Memory Eternal

My Father, Reverend Bill H. Lewis died this morning at 1:20 a.m. Thank you for your prayers for him and our family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his life.

MEMORY ETERNAL

A Personal Request

Please pray for my elderly father, Bill Lewis, who was taken by ambulance to the ER this morning. I will be traveling the six hours to be with him. My father has spent his entire life believing in God and preaching faith in Jesus all around the world.  The picture was taken on Christmas Eve (Gregorian Calendar), 2009.

Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Update: Dad has spinal meningitis. He is critical. Trying to save hm with antibiotics. He is unconscious. Continue to pray.

Update #2: Dad is not expected to live. We are spending our last precious hours with him.

Objections I Have Heard

Objections I Have Heard

(To Leaving World Orthodoxy)

A Guest Article

by

Joseph Bragg

A Former Antiochian Orthodox Priest 

There is an abundance of material that is cited for support by those who have ceased to have communion with heresy and those in communion with heresy. Many writings in support of this action can be cited from Scripture, the Fathers and numerous Councils, Synods and Canons. A good summary of this reality was set forth by St. Mark of Ephesus when he said, “All the teachers of the Church, all the Councils, and all the Divine Scriptures, exhort us to flee those who uphold other doctrines and to separate from communion with them.”

But what material or what sources are cited by those who remain in communion with heresy? What arguments or defense do they set forth? They certainly cannot cite any teachings of Scripture, the Fathers, Councils or Canons that tell us to remain in communion with heresy. The arguments I have most often encountered are as follows:

1) "The heresy in World Orthodoxy is not official but merely the private opinions of various bishops."

First, where do we get the distinction between official heresy and unofficial heresy? Heresy is heresy, period. The only distinction made by the Church is the public proclamation of heresy vs. private and unexpressed opinions. Once a bishop publicly proclaims heretical teachings, separation is in order and, in fact, required and praised by the Fathers and Canons.

But the fact is that many of the heresies of World Orthodoxy have received an “official” status if such a thing is important. Heretical statements and position papers have been published in official journals, signed officially and even approved by synods. But whether such an “official” status is given to heresy is irrelevant as to separation according to the Fathers, and Canons.

2) "It is wrong to separate from the Church."

This statement and thinking shows how far World Orthodoxy has fallen from the Orthodox Faith. Such thinking reflects the Latin understanding of the Church as an organization or political entity that is defined primarily by what is “official” and by external associations. Since the Church is the Body of Christ that holds the Orthodox Faith under Orthodox bishops, those who separate from the heresy of officialdom are not leaving the Church but are, as one Canon puts it, preserving the Church, since they have not left bishops but false shepherds. In World Orthodoxy, the externals of officialdom are equated with the “Church”. This, of course, is not true. How can it be that those who hold the faith unchanged have left the Church while those who have changed it have preserved the Church? You see how perverted and deceived the thinking of World Orthodoxy has become! Those who have changed the faith (heresy) are the ones who have left. Those who have not changed the faith are the ones who have continued the Church. The perception of the Church as membership in “officialdom” stands in sharp contrast to the teachings of Holy Scriptures, the Canons, and the holy Fathers, including St. Gregory Palamas who wrote:

“They that are of the Church of Christ are they that are of the truth; and they that are not of the truth are not of the Church of Christ...for we are reminded that we are to distinguish Christianity not by persons who have ecclesiastical titles, but by the truth and by the exactness of the Faith.

3) "Everything is not so black and white as to the teachings of the Fathers and the Canons on this issue. There is a lot of gray area."

At this point I want to ask, “What is it that is not black and white and what is it that is gray?

Is it the Truth of the Church that is not certain? Is it the teachings of the Fathers and the Canons that are not certain? Is it not possible to know heresy when you hear it? How did the Church throughout history know, identify and anathematize heresy if it is all so gray and uncertain? And why are the teachings of the Fathers uncertain and gray only when it comes to what they say about separation from heresy? Why aren’t their teachings unclear and uncertain when they teach about the Holy Trinity, the Nature of Christ, the Veneration of the Saints, the doctrine of the Church, the meaning of the Eucharist, the necessity of the Hierarchy, the Canon of Holy Scriptures, etc.? What is unclear or uncertain when the Scriptures tell us to have no association with those who do not continue in the Apostolic Tradition? Is it not possible to know the Apostolic Tradition? If not, then Orthodoxy is a joke and unworthy of serious consideration.

