Is the male-only priesthood a discipline or essential to the nature of being a priest? Sr. Vassa (again unflinchingly taking up a contentious topic by climbing up the ladder to the highest platform and then jumping into the deep end head first) dives right in and says there is no reason beyond personal preference to not have female clergy. You know, when people ask me about women in priesthood, they say, 'Sister, why can't women be priests?' And I say, 'Women CAN be priests. We don't WANT them to be priests.' Because you see, God can do anything, and the Church, by divine authority, uh, can do anything, but, the Church doesn't want to - and that's a legitimate reason. What I don't like is when we TRY to pretend that there are other reasons for this, because it's legitimate not to want something, and there are reasons not to want this - right? - but, we shouldn't pretent that there's some... reason, that, for example, the maleness...
Absolutely splendid. Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!
ReplyDelete"it was the first time the service had been held in the UK since 1066." Really? So I am guessing the argument goes that the English church was "Orthodox", I am sure that's news to our ancestors. And what is the meaning of using 1066 as a year of any import? Certainly a sad year for many of the indigenous Christians of the time It is plainly an anachronism to call the English church "Orthodox". This is nothing but inverted Uniatism. The only difference being that the Uniate churches in communion with Rome are natural communities who sought to unite themselves to Rome for various reasons. Someone once remarked of the late Revd Percy Dearmer and his attempt to resurrect the Sarum rite that it was British Museum Religion. I think that dear old Revd Dearmer has some new devotees.
ReplyDeleteAbout time someone called out this reverse-Unia. The double standards of some people, especially Russians, is... Imagine if the reverse occurred in their 'canonical territory'. I can imagine the hissy fit from the very same Russians.
ReplyDeleteFor WRO:
ReplyDelete- They were not forced by the state to convert.
- The Anglican or Roman Catholic Churches were not declared illegal and persecuted by the state.
- Hierarchs had not been seduced with state dignities.
- Believers have converted intentionally.
No single common point with Uniates.
The whole "pre-Norman Orthodox" church myth needs to be laid to rest. I'm Orthodox and I get embarrassed whenever I hear that nonsense.
ReplyDeleteWhat is incorrect about calling all churches in communion with all of the ancient patriarchates before the Great Schism "Orthodox"(regardless of which liturgical rite they practiced)? Is this considered an anachronism?
ReplyDelete