Angry Orthodox

Part of my ongoing Correspondence series, featuring replies to people who contacted me and asked questions, mostly when I served as a priest (2008-2013).

Dear Father Anastasios,

Thank you for your message.

At the moment I am with ROCiE, but am wondering where to look within Orthodoxy for doctrinal purity without a rigid, cold, legalistic mentality.

So, for your thoughts on one question, please, I would be grateful.

Where might I find Orthodox Christians who have a pure confession of the Faith (eschewing ecumenism) but do not have their knives out?

Please forgive the bluntness of that question; but I am becoming a bit disillusioned after seeing how the various groups within Orthodoxy appear to hate and revile one another. Where amidst all this skullduggery is the vehicle of salvation?

Sincerely,
D.

Dear D.,

The simple question as to where you can find Orthodox Christians without their knives out is to start with yourself. Make sure you are always at peace with yourself and others. Then you will draw in people of like mind.

But as for the broader question, there is no place in the world where there is a perfect confession of faith coupled with perfect people. If you keep looking, you will never find it.

What you can find is the proper confession of faith, and you can find people in that Church that are struggling to live pious lives, and you can join with them. But you will run in to people in that same Church that have knives out. Only Christ will separate the wheat and the chaff. There can be no salvation without temptations to overcome.

In Christ,

Fr. Anastasios