Orthodoxy in the South

The following is from John over at Notes from a Common-place Book.

Among American Orthodox, if you are susceptible to being twisted into knots over machinations at the top, or jurisdictional squabbles, or intra-jurisdictional infighting, then there are certainly developments out there to view with alarm.

The OCA has come through a rough patch, much better positioned going forward, but not out of the woods just yet.

The Antiochians are currently undergoing their own turmoil, the full ramifications of which, I am afraid, have not yet come to pass.

And then, if that wasn’t enough, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s representative just lobbed a theological grenade into the midst of American Orthodoxy — during Great Lent, no less.

But there will be no links, here, for that stuff is easy enough to find if you are seeking it. It is not that these things don’t concern me. They do. But it is like fretting about the budget deficit, there is little enough you and I can do about it, and in the meantime, life goes on. We never really “solve” anything, but we do muddle through, somehow. By focusing on these larger concerns, if we are not careful, we may miss the real news here. In my view, this is the formerly hothouse flower of American Orthodoxy beginning to take root in American soil, and — slowly — taking on an indigenous nature. Admittedly, we are still well under the radar screen. Our numbers are small, and will probably remain so. But Orthodoxy is patient, and takes a long view of things. The Church is digging in for the long haul. Evangelism is on-going. The webs of connectedness between far-flung parishes, missions and monasteries are in place.

I can’t speak for other parts of the country, but it seems that the South is one of the most receptive regions of the country. Several bloggers I follow (religiously, in fact) have commented recently on the course of Orthodoxy in the South …

Read it all (and comment) – H E R E.