Orthodoxy through another perspective

[John Charmley]

Or, dear Rick, as Fr. Gregory pointed out, we just 'resign' full stop, and go out of the back door in a speedier manner than we entered the front door.

It is fairly clear from my renewed participation in this fellowship that for the last year there has been much frustration as circumstances prevented me from being present at St. Felix or the Eucharistic feast. Abba Seraphim has been (as ever) a saint, and managed to get to me and keep me going; but it allowed me time for thought!

Unable to get to Church, I prayed every morning in my icon corner, I read the Bible, and, for some fellowship, walked locally with friends to their Churches. I saw there that what we are talking about here is not confined to Orthodoxy.

In the UK (unlike the US) we have a very secular society where it was long ago accepted that Christianity was a private matter which should be kept that way. It has, and should have, no relevance to public life except where it supports a contemporary 'caring' consensus. So we are put into the margins and left there.

So yes, if we end up concentrating on our salvation that is, in part, because that is the way Christianity in the UK constructs itself vis a vis the national debate on just about everything.

Atomised Churches in an atomised and secular society, we can seem like ships on a vast sea, all actually going to the same place, but only occasionally flashing the odd signal to that effect. And, we, the laity, can be like passangers on that sip expecting the captain to do all the work, whilst he, poor fellow, is exhausted also looking after our every need as well as steering the ship.

Once I start on metaphors it is better for me to stop before they fall over themselves, but I hope you see the point.

In Christ,

John