What is unclear or uncertain about the words that tell us to flee from heresy as from a plague? What is unclear or uncertain when Orthodox bishops do the things they have done and make the statements they have made? They are public knowledge and as clear as any news event. No, the argument that it is all gray and uncertain is contrary to the facts and dare not be applied to the teachings of the Church.

4) "We should not be judgmental."

This understanding reflects a confusion of what it means to be judgmental. The Scriptures and Fathers all urge us to discern and judge between right and wrong and truth and error and light and darkness. The Fathers made many such judgments. The Canons are judgments about what is good and proper and Orthodox and what is not. St. Paul taught that we are to judge a “different gospel” as false and under Divine Judgment. He also tells us to discern the sprits to determine if they are of God and to turn away from that which is false. If we are to make no judgments about the truth or error of beliefs then, again, Orthodoxy is a joke and there is no reason to be Orthodox.

The kind of judging that is condemned by Scripture and the Church is that which judges a person’s unknown heart or motives when we really don’t know what is in his heart. Thus we are not to make judgments about people’s unknown motives or eternal destiny but only about their false beliefs and teachings. The Church has always made judgments between truth and heresy and has always called on the faithful to do the same.

5) "Those who separate are guilty of violating the canons that condemn schisms."
 

It is interesting how the teachings of the Fathers and the Canons suddenly are clear and no longer gray when it comes to understanding schisms and how it is no longer judgmental to make such judgments. But the “schisms” canons do not apply to separation due to heresy. The canons tell us to separate from heresy but if we separate from our bishop for other reasons, then we are guilty of schism. The “schism” argument does not apply to the heresy issue and is used as a smoke screen since there are no canons that forbid separation due to heresy.

6) "We should stay and fight from within."

This is contrary to all the teachings of Scripture, the Fathers, the Councils and the Canons that tell us to flee. Beside, if you stay to fight from within, how do you do that? Do you stand up and speak out when you see the Faith being violated and betrayed? Do you bring these issues to the attention of your priest and others? Do you write to your bishop objecting to the heresies of World Orthodoxy? Or do you just learn to adapt, go along and ignore?

7) "Ecumenism has never been condemned by a Council."

The Fifteenth Canon of the First-Second Council of Constantinople clearly tells us that we do not have to wait for an official council before we separate from heresy. But the fact is that all or most of the heresies present in Roman Catholicism, Monothelistism and Ecumenism have already been anathematized by numerous councils. This is why Ecumenism is called a “pan-heresy”. It contains all the heresies already condemned by the Church.

8) "What the bishops do or say doesn’t effect me. I don’t agree with them and neither does my priest so we will be Orthodox and ignore the bishops."

This is fine if you are a Protestant but it is not Orthodox. The Orthodox Faith teaches us that when we receive the Eucharist from the antimins of the bishop and commemorate his name at the Liturgy we are united in faith with him. The faith he holds is also the faith of the priest and the people. The bishop is the line of apostolic succession through which the Grace bearing Mysteries are passed on or lost. If we do not believe what the bishop believes why would we be under his omophorion and commemorate him as a right believing bishop?

New Genuine Orthodox Mission Community of Middle Tennessee Website Launched

Update 1/10/2010  The GOC mission effort was put on hold when the original baptized family went to another jurisdiction.

