Midweek Message 03/16/2022

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #100

Hello and welcome to the landmark edition of MM. #100. It is amazing when I think about it. I started doing this at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 as an effort to communicate with you since we were so up-in-the-air about things. But, here it is #100. WOW!

I seriously thought about not doing an issue this week because of Spring Break (even told Diana that), but as I thought about it, I decided to do something different. So…here we go.

Many people look at the current Russian invasion of Ukraine as merely a political thing. Without a doubt it is an ugly encroachment on a sovereign country enjoying its freedom from the hammer of Russian strong-arming. But did you know there was a religious underpinning to this whole war? That is what this edition of the MM will be about.

Down through the years there have been multiple religious wars. I did a quick search and found that of the known 1763 (now 1764) wars, 124 of them have been because of religion-that’s almost 7%! We are certainly familiar with the Crusades, as well as those between Protestant and Catholics (Ireland). There is also the 30 year war; the Yugoslav Wars (Muslims vs. Catholics); Lebanese Civil War (Muslims vs Maronite Christians) to name a few.

So what about the current war? It finds its roots in the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is a family of self-governing churches that are largely regional in nature. They are united in essentials to their beliefs, but each administers its own affairs. The Orthodox Church claims to be the one, true Christian Church, with all others (Roman Catholic, Protestant) to be later off-shoots which deviated from the truth. In their sense of history, the Church was “one, holy, catholic and apostolic” for the first 1000 years of its existence with five historic patriarchal centers: Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria and Constantinople. They maintain that in the East they kept the faith, while the West (Roman Catholic) veered into heresy due to the papacy and claims to supremacy over other churches.  {Note: That belief still exists today}.

The reason for the divide is complicated in explanation, but the Protestant Reformation (PR) of the 16th century was another branch that led away from the one true Church. Why? Because the PR put the Bible above the Church and tradition. There are many other distinctions, like ideas surrounding apostolic succession, the meaning and number of the sacraments (like communion and baptism), the role of icons, and others.

Soviet atheism closed 98% of the Orthodox churches in Russia. Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union there has been significant growth in the Orthodox Church.

What does all this mean for 2022? This is where it not only gets complicated but also adversarial.  When Ukraine won its freedom from Russia, a Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) was established. In short, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) now hopes to bring the Ukrainian branch under a single patriarch.  The war launched by Putin to reassert Russian influence in the region is “also a contest for the future of the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox churches.” (New York Times)

Therein is the rub. The UOC wants to maintain its independence from the ROC. If Ukraine survives Russia’s invasion, it will undoubtedly result in the ejection of the ROC. If Russia wins, the UOC will not survive. Parishes previously under the Moscow church have increasingly switched to the Ukrainian Church, so angering Putin that in 2018 he warned it could lead to bloodshed.

The Ukrainian Church was granted full legitimacy in 2019 under the Patriarchate of Constantinople, who is considered the senior authority in Eastern Orthodoxy. This so angered Russia they cut off ties with them.  One of the current factors for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is the ROC would lose its dominance over the Orthodox churches. They, of course, do not want that.  The Kremlin has partnered with the ROC in terms of exercising its power and influence. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch once called Putin’s leadership “a miracle of God.” {My note: seriously?}  One of the subdeacons of the UOC said, “The religious dimension of this is quite central to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The idea of the Ukrainians having an independent church not under the jurisdiction of Moscow is unfathomable.”  What they seem to have forgotten is that force never brings what I (Bill) will call willing submission. They actually made things worse.

But it isn’t just those in Ukraine opposing the war. Nearly 300 Russian Orthodox priests and deacons from around the world signed an open letter opposing and condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Talk about a rift within the ROC!!  What it comes down to is a conflict over who controls Orthodoxy-Moscow or Constantinople (approving of the UOC).

So…is your head spinning yet? Mine was.

I cannot take credit for the bulk of this information. I did a lot of research and editing and condensing for this MM, but I must give credit to James Emery White, pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Mecklenburg, SC. If you want to see the full articles here are the links:

Part 1: https://www.churchandculture.org/blog/2022/3/10/ukraine-russia-orthodox-church-part-1.

Part 2: https://www.churchandculture.org/blog/2022/3/14/ukraine-russia-orthodox-church-part-2.  If you prefer to listen, he also has a podcast you can access with the title Church and Culture.  I listen on Spotify but you may choose another platform.

Why did I share this? Several reasons: 1) you can see it is far more than a political war (although Putin is an egomaniac) and 2) this is a perfect example of religion gone bad. It is what happens when you kiss the Bible goodbye and decide to do your own thing.  I simply share this for your information.  Me? I’m glad I’m at OVCF and that I’m loved and can love back.

Pastor Bill

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