announced with grief that the horrendous apostasy = would=20 begin within Russia.) [St.] Ignatius wrote: "We are helpless = to=20 arrest this apostasy. Impotent hands will have no power = against it=20 and nothing more will be required than the attempt to = withold it.=20 The spirit of the age will reveal the apostasy. Study it, if = you=20 wish to avoid it, if you wish to escape this age and the = temptation=20 of its spirits. One can suppose, too, that the = institution=20 of the Church which has been tottering for so long will = fall=20 terribly and suddenly. Indeed, no one is able to = stop or=20 prevent it. The present means to sustain the institutional = Church=20 are borrowed from the elements of the world, things inimical = to the=20 Church, and the consequence will be only to accelerate its = fall.=20 Nevertheless, the Lord protects the elect and their limited = number=20 will be filled."

The Enemy of humanity makes every effort and uses all = means to=20 confound it. Aid comes to him through the total co-operation = of all=20 the secret and invisible heterodox, especially those priests = and=20 bishops who betray their high calling and oath, the true = faith and=20 the true Church.

Repudiation of and preservation from the apostasy which = has made=20 such enormous progress demands that we stand apart from the = spirit=20 of the age (which bears the seeds of its own destruction). = If we=20 expect to withstand the world, it is first necessary to = understand=20 it and keep sensitively in mind that in this present age all = that=20 which carries the most holy and dear name of Orthodoxy is = not in=20 fact Orthodox. Rather, it is often "A fraudulent and usurped = Orthodoxy" which we must fear and eschew as if it were fire. = Unlike=20 this spurious faith, true Orthodoxy was given and must be = received=20 without novelty and nothing must be accepted as a teaching = or=20 practice of the Church which is contrary to the Holy = Scriptures and=20 the dogma of the Universal Church. True Orthodoxy thinks = only to=20 serve god and to save souls and is not preoccupied with the = secular=20 and ephemeral welfare of men. True Orthodoxy is = spiritual=20 and not physical or psychological or earthly. In order = to=20 protect ourselves from "the spirit of the age" and preserve = our=20 fidelity to the true Orthodoxy, we ought firstly and with = all our=20 strength live blamelessly: A total and rigorous commitment = to=20 Christ, without deviation from the commandments of God or = the laws=20 of His holy Church. At the same time, we must have no common = prayer=20 or spiritual liaison with the modern apostasy or with = anything which=20 "soils" our holy Faith, even those dissidents who call = themselves=20 "Orthodox." They will go their way and we will go ours. We = must be=20 honorable and tenacious, following the right way, never = deviating in=20 order to please men or from fear that we might lose some = personal=20 advantage.

The sure path to perdition is indifference and = the=20 lack of principles which is euphemistically called = "the=20 larger view." In opposition to this "larger view" we put the = "rigor=20 of ideas" which, in modernity, it is fashionable to label = "narrow"=20 and "fanatical." To be sure, if one adopts the "modern = mentality,"=20 one must consider the holy martyrs=E2=80=94whose blood is = "the cement of the=20 Church"=E2=80=94and the Church Fathers=E2=80=94who struggled = all their lives against=20 heretics=E2=80=94as nothing less than "narrow" and = "fanatical." In truth,=20 there is little difference between "the broad way" against = which the=20 Lord warned and the modern "larger view." He condemned the = "broad=20 way" as the way to "gehenna."

Of course, the idea of "gehenna" holds no fear for those=20 "liberals" and avant-garde theologians. They may smugly = "theologize"=20 about it, but in rashly and wantonly discussing "the new = ways of=20 Orthodox theology" and acquiring a number of disciples, they = give=20 evidence that they no longer believe in the existence of = Hell. This=20 new breed of "Orthodox" are really no more than modern=20 "scholastics."

In other words, the way of these "progressivists" is not = our way.=20 Their way is deceptive, and it is unfortunate that it is not = evident=20 to everyone. The "broader" or "larger view" alienates us = from the=20 Lord and His true Church. It is the road away from = Orthodoxy. This=20 view is sinister, maliciously invented by the Devil in order = to deny=20 us salvation. For us, however, we accept no innovations, but = choose=20 the ancient, proven way, the way in which true Christians = have=20 chosen to serve God for 2,000 years.

We choose the way of fidelity to the true Faith and not = the=20 "modern way." We choose faithfulness to the true Church with = all Her=20 canons and dogmas which have been received and confirmed by = the=20 local and universal Councils. We choose the holy customs and = traditions, the spiritual riches of that faith transmitted = complete=20 and entire to us from the Holy Apostles, the Holy Fathers of = the=20 Church, and the Christian heritage of our venerable = ancestors. This=20 alone is the faith of the true Orthodox, distinct from the=20 counterfeit "orthodoxy" invented by the Adversary. We = receive only=20 the Apostolic Faith, the Faith of the Fathers, the Orthodox=20 Faith.

From Orthodox Christian Witness, = wherein it=20 appeared translated from the French in La Foi Transmise=20 (Nov. 1968), pp. 19-22.

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True Orthodoxy

by Archbishop Averky of Blessed = Memory

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