A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 25 - Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Letter from Inside the Greek Gulag, Part I Dear Editor, Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a seminarian here at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. I wish to begin a series of letters from inside the school which may shed light on the many difficulties faced by non-Greek students and the deep divisions which currently exist here. I am motivated by the realization that this situation is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the historic reality of our Church. However, out of fear of reprisal and scorn from administration, fellow students, and the church hierarchy, I wish to remain anonymous. I entered seminary some time ago with the highest expectations and an unceasing desire to follow Jesus Christ. Since then, my desire to serve Christ and his Holy Church has not diminished. However my impression of this school and its role within our Church has been almost irreparable tarnished. It becomes more obvious to me each passing day that Holy Cross is really more interested in promoting "Hellenism" than the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let me provide a few examples. Because I am not a Greek or Greek-American, the school is determined to make me one. Therefore, to meet graduation requirements, the school has forced me to enroll in Modern Greek classes. From my perspective, it seems that the powers-that-be here at Holy Cross feel they must overlay me with a Hellenic "facade" to make me acceptable to any prospective parish to which I may be assigned in the future. Let me make it absolutely clear that I have nothing against the Greek language or "Hellenic" Culture. However, it is undeniably clear that both are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the activities of the Church here in the United States. With Greek-Americans abandoning the Church in favor of other churches and outright disbelief, the further propagation of Hellenic culture through the Church must be called into question. Aside from the fact that the amalgamation of Orthodox Christianity and "Hellenic" culture present at this seminary borders dangerously close to the heresy of ethno-phylitism, it seriously undermines our ability to spread the authentic and historical faith of Jesus Christ to millions of potential converts in our country. Moreover, with the new one hundred million dollar "Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism", I believe the future of Greek Orthodoxy in America is now in jeopardy. I can tell you with all certainty that while many Non-Greek Americans would be interested in Orthodoxy Christianity, many like myself have absolutely no interest in abandoning their own varied cultures in favor of "Hellenism". While Ancient Greek and Byzantine culture offer much to be admired and imitated, the "Hellenism" being offered up by Holy Cross and our Church has as about as much in common with these past cultures as my own Western European and American culture has with the Visigoths, Saxons, and Celts. It is absolutely imperative that Holy Cross and our Church Hierarchs wake up from their sentimental slumber and get on with the business of spreading Orthodox Christianity to the millions like myself.
Embrace us with open arms...don't Hellenize us. We
are after all the future of Orthodoxy in America. |
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