"Unity" Oh No...You Did Not Use That Word!

Call for unity today and you might be accused of being an ecumenist. Call for unity today and you might get a message or a call from a monk, a priest, a bishop, or a blogger, expressing concern that while they have as their goal, the exposing of heretics, you are not representing their mission. But that's the problem, isn't it - that anyone should have as their goal, the exposing of heretics? Key word: goal.

Yes, we should point out heresies in order to accurately present the truth, however, with very few exceptions, the Orthodox dialogue via blogs, websites, chat forums, and the like, do not have, as their goal, what Christ said the goal should be: 

"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one... My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

In case you are wondering, "complete unity', in the original Greek, means, "complete unity."

"To complete by reaching the intended goal."

The goal is to be unified, so that the world may believe that God the Father sent God the Son for the salvation of the world because he LOVES all of mankind. Why has this become a novel idea? Why are the blogs, websites, "open letters" diocesan communications, chat forums, void of this goal? Why is vitriol, accusation, contention and strife among us?

The popular mantra is that we are not to be unequally yoked, that we are not to fellowship with non-believers, not to pray with heretics-- yes, all this is true, but, is the promulgation of this our goal? Is it not enough just to believe and practice this piety without championing it - at the very least, let the Bishops contend with these things?

"I thank thee, oh God, that I am not like that sinner over there."

The goal is unity, so that we may be champions of the love of Christ. Let's start with this:

"Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building."

Few would argue that if one espouses another way to heaven other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then he is not Orthodox at all. Few would argue that if one innovates doctrines that were not believed by all the church at all times, then one is not Orthodox. Few would argue that in these cases these have become heretics and from such we should turn away, but, most of the jealousy and quarrels have little to do with the foundation doctrines of the faith. They are Paul and Apollos issues and it sounds something like this:

"Did this Bishop do this at this time and where and with whom and was the grace of God really on the bishops who ordained him because they were connected with that one over there at the time and we all know that that one over there was in communion with that other one so he was not authentic and the autonomy was received but it was by those that we are not sure of so that bishop or that monk or that guy is not really Orthodox and we are because we did not experience any of that and therefore are pure and holy and Orthodox and all others are not and though we are small in number, narrow is the way and few there be that find it and we did - find it - and they didn't and we are the remnant and they aren't and we are because they are not, so they are the enemies of the church and we can treat them worse than heathens because they are - heathens - and we are not, but they are..."

We, the Orthodox Church, are acting like infants. We are worldly. And the Holy Spirit is grieved. 

A Personal Reflection

At times, as I have observed this, I have asked myself, where is the love of Christ in all of this? Where is the gospel being presented to a dying world? It seems, the World Orthodox have more unity than do the "True Churches". One can argue that their unity is at the cost of true faith and practice, but there is no doubt, they have a greater structure of unity. Within a few years, the Roman Catholic Church and the World Orthodox Churches will be one unified body. 

Are the True Churches fiddling while Rome is creating an orchestra? 

Every Bishop of a True Orthodox Church, who shares a contempt for Ecumenism and a love of true doctrine and faith, should lay down his ecclesiastical sword, pick up his episcopal staff, get together in a very large room with all other Bishops, and forgive one another and forebear one another. Even if a Bishop is not authentic, in one's eyes, or a jurisdiction is spurious, in another's eyes, cannot the unity of the whole make right these things? Is this not what Jesus prayed for? We are losing the battle for the souls of men... and the message of sharing the LOVE of Christ is obscured. People from the outside are looking in. They are trying to find Christ, but they can't see him. In our disunity we have become islands unto ourselves. The isle of Paul. The isle of Apollos. People are drowning near our shore and we hesitate to send out a life-raft because we fear the riff raff that might climb on board. Here's a novel idea: How about spending as much time rescuing the lost as you do recusing the heretics?

Are we rescuers or recusers?

The Great Commission

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' "

This can and will only be accomplished in UNITY.

The Challenge
Bishops, do you know where your church is? Do you know what your people are blogging? Do you know that your clerics are arguing in public, not just with clerics from other jurisdictions but among themselves? Shepherd us! Tear your clothes in mourning! Lay down your pride and humble yourselves before one another. Stop typing, and get on a plane. Sit with your adversary face-to-face. You may find, by the grace of God, that the adversary was you, and that the barrier to Unity was you, not your brother, and at the core of it all - the devises of Satan, to thwart the UNITY of the church for which Jesus prayed. If you will be in unity, we will. If you won't, we surely can't.