When the Homily is about Immunology

We aim to please...

Sara, esteemed abbess of the Munkee residence has led me to this old article regarding Brian McLaren in which we Orthodox get some intriguing lip service. I am always fascinated by articles that bring us into the picture.

Anyway, here is the quote:

"We need new churches and we need transitioning churches. And we need for other churches to stay the way they are. There are resources we are gaining from the Orthodox tradition that, if they had not been very conservative, those theological perspectives would have been lost or even more marginalized than they are. The beautiful thing God does in the church is some people conserve things and they don't even know who they are conserving them for. And that’s a beautiful thing."

Well, let me speak for all the Orthodox both living and "dead" and offer a very hearty: "Your Welcome! Glad we could help!"

Now I know (of) Brian, and he probably didn't mean this quote to come out like it sounds/reads to my ears/eyes. The Orthodox Church is not ignorant of the fact the She has preserved her Traditions for the Church, of course...but I think what McLaren meant to say was that She probably never realized that some folks would come along and glean some of them for their own use. I kinda feel like he is conceiving (albeit perhaps unknowingly) of the OC as a sort of beast of burden that will provide resources for the "future" church.

Well we've already discussed at length the dangers that we who "stay the way we are" perceive in picking traditions out of their "natrual" environment so I won't beat that dead horse...but suffice to say that since this article makes reference to nature and evolution as a model, we can certainly be reminded of the potential dangers of taking an animal out of its natural environment.

Anyway...I've no real big point to make here except to remind all my readers that the Orthodox Church is not a reference book and it is not a museum. It is alive and growing and She serves a greater purpose than to provide others outside of her embrace with resources. I write as one of Her newest sons.