ORTHODOXY AS A CORRECTIVE TO REFORMED TRADITIONS

Jean Rodenbough

Madison, NC

What can we learn from the Orthodox churches?

Jean Rodenbough, a retired Presbyterian minister, reflect s on a two-week visit to Belarus and Russia by ten representatives of Salem Presbytery. Her time with churches in the Russian Orthodox tradition exposed her, she says, "to an alternative for our studied intellectual approach to faith." In the Orthodox sense of the Mystery of the divine she finds what could be a refreshing corrective for our current problems and tensions.    [3-18-05]

Eastern Orthodoxy may be just the corrective necessary for our Presbyterian rigidity and retentiveness. The conflicts during the past years over who is in and who is out, women, glbt’s, law and grace have managed to wring out the last degree of conformity to our polity, and the litmus paper for our "correctness" has run dry. We are a left-brained bunch, bound to the rational, ordered theology of the written word in scripture and interpretation and the Book of Order strictures.

But wait! There may be a remedy. During a two-week visit in February to Belarus and Russia by 10 representatives of Salem Presbytery from eight congregations, we studied Orthodoxy in a variety of settings. In that time we were exposed to an alternative for our studied intellectual approach to faith. First we attended a Forum on Orthodoxy in Minsk and then traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg for additional exposure to this Eastern-oriented Christianity and came home with new understandings and perspectives that speak to our own Reformed tradition. Our hosts, the Belarusian Round Table and the Brotherhood [which includes women as well] of the Three Vilnya Martyrs, provided a feast in many courses, from worship liturgies to polity to iconography and architecture, filling us with many good things.

Among our group were a church educator, minister of music, elders in a variety of services, and clergy. Joining us from the PC(USA) was Gary Payton, Regional Liaison for Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. On sabbatical from Pittsburgh Seminary and studying Orthodoxy in St. Petersburg was John Burgess, who also participated in our Belarusian adventure. Our time in Moscow was brief, as we visited churches in the Kremlin and then went on to St. Petersburg for more exposure to the Orthodox world as well as to art of the Hermitage. Our most significant time there was spent with Father Vladimir Fedorov, Director of the Orthodox Institute of Missiology and also serving with the World Council of Churches in developing theological education for Eastern Europe. He visited the US in 2002 as part of our Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and met with several of our churches then.

What in particular is it about Orthodoxy that provides an example for our Reformed tradition? Is it the central focus on worship, delivered in most cases in ancient Slavonic, or perhaps the a capella music that is integral to worship (where instruments are never used)? Perhaps it is the immersion in the frescoes of biblical scenes and the icons that cover the walls of sanctuaries there. Perhaps it has to do with the theological understanding of Orthodox church architecture or the purpose and interpretation of icon paintings.

If none of these, then might it be the polity that declares the equality between church leaders where the only true head of the Church is Jesus Christ? Human power lies in a construct of Bishops over each diocese, a Metropolitan over a regional or state unit of the church, and the Patriarch, only one in each "auto-cephalous" (self-ruling) church, over the whole church. For example, there is one Patriarch for the Russian Orthodox Church and its branches, which includes Belarus. Yet even though the Patriarch holds a position of priority in relationship to the other leaders, he does not hold greater power. He is the "first among equals." In addition, there is no merging of power. Bishops hold priority in their own districts only and the Patriarch has priority only in the Russian church, not in other branches of Orthodoxy, in contrast to the power wielded by the Roman Catholic Pope.

All of these factors create a certain unity that a "connectional" church such as our Presbyterian system lacks. Conciliar in nature, defined as sobernost, some churches deemed "autonomous" are ruled by councils rather than by a single head. The various parts of a church such as the Russian Orthodox Church hold on to a unified theology and biblical understanding, in part because of a belief that the Holy Spirit came to all of the various churches equally and all are subject to the same teachings. To do otherwise would bring about a separation from the Orthodox church in a particular region for those opposed to the central teachings. Unity is essential, resting on the claim that "the seamless robe of Christ cannot be divided."

