Are You Ortholackadaisical?

Face it. Orthodox Christians can be just plain lazy — from Middle-Aged Cradles endlessly touting the glories of a bygone or foreign culture …

to the Young American Converts sporting ponytails and practicing really deep breathing with wool knots out by the Vegan food co-op.

As if there was no other way to live out one’s Orthodoxy.

There’s certainly value in preservation of the good in one’s culture – I mean, hello, I’m a Southerner!

And, yes, I fast and practice the Jesus Prayer with the Prayer Rope (even have a dwindling ponytail!).

But, the dichotomy of:

This is the way we did it in the Old Country …

versus

This is the way they do it on the Holy Mountain …

can be tiring.

It’s like one bishop once said, when commenting on why it is so hard for Orthodox to work together on social and ethical issues with Evangelicals:

“They keep saying – ‘Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord’ – Okay! We know already! Now can we get on with it?!!”

It does get old.

But, for many Orthodox, old is a good thing!

OLD, for some, equals TRADITION.

From my seminary days, I remember my Liturgics professor saying:

“In the local parish, TRADITION is whatever that parish has done for the past three years.”

And, believe me; some parishes have done boring for so long it has become Tradition.

Many groups, from small Missions in store-fronts, to Cathedrals-in-the-doldrums have fallen into a spiritual stupor …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

(Or, just listen right here.)