July 28, 2005

Antiochian Orthodox Leave the National Council of Churches

From the Touchstone Magazine - Mere Comments blog comes this Breaking News: Orthodox Leave NCC

Dearborn, Michigan. July 28, 2005.This afternoon the General Convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America voted overwhelmingly to leave the National Council of Churches of Christ. The General Convention is holding its annual meeting this week in Dearborn, Michigan.

The action was not a temporary “suspension” of membership, but a formal withdrawal from the NCC. The clergy unanimously approved the withdrawal, followed by a unanimous vote of the lay delegates supporting the move. An announcement of the final vote was met with thunderous applause by the Convention.

Reasons given for the withdrawal include the general liberalism of the NCC, whose General Secretary, Bob Edgar, withdrew his signature from a statement defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Metropolitan PHILIP, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, was reportedly outspoken in calling for the church to withdraw from the NCC, stating that the relationship had proven fruitless.

The National Council of the Churches of Christ has listed on its website "36 member communions and denominations." It now has 35.

Note: An interview about this vote and its consequences with the Very Rev. Olof Scott, the newly-elected chairman of the Department of Interfaith Relationships, is scheduled to air on Ancient Faith Radio this coming Sunday, July 31, 2005, at 5 PM EDT.

Posted by Clifton at July 28, 2005 08:09 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Thank God for the leadership of Archbishop Philip and the other faithful Orthodox clergy.

Posted by: max higgs at July 28, 2005 09:23 PM

I know. I had two possible post-titles running through my mind: "'Bout Time!" and "Thank God!" But I settled on the more neutral "Antiochian Orthodox Leave the National Council of Churches." Didn't want to seem as though I were gloating.

Posted by: Clifton D. Healy at July 28, 2005 10:55 PM

Funny. The news didn't make the NCC website.

Posted by: tidbit at July 29, 2005 12:42 AM

Yeah. Funny dat.

Posted by: Clifton D. Healy at July 29, 2005 06:53 AM

This saddens me to no end.

Posted by: Tripp at July 29, 2005 10:11 AM

I'm sorry it does, Tripp. But really the NCC is not by any stretch of the imagination a body that resembles Christianity anymore. It's an organization that should have died a long time ago. The Orthodox reaction is not predicated on a rejection of (what EO understand to be) ecumenism, but the rejection of the assocation with the godless NCC. That is to say, Antiochian Orthodox aren't rejecting other Christians, but rather the NCC. And darn good riddance.

Posted by: Clifton D. Healy at July 29, 2005 01:19 PM

Do you think any other jurisdictions will follow suit?

Posted by: Robert at July 29, 2005 01:40 PM

The OCA was presented a paper at their conference that strongly urged them to leave the NCC. I think they definitely will.

Posted by: Clifton D. Healy at July 29, 2005 02:04 PM

Funny. The news didn't make the NCC website.

Hasn't made the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese either. In fact for all the commenting around the blogosphere I haven't seen any "reporting" of this except the blog entry at Touchstone's Mere Comments blog - usually a site for commentary, not news - and itwas a report by someone who "heard it from a friend".

Has anyone seen anything remotely resembling an official statement anywhere?

Posted by: Matthias at August 1, 2005 12:40 PM

I am a Western Rite Orthodox Christian whose Mission is part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Arch Diocese of North America. My priest, our former Sub-Deacon and a friend from Canada who is a "Reader" (minor cleric) all attended the convention last week and voted us out of the NCC...
...It's for real folks...

Posted by: Dan at August 2, 2005 07:01 PM