How then does an understanding of Orthodoxy speak to the divisions and conflicts among US Presbyterians? Similarities would include the principle of "first among equals" in regard to the distinction between clergy and elders, conciliar in that we do not have a single head of our church but instead a Council (at presbytery, synod and General Assembly levels) or Session (in the individual congregation), and a centrality of worship, although quite different in style. A major difference has to do with the unity of the church. Whereas in Orthodoxy all parts hold to the same teachings and scriptural interpretations, Presbyterians go all over the map on that one. Is there a way "to seek the peace, purity and unity" of the church Presbyterian style without becoming authoritarian or hierarchical in our polity and teachings?

We acknowledge, as do the Orthodox, that Jesus Christ is the true Head of the Church, in whom ultimate authority lies. This theological statement is principal to our Christian faith even though it may be stated in different terms by the two churches. Earthly leaders then submit to that divine authority, expressing their leadership in various, but human, ways, depending upon the nature of our constitutions and church teachings. Is there controversy among the Orthodox if they are to submit to one interpretation of things by the collective Church? Of course. Is there variety? Yes. In Belarus, for example, many local churches now use the Belarusian language in worship rather than the ancient Slavonic texts. In Russia, it is rare to find contemporary Russian used during a service. Have the two sub-divisions of the Russian Orthodox Church split over this development? No, they exist as one body, and have endured as a single body since 988 when Christian Orthodoxy came to Russia.

What might be a key to Presbyterian endurance as a unified Body of Christ if we look at our Orthodox sisters and brothers and their shaping of this Body? As a starter, and perhaps as the way to conclude the effort eventually, consider the mystical, spiritual nature of Orthodox belief. Worship is riddled with mystery, with experiencing the Invisible God who is present, with the overriding cloud of witnesses all through the history of faith. It is out of an Eastern culture, whereas we Presbyterians are children of the West. I know of Presbyterian sessions which shudder at the very use of the words "mystery" and "mysterious." Try to set up a study curriculum on Reformed spirituality in some congregations and you may come face to face with suspicion, opposition, and perhaps even accusations that you are into "that New Age stuff."

We are afraid of the God of Mystery, and well we might be. Yet when we dare to come into that Presence with singing each time we worship, we open ourselves to the unexpected. We are so intent upon having everything explained to us with clarity, taught in a way that entertains us and holds our attention, that we never seem to get around to the simple act of sitting with the Mystery that surrounds us in worship. We seldom are willing to conduct our lives of faith through recognizing the awesome power of the Risen Christ. We forget that in our missions of mercy we are truly representing that Christ moving among the least and the powerless, the forgotten and overlooked ones of the world. In seeking to increase our numbers or bemoaning our dwindling memberships across our denomination we find it difficult to be where we are and as we are as children of the Mystery.

I love mysteries: either reading them or watching a good mystery on film or TV. Many detective novels use as the main character a clergy person. Some British mystery writers also have strong ties to the church professionally and as theologians. The connection between mystery and Mystery is there. We just have not, as Presbyterians, gotten the message very clearly. The spiritual dimension of faith holds untapped opportunities for Presbyterians to loosen up a bit, to stop being so determined to convince others of our version of scriptural truth, and to rejoice in the oneness of our existence.

Taking part in the church at the threshold of Mystery, however, does not automatically dissolve our numerous polarities. We aren’t likely to love those "other" folks without reservation, but then isn’t that the work of Jesus? We certainly seem to prefer to leave that up to him. We aren’t likely to resolve all the pending court cases against those who seek justice rather than conformity to our current Book of Order. We aren’t likely to stop the bleeding out of our memberships any time soon. We do, nevertheless, have resources through other Christian traditions which can strengthen us in our own. The beginning point, and the ending point if I have read scripture correctly, is with the great Mystery, the God who called us out from the world around us into the Body of Christ, to become as Jesus was in a new unity. It’s all a mystery to me how that can bring about the peace and unity and maybe even the purity of our PC(USA), but perhaps we can dare to re-focus upon worship and mystery and then our rules and our orderliness will fall into place, the right place.