From the Home Page of GOC Tennessee 

"Welcome to GOC Tennessee. Here you will find everything you need to know about our on-going effort to establish a mission of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America, in Middle Tennessee. This mission effort in Tennessee was launched in November 2009 when one Tennessee family was baptized and became a part of the GOC. Soon after, calls began to come in from other Middle Tennessee families and individuals who have longed for a local presence of a Genuine Orthodox Church in the Nashville area, with whom to be in communion. The mission members currently meet together every Sunday for a full Matins and a Readers Service, led by layman Readers and Chanters. Our supervising GOC priest, Father Anastasios Hudson, who pastors two missions in Raleigh and Greenville, North Carolina, will travel to Middle Tennessee upon occasion, as he continues to offer us his pastoral care. The GOC Tennessee community joins several other GOC mission groups being established in the South, including North Carolina, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. While GOC Tennessee has its initial beginnings in Middle Tennessee, we welcome inquiries from other Tennessee residents who wish to establish a local mission in the East and West Tennessee regions. Please contact us by phone or e-mail. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have and welcome you with the love and joy that is characteristic of this blessed community of Genuine Orthodox Christian believers."

http://www.goctn.org/

You Can Get The Evangelical Into Orthodoxy But Can You Get Orthodoxy Into The Evangelical?

 I had a conversation over the weekend with a church member of our former Antiochian World Orthodox Church. This member is one of the founding members having been part of the church for 30-plus years. I was stunned when he pressed the point that there is no connection to what a bishop does and what the local church does. The conversation was particularly focused on the possibility that one's bishop may fall into heresy and a local parish and members have a responsibility to react to such a happening. At every turn in the conversation, the member refused to consider the possibility that the local church, or he as a member, was effected in any way if their Bishop were to become heretical. I brought to his attention that he commemorates the Bishop in every service, that the Bishop is the local Church and that the Liturgy is done in his name. Still he refused to consider that there was any effect at all on a local parish. In other words, if the Bishop is heretical, it is okay to do nothing. Just keep on keeping on. This long-time member's limited understanding that the Orthodox Church is corporately and mystically "one", was revelatory. Having left that communion this year to become part of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America, I am seeing more clearly, from this vantage point, that, not only did our former church not adhere to Orthodox teachings, but it was not even in unity with its Antiochian roots. It is a parish of its own making, influenced by its easy, no obligation, acceptance into the Antiochian diocese by its current metropolitan. No one was required to be baptized to enter the church, and today that is still the practice. For years after becoming Antiochian, this former evangelical religious commune, located on acreage several miles in the country, still used guitars in its liturgy. Even though they eventually replaced their guitars with Byzantine chant, today the church's individual tweaking of the Liturgy includes the elimination of the entire reading of the canons during Matins- to "save time." It is no surprise that the member, with which I had the conversation, holds the opinion that he does. It seems it was easy to get the evangelical into Orthodoxy but it is not so easy to get Orthodoxy in the evangelical.

For the sake of this member I have included here the Orthodox practice which he denies is relevant:

"During the Divine Liturgy, the name of the local prelate is commemorated aloud by the deacon during the Litany of Peace at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy and at the Litany of Fervent Supplication after the Readings, before the Divine Eucharist, when the Catechumens are still present with the Faithful.

After the consecration of the Divine Gifts, the priest officiating commemorates the local bishop in whose name he is conducting the Divine Liturgy and under whom he remains canonically, as does the whole of the Eucharistic Assembly. Should the bishop himself be at the head of the Eucharistic Assembly, he commemorates at this point the primate of the eparchy, the metropolitan - “First of all, remember, Lord, our Archbishop, NN., and grant that he ...” - with whom he is in sacramental and therefore canonical communion and under whose chairmanship he serves."

commemorate- to call to remembrance

remembrance- an act of calling to mind

If a church or a member commemorates a heretical Bishop they too partake in the heresy. Remove the Bishop from the church or remove your family from the Bishop, lest you become a Frog In Boiling Water.

Our Blessed Sunday

On Sunday, we (the Lewis family) had only our second Reader's Service since being baptized. Our Readers Service currently consists of a complete Matins and the Typica lasting about an hour and forty minutes. A Readers Service is any service held by Orthodox laymen without a priest present. In our case, we have a priest, but he is in a neighboring state. This blessed priest oversees at least three such missions and is fielding calls from all over the country from those wanting to be in communion with the Genuine Orthodox Church of America, of which we are a part. Our priest will visit us upon occasion, but, in his absence, we will continue to worship on a regular basis in Tennessee.

