The American jurisdiction of the Antiochian Othodox Church (what used to be known as the Syrian Orthodox Church) has left the National Council of Churches over its continued leftward theological and political drift.

Dearborn, Michigan. July 28, 2005.This afternoon the Archdiocesan Convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America voted overwhelmingly to leave the National Council of Churches USA. The Archdiocese is holding its annual convention this week in Dearborn, Michigan.

The action was not a temporary “suspension” of membership, but a formal withdrawal from the NCC. The clergy unanimously approved the withdrawal, followed by a unanimous vote of the lay delegates supporting the move. An announcement of the final vote was met with thunderous applause by the Convention.

Reasons given for the withdrawal include the general liberalism of the NCC, whose General Secretary, Bob Edgar, withdrew his signature from a statement defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

This may be the beginnig of a trend among Orthodox groups, who are increasingly unhappy with the drift from (small o) orthodoxy by the NCC and its member denominations.

The Antiochians aren’t the only Orthodox jurisdiction that has acknowledged the NCC’s increasingly leftward tilt. At their own just-concluded conference in Toronto, the Orthodox Church in America also discussed the usefulness of the NCC but has not yet cut its ties. The statement that the OCA issued concerning its discussion of ecumenical relations was a collage of bureaucratic platitudes, mostly expressed in the passive voice, and no doubt indicative that the forces of the status quo were not giving up without a fight. When you read phrases such as “concerns ... were expressed” and “it was noted” and “requires careful consideration and discernment” then you can bet that someone’s digging in the heels.

I'd be interested to see what this eventually means for the ecumenical movement in the US, and whetehr there comes into being some new body that incorporates Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical churches.

Posted by: Greg at 11:46 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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