Episcopalianizing American Orthodoxy, Round II

Posting this expose from Orthodox blogger Rod Dreher in connection with my final reply to Stefano with respect to the issue of feminism in the Orthodox Church, which can be read at the last comment to this article.  On the Orthodox Church's wishy-washy stance on abortion, see Constantinople's Moral Oversight.

Also, Barbarians Among Us? by Orthodox priest Gregory Jensen.  From that aticle:

On a post on my blog Koinoia ("An Editorial: Orthodoxy & the Public Square"), I wrote that whether or not I like Frank Schaeffer's politics or his moral theology, or whether or not his support of abortion and gay rights are compatible with the tradition of the Church, the reality is that he is well within the mainstream of current Orthodox opinion in America. According to the PEW survey, the majority of Orthodox laity agree that abortion and gay marriage should be legal.  It may surprise you, then, that the problem isn't Schaeffer – it’s us; specifically, it’s the clergy.  For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, we clergy are not effectively communicating the moral tradition of the Church to the laity.  Or, if we are, the laity aren't listening –- which would imply that the clergy are willing to tolerate the laity ignoring the Gospel.

We see the same prevalence of pro-choice, pro-gay marriage positions among Orthodox politicians.  This kind of a consistent pattern of belief does not just happen.  As in the Catholic Church, we see in the Orthodox Church evidence of a significant pastoral failing.  This appears to be more than just a widespread lack of sound moral education for the faithful.  It appears to be an embrace of, or at least resignation to, the influence of secularism in our parishes.

Lutheran blogger Acroamaticus responds to Jensen's article at Orthodoxy in the West: The Eastern-Rite Mainline?.

As I have consistently argued here at OJC, the Orthodox Church may be the least "Episcopalianized" of the three branches of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but "Episcopalianized" it has become.  Stefano says that the Orthodox Church, the smaller of the Two One True Churches, will surely weather the storm, for it is in fact the One True Church (No.2), against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.

I say pride goeth before the fall.

And that Continuing Anglicanism has left all things Episcopalian behind.