Although we knew that word of a baptized Genuine Orthodox family in the Nashville area holding Readers Services, would be encouraging news to others of  like-mind, we did not anticipate the blessing of two other worshipers joining us so soon. There were six of us for the Reader's Service on Sunday. The two that joined us have been faithfully worshiping in their home for several years, while remaining in communion with another Genuine Orthodox jurisdiction. With the blessing of our priests and bishops, we will continue to join together as often as possible and, in fact, have made plans to worship together next Sunday. We are also planning a Nativity Service.

There is no doubt that there are others in the Nashville, Tennessee area who will rejoice in knowing that there is a group of Genuine Orthodox believers with which they may commune. Many, who are becoming aware of the heresies within their own Orthodox jurisdictions, are comforted to learn of the Genuine and True Orthodox jurisdictions. Heaven is rejoicing as well, in that the Faith of our Fathers is offered in such a tangible way in Tennessee, within the shelter of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America, which holds fast to the Dogma and Canons of the Church and resists all forms of heresy and apostasy that is so prevalent today.

We invite all who are of the same heart and mind or those who are seeking the truth of the Genuine Church, to join us in worship of the Holy Trinity, as as we pray together,

"We were filled in the morning with thy mercy, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad. In all our days, let us be glad for the days wherein Thou didst humble us, for the years wherein we saw evils. And look upon thy servants, and upon Thy works, and do Thou guide their sons. And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us, and the works of our hands do Thou guide aright upon us, yea, the works of our hands do Thou guide aright."

You are welcome to inquire further by

clicking on  "Post A Comment" at the bottom of this post,

or you may email us at:  JourneyToOrthodoxy@gmail.com

 Pictured Above: 

Father Anastasios Hudson of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America 

makes the Lewis family catechumins, the night before their Holy Baptism.

Our Holy Baptism, Chrismation, And Marriage

On Sunday, November 29th, 2009, my wife, our two youngest daughters, and I were baptized for the remission sins, and were chrismated, into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Seven months after leaving World Orthodoxy, we entered the gates of the Church through the Genuine Orthodox Church of America (GOC) under the pastorate of His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of the Cathedral of Saint Markella in Astoria, New York. Having been under the careful catechism of GOC priest, Father Anastasios Hudson, who pastors GOC missions in Raleigh and Greenville, North Carolina, we traveled to His parish in obedience to Holy Spirit and the Church, for the blessed weekend. We were baptized Nathan, Xanthia, Seraphima, and Chloe' after the blessed saints of the same name. We will forever ask those saints to pray for us as we continue in the theosis of our souls.

Immediately following our Holy Baptisms and Chrismation, Xanthia and I submitted to the sacrament of Holy Marriage. To know that our union of 29 years is, finally, sacramentally blessed, is a fulfillment that a few words cannot describe. Our newly-baptized daughters were asked to participate in the sacrament by chanting a portion of the liturgy scriptures. We spent a few precious hours with the faithful members of the two missions, and ate a wonderful meal. We were treated with sincere hospitality and love by our new brothers and sisters, who were the epitome of servanthood.

Even before our hair was dry from our Holy Baptisms, I told Xanthia that, rather than feeling a sense of having arrived, I felt a sense of readiness to fulfill the great commission of our Lord Jesus to,  "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."  Living in the Nashville, Tennessee area, we know that there are thousands of souls who are not part of His Church and, "How will they hear without a preacher?" The Exaposteilarion from our first Reader's Service (since our Holy Baptism) speaks directly of this mission,

"Let us gather with the Disciples on the mount in Galilee to behold Christ in faith, saying, I have received the power of those on high and those below. And Let us learn how to baptize all the nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and how He is present with His initiates to the end of the world as He promised."


