Koinonia - Latest Comments in A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Prudence True — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:47:01 -0000

"Thinking of the tasks of theology in regard to the relationship between Church and world, I would like to conclude by saying this: the norm of faith, engraved in the apostolic tradition and preserved by the Church, will reveal itself to us in its fullness as norm of human life when man himself is full of the desire to realize that what he has learned. Attaining this is not a task for theology alone, but for the entire Church in its fullness, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Thank you for posting this . . . and the emphasis must be on the fullness of the Orthodox Church, not on its individual branches. So this applies to more than the Russian Orthodox Church on its own.

We will see great things within The Church in the coming years if we allow it to happen and not squelch their brilliance with pettiness.

Just my simple non-theologian thoughts . . .

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Paulartw — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:45:30 -0000

This is so exciting. I will continue to pray for God to heal the schism of the Church!

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Michael Bauman — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:36:03 -0000

I guess we will see how 'holy' the alliance is.

Mr. Gates, I guess we might as well just proclaim that all those who call themselves Christians are one body and go about our business with the knowledge that any theological difference is just a matter of pride, sinfulness and lust of power?

Morman, Calvinist, Baptist, Papalist, Orthodox or Kumbaya univeralist is just dosen't matter?

While all divorces involve both parties to some degree there is a difference between those who are faithful and those who are not. Of course if both parties are adulterers, we are in serious trouble because it would appear that despite Jesus promise that that gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, they have.

I find your thinking flawed no matter from which perspective I evaluate it--west or east.

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

James the Lesser — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:24:13 -0000

annika,
the "new" evangelism begins with each and every baptized Catholic or Orthodox believer (in the West) striving for his or her own Holiness, first transforming themselves and then transforming the society around us with our love of God and neighbor.

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

timothyrgates — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:20:25 -0000

Yes! It is a divorce without true justification other than after the fact fabrication that there has been the perpetuation of the separation of the 'East' from the 'West' in Christianity. It has been the same justification used by group after group that have been otherwise Christian save for their self-serving need to separate in order to be the 'true Church' in action. Of course it's always the group that you're part of that is the 'true Church.' I've seen the same thing among the SCOBA Orthodox Churches as well as those on the other 'sides' who say that they're the 'true Orthodox Church' in expression. Just as when people get divorced because they're merely tired of working things out, people and groups do the same thing. It's easy to point out the shortcomings of the 'other.' The question is, are we as honest about our own shortcomings. Nearly every 'defense' of the separation from each other, the 'East' from the 'West' forgets that it's origin is in both personal as well as historical self-indulgent pride.
Jesus made clear that the unbelieving world will believe that He has come out from the Father only as we as believers love one another as the Father loves Him. The unbelieving world has every reason to not believe our 'message(s)' as long as we choose to take sides at the exclusion of the other.

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Dana Ames — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:55:37 -0000

Fr Gregory,

I don't know very much. I think it would please the Lord for the schism to be healed, and it's a good thing for the RC and EO to work together. I get nervous when I read that fault lies "outside" somewhere. Surely we need to aware of, guard against, and turn from whatever is external that the devil would use to divert us from following the Lord and growing into his likeness in Love. But I don't think "culture" or "liberalism" per se is the fundamental issue, and mounting a highly defensive posture usually makes things more problematic. I'm not sure such a posture would lay the groundwork for evangelism, the announcing of good news (the best news!) to take place. I would wonder if simply appealing to Tradition without definitions, explanations and above all demonstrations of love and concern, would make Jesus and life in Him appealing to Europeans. As in relationships between persons, the less defensiveness there is, the more likely something positive and healthy will come forth.

Have you read the little book "Church, Papacy and Schism" by Philip Sherrard (presently in third edition)? If you have, I would be interested in your thoughts.

Dana

Re: A Holy Alliance between Rome and Moscow Is Born

Annika Halvari — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:39:53 -0000

First, what is the “old evangelism” that we need to make it “new”?
What is the purpose of this "new evangelization"? Same as the Old?
Or more of a political flavor? or spiritual? and if spiritual, what or whose theology is going to inform this "new evangelization" and who controls it...is there something about the "old", I mean "traditional” evangelization, (which I assume is the Gospel, Christ), that makes it no longer sufficient?
It seems we need to be wary of “relativism” trying sink it's teeth sunk into to Gospel these days...

I think this little nugget tucked away in the www.chiesa article says much about the timeless power of Truth:

'...Patriarch Kirill recalled that in Russia, "during the years of persecution, when the majority of the population had no access to sacred music, these works, together with the masterpieces of Russian literature and the figurative arts, contributed to bringing the proclamation of the Gospel, proposing to the secular world ideals of the highest moral and spiritual caliber."....'