Monday, August 10, 2009
Metropolitan Jonah on Anglicanism
The Ancient Faith Radio website now features an interview with His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, entitled Conversations with Metropolitan Jonah, in which he discusses his recent meetings with two different groups of Anglicans, one of which was the clericus meeting of the Diocese of Mid-America of the Anglican Province of America. In this enlightening interview, His Beatitude extols the faith and fidelity of orthodox Anglicans and encourages them to submit to the theological and canonical Tradition of the Church Fathers and the Seven Ecumenical Councils. He seems to affirm the continuity and transmission of the Apostolic Succession in the Anglican Episcopate but summons Anglicans to embrace the fullness of the Apostolic Faith as found in the canonical Orthodox Tradition, the wholeness of Apostolic Succession of Faith as well as of Order. A 'must listen' for philorthodox readers! The segment on Anglican dialogue begins at 17.18.
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4 comments:
I think if we are going to preserve our Anglican identity, we need to have an apologetic directed toward Orthodoxy. From what I've encountered, the Orthodox reject branch theory, have a cyprian view of the church, and really expect us to fold into one of their national churches, eventually abandoning our liturgy which they don't really like.
One of the big differences between us and the orthodox, I believe, is our views on adiaphora (with relation to calendar, lesser sacraments, and rites); the use of logic and reason in systematic theology; Augustine and original sin; the necessity of sovereign grace in salvation; the divine/natural right of marriage for clergy; and a more balanced view on images/icons.
I believe Anglicans need to reassert our confidence in our own positions. Basically, neither Rome nor the East plan to recognize our Bishops or accept us as an autocephalous church. We should turn this around, graciously, and argue the correctness of our beliefs which are most biblical and catholic at the same time. The church of England was not born by Augustine of Canterbury but by St. Joseph of Arimathea. Our church is older than many of the eastern (say, Russia or Romania). We have our own venerable traditions, and in the late 19th century were on the cusp of being the 4rth Rome-- a church where the sun did not set. There is much the Orthodox could learn from us, and we are happy to share our most biblical and ancient Reformed Catholicism.?
Here, Here Charles! It seems as if we Orthodox Anglicans suffer at times from an inferiority complex – always seeking some approval from the Eastern or Roman Church. Instead, we should proudly stand under the conviction that no approval or “apology” is necessary. Furthermore, while it is interesting and even fun to follow the current “drama” occurring in the Anglican Communion, especially regarding the Episcopal Church of America, these matters really don’t touch us of the Anglo-Catholic Faith.
Charles,
I have just begun to look in on this blog and am anjoying it. I appreciate your post, I believe that you have you rightly pointed to some of the main differences between Anglicnism and Orthodoxy, there are others also.
My thoughts on your post are as follows: we Anglicans have a bit of a problem in presenting the apologetic of which you speak. Few would defend our history resisting all kinds of heterodoxy. There are many reasons fo this, but at least one reason is that we are not at present connected in a counciliar fashion that can speak with communal authority.
That seems to be at least one reason that many would love to see themselves joined to such a body as Orthodoxy. There is authority in Orhtodoxy, and it is an authority that comes to us as the voice of the undivided church of the first millenia, that has weight.
You are correct however, when you state that Anglicanism was formed just as early if not earlier than many Orthodox juridictions. The question that is not so easy to answer is how close does contemporary Anglo-catholicism, and Anglicanism at large come to that early English faith of which we are refering? And, can our divergent Anglican opinions really present an apologetic against the monolithic world of the Orthodox? We surely have something worth fighting for, if we could just agree on what that soemthing is.
Grace & Peace
"The question that is not so easy to answer is how close does contemporary Anglo-catholicism, and Anglicanism at large come to that early English faith of which we are refering? And, can our divergent Anglican opinions really present an apologetic against the monolithic world of the Orthodox? We surely have something worth fighting for, if we could just agree on what that soemthing is. "
-- perhaps that's the project ahead-- a robust, confident apologetic that neither betrays Anglicanism's formal development nor orthodox/biblical essence?
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