The Church

mission and Ecumenism

• Archbishop Lazar Puhalo, "Approaching the Educated Person in the Post-Christian Era". I find myself in deep agreement with this call for sanity.
• Kevin P. Lines, "Exegetical and Extispicic Readings of the Bible in Turkana (Kenya) and North America". The Asbury Journal 66/1: 65-94. Despite some technical language (not bad) and the annoying fact that Evangelicals have taken to calling God's purpose in the world his 'mission' (who, I ask, sent God??)— this article provides some fascinating glimpses into the challenge of doing biblical and liturgical translations in an unchurched culture. Don't be afraid of the cute word 'extispicic' (ex-tiss-piss-ic)— the Turkana have a practice of 'reading' the entrails of animals they slaughter (a practice known in ancient Rome as 'extíspicy') for information about where to graze, etc. This turned out to be a useful metaphor for serious Bible reading in the Turkana context, as the author explains. Introducing Israel's story, culminating in Jesus, to a new culture gives us the opportunity to engage with alternative understandings when 'extispicating' the Bible ourselves (heh heh). I wish the Orthodox Church, including Ocmc, had half this guy's clarity.
• Georges Khodr, Metropolitan of Lebanon, "A Call to Christians". A stunning spiritual exhortation to anyone who has an idea they'd like to be a missionary: "You are bearers of a great vocation, you are a leaven of salvation. This is so on account of the One whose name you bear, and in whom you have been baptized. You are mistaken, however, in thinking that without him you can maintain some usefulness. You also make the mistake of thinking that others can make no progress, as if labels had some meaning in themselves; as if Christ could not, with or without the aid of water, baptize in God anyone to whom he would grant his grace...."
• Robert F. Taft, SJ, “Anamnesis, Not Amnesia: The 'Healing Memories' and the Problem of 'Uniatism'” (21st Kelly Lecture, University of St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada: Dec 1 2000). (See also the actual Articles of the Union of Brest'.)
• 33 Articles Concerning Union With Rome: The actual articles upon which the Ukrainian Catholic Church accepted what became known as the Unia. (See also the historical commentary by Robert Taft, SJ.)
• Christos Yannaras, "Towards a New Ecumenism" An essay first published in Sourozh, nr. 70, November 1997 .
• Christos Yannaras, “Orthodoxy and the West”: A early paper of Prof. Yannaras, read at the Inter-Orthodox Conference in Brookline, Mass., in September, 1970 and printed in Eastern Churches Review, III, No. 3 (1971); and also in A.J. Philippou (ed.), Orthodoxy, Life and Freedom: Studies in Honour of Archbishop Iakovos (Studion Publications: Oxford, 1973), pp. 130-147.
• “The Splitting of the Church": a chart which shows the continuity of Orthodoxy and the various divisions of the Church which have occurred over the centuries. There are other versions of this chart out there— if you have one, send it to me. I'd like to collect and compare them with each other and with history. Have a look at this cartoon also!
• Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, On “Keeping Orthodoxy Pure”. From Juliana Schmemann, ed. and tr., The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann 1973-1983 (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY: 2000), pages 23-25.