American Orthodoxy

A number of pieces on the future of American Orthodoxy have appeared lately from Fr. Jonathan, Fr. Stephen, and from Fr. Gregory. All of these are helpful. But for me, Fr. Stephen sums it up rather nicely:

Orthodoxy faces many deep challenges in the modern world. Some of them are brought on us by both the abuses of the past century as well as the new challenges of the present century. Our ecclesiology, which is never more than love (a canon cannot produce the Church), is and will be tested to the maximum. But the world is not hungry for the Canons or for pride of place, but for the self-sacrificing love of Christ and the fullness of His emptiness on the Cross.

The way forward for Orthodoxy in America will only be through the Cross, God help us. But there is no other way forward for anyone, ever, anywhere.

Great to get there just using the ol’ GPS or the “pure brainpower” equivalent of brute force. But it is our saints rather than the “selves” with which we enter the Church that will in turn build the sort of Orthodoxy here in America that we pass along to those who follow after.. or at least that’s my two bits.