Your Eminence, bless.
Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and share what is in our heart. There is an expression often used that the Church of Jesus Christ, which we call the Orthodox Church, “never changes”. This expression, however, is not entirely true, since in many ways the Church does change—not of course, thank God, in its dogmas, doctrines and teachings of the Faith—but in other significant ways, for many different reasons. So, it seems, the expression that the Church “never changes” is often used by those who want to effect or prevent “change” that is ideologically (not spiritually, or even theologically, in truth) supported or opposed by them.
Men of various backgrounds (undeclared, Protestant, atheist) have begun to attend our churches in droves (not in droves, but smaller groups, at my parish). Many of these men are seeking a “masculine” church that does not have “woke-ism.” This is a term levied around by political conservatives, generally, to denigrate social, secular efforts to enforce social norms.
What is more concerning is that these people seem attracted to authoritarianism—masculine, naturally–, which they conflate with the “patriarchal” structure of the Church, ignoring the ministerial (“feminine,” perhaps?) aspects of clerical duties. Never, of course, did the Lord intend for the offices of clergy to be pursued for ambition or in order to obtain authority over others. However, this is implicit in the desire to view the Church this way.
This trend has moved us as a Church (in America) toward an extreme political bent, manifested in the denial of women’s participation in activities, like reading and chanting; discouraging women in pursuit of theological training, or even discussions; telling young girls and young women that they cannot enter the altar by virtue of their sex; and strident outcries when Orthodox people raise concerns about the simultaneous migration of women from the Church, as “feminist diatribes.”
The need for a change to counter this trend, which is nothing short of destructive, is imperative, and the change can be on multiple fronts or not. Forgive this urgency and frankness, Your Eminence, but the hierarchy must combat this spirit of the age that has invaded our parishes. One wonders if a similar spirit was responsible for the disappearance of the female diaconate, many centuries ago, and the idea of a deacon as a servant to the needs of the laity.
Your Eminence, I am not trying to create division or scandal by raising these concerns; rather, I’m trying to do the opposite. I feel that these practical considerations of “scaring away” people who might convert (or already have) should not be the predominant focus. The Orthodox Church is not just a two-thousand-year-old institution, it is the Body of Christ—Christ who saves mankind from itself and the powers of evil in this world. The Scriptures are very clear on the subject of men and women being equals in the sight of the Lord. Teaching that women are “less than”, “impure,” substandard, unworthy and, therefore, not equal to men is nothing short of blasphemy—it defies Christ’s teachings.
The false teachings and negative attitudes toward women have created a new division–which drives women from the Church, because they cease to see a place for themselves at Christ’s banquet table when these attitudes take over in churches. Is this because these women are proud, ambitious “feminists” who need humbling? I don’t think so–they are women who want to serve the Lord.
This issue of women’s role is a spiritual issue, too, which the Church has not fully articulated for our time and experiences. For this reason, our jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church, the OCA, should consider all the ministerial possibilities—including a restoration of the female diaconate, in its old or a newer iteration—to help simultaneously respond to false doctrine, and restore the spiritual life of those who have been disenfranchised within the churches by views that women have nothing to offer their church and their Savior, outside of marriage and motherhood.
Eva Topping stated it much better than I am able to: At this point, our Church has to decide which of the two represents Orthodoxy’s authentic, sacred Tradition (spelled with a capital “T”). In the process of making the decision, clergy and laity alike must bear in mind Christ’s warning against abandoning the “commandment of God” (entolen tou theou) and keeping “human tradition” (parpdosin ton anthropon) (Mark 7:8). These words of Christ imply a conflict between the two.
Thank you for this opportunity. May the Lord bless us all, and guide you and the other hierarchs in continued wisdom, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Lord have mercy on us.