A most joyous beloved sinner from the heartland has kindly sent me some fascinating material about the undisputed winner of the ACNA Assembly’s Best Bonnet competion. As one of the links she sent makes quite clear, Metropolitan Jonah shows the new schism really is attracting Christianity’s best and brightest.
Alright, so there’s the small matter of his hands dripping with the innocent blood of a brilliant young man called by God (isn’t fascinating how Biblical literalists can conveniently forget that passage about those causing little ones to stumble getting thrown into the sea with a dirty great rock around their neck whenever the subject of compensation gets raised?). And little Bobby’s new friend clearly shows the same financially-creative spirit as Don Armstrong (How long before he’s a bishop? 7-10 years, depending on how the Parole Board are feeling) – it’s interesting that Metropolitan Jonah hasn’t brought many of his parishioners along to watch him basking in this moment of glory: I dare say he’s frightened some of them might unintentionally let the ANCA faithful know about this web site, outlining their own battle against corruption and misconduct.
No, just because ACNA has began with the heartfelt support of a hierarchy clearly doing its best to ignore the sufferings (and bravery!) of those martyrs almost certainly entitled to compensation (read some of the accounts here: but be warned - you will come away angry) doesn’t mean things are necessarily down-hill from here. Although they probably are: how did that old proverb about birds of a feather go again?
I’m Father Christian and I teach the Bible.
9 comments :
Oh my, I think you´re right...they need oneanother...it´s a future alliance (that *will* be worked out on a local basis, no dobut).
If you were to ask me, I would say it is just one big flockin' mess!
Is this OCA the orthodox body that is not recognized by Constantinople?
Beloved Doctrinal Warrior:
Thank you for posting a link to our blog's post on Jonah and ACNA. Though we used some off-colour humour to ease our pains, we Greek Orthodox grieve over this phenomenon/obscenity. We have updated much data on the post (daring to show the Archbishop of Canterbury with genuine Orthodox Patriarchs).
For Anonymous, yes this is the very OCA whose 1970 autocephaly is not recognized by Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and other local ethnic churches. Only Moscow does (why not, the Russians birthed this illegitimate spawn).
Again, thank you, Father Christian for obscuring nothing.
Your sibling priests, three-are-we, +JN1034
No +Jn1034, thank-you. And thanks also to Joy for pointing me in your direction: I shall indeed be following this matter closely in the future.
Only one thing though: I searched your site high and low for off-colour humour, and the only thing I could find off-colour was the revolting Metropolitan Jonah. Far from being off-colour, your humour is fresh, inspiring and helps us all remember that above all else the pompous and pharisaic hate the sound of God's children laughing.
Blessings to you and your beloved.
Fr. C.
How appropriate that an Orthodox body not recognized by Constantinople recognizes an Anglican body not recognized by Canterbury--and both are recognized by Rick Warren.
Have the Jensenites responded yet to Jonah's condemnation of the Calvinist Heresy?
A US-based Orthodox church, recognized as autocephalous by the Moscow patriarchate in 1970, at the height of the Brezhnev era. Love to know the full story.
The Jensenites are currently following their usual strategy of ignoring anything that doesn't suit them. The usual commenters are trying to get a bite here and here, but clearly the faithful have been ordered to stay away from the debate.
Give it a little time and Dobby Ould will accidentally let the cat out of the bag...
Beloved Fr. Christian,
Thanks for cutting through this unctuous baloney about ACNA, Met. Jonah and the OCA. Thanks for also bringing to light these watchdog websites which other Christians - outside of American Orthodoxy - are almost totally unaware: www.ocanews.org and www.pokrov.org
Back in March, Grandmère Mimi kindly allowed us to do a guest post about our late son on her blog. (He was the OCA seminary graduate referenced by JN1034).
Here is her link: http://thewoundedbird.blogspot.com/2009/03/remembering-eric-2nd-anniversary-of-his.html
In light of your post, it is perhaps an ironic twist that my wife and I have found refuge in a local *moderate* TEC parish, here in the Diocese of Springfield. I find it all the more ironic that the so-called 'heterodox & apostate' Episcopal Church takes clergy sexual abuse far more seriously (if imperfectly) - but in glaring contrast to our former Roman Catholic and OCA Churches.
With all best wishes,
John Iliff
Bloomington, Illinois
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