There is now a Mission Station of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America in Tennessee, by virtue of the fact that there is at least one baptized family in the Nashville area. My family and I will continue to worship the One God through a Reader's Service and will travel to North Carolina and other GOC parishes as often as we can. Father Anastasios will also come to visit the Nashville area as often as possible. We will also welcome all who inquire about the GOC with the loving embrace that is characteristic of this blessed communion-in-Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all JTO readers. In 1620 a few shiploads of  Protestant Christian Pilgrims sailed in to Plymouth Harbor off the coast of Massachusetts. Having endured an arduous sea venture, and having found the home they so longed for, they took time to offer thanksgiving to God. Having established a settlement, and with the gracious welcome of the indigenous peoples in the area, the root of European civilization and protestantism was deeply planted. It would take another 174 years for an Orthodox Christian colony to be established on the North American Continent, but then, only on the opposite side of the continent, by Russian immigrants to Alaska. Protestantism of all shapes and forms grew as the nation grew, while Orthodoxy, in its origins, was geographically isolated. Today, some 389 years later, there are still less than 500,000 Orthodox believers on the North American Continent, although worldwide, Orthodoxy is the second largest recognized Christian group on the planet. May the year 2010 be the year that ethnicities, cultures, and geography take second place to establishing the original Faith Of Our Fathers, on this continent- The Orthodox Church.

Priest Shot Dead In Moscow

Are You Awake Yet?

World Orthodoxy continues its plummet into the abyss of heresy:

* CLick Here: ROCOR-H: Metropolitan Hilarion Held Meeting with Masonic Leaders in November 2008

Click Here: Constantinople Patriarch gives Qur'an as a present to Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim Board 

All jurisdictions in communion with SCOBA and the Patriarch of Constantinople are in heresy. Guard your soul and that of your family. Come out of her!

Click Here: Why We Left...Where We Went...

Click Here: A Frog In Boiling Water

Are You Awake Yet?

11/21/09 Addendum to this post.

A JTO reader took exception to the fact that JTO posted  a *link which erroneously concludes that Met. Hilarion had "a meeting" with Freemason leaders. The criticism is valid and JTO regrets having posted a link that was erroneous in its interpretation of the photo at issue, or at the least, incomplete in its information. JTO, however, would question the failure of the Met Hilarion to "refrain from every appearance or evil", in allowing himself to be photographed with Masonic leaders who were clearly identified by the pins they wore on their clothing. The Masonic leaders, in turn, used the photograph to promote their own propaganda via their publication, photo included, and further their own agenda within Orthodoxy. Here is Met. Hilarion's statement on the matter:

De : Archbishop Hilarion Kapral [mailto:abphilar@ozemail.com.au]
Envoyé : vendredi 20 novembre 2009 4:20
À : xxxxxxxx
Cc : xxxxxxx
Objet : Re: Meeting with masons

Dear Vladimir,

I was very amazed to learn that I had attended a Masonic meeting. Such a thing has never happened.

What in actual fact occurred is being totally distorted. During the visit of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church to South America with the choir of the Sretensky Monastery some two years ago, the delegation was invited by the ambassador of the Russian Federation to a reception at the embassy. Many different dignitaries were also invited to attend.

While Metropolitan Platon and I were standing at the reception, two distinguished-looking gentlemen came up to us and asked if they could be photographed with us. We said, why not? We did not ask who they were. It turned out that they are high-ranking Masons of Brazil. That is the extent of our involvement with Masons.

The enemies of the Russian Orthodox Church are very quick to pick up on such an unexpected and innocent encounter to defame and slander the Church and its hierarch.

For the record: I am not a Mason and have nothing to do with Masonry. It is impossible for a Christian to be a Mason at the same time as Masonry is a religion of its own.

In Christ our Saviour,
+ Metropolitan Hilarion

Met. Hilarion misses the point if thinks that those expressing concern over the matter just want to "defame and slander the Church and its hierarch." The fact that this is an issue and a discussion, is evidence of Met Hilarion's poor judgment in allowing himself to be duped by these satanists appearing as angels of light. I believe Met. Hilarion now has the answer to his question, "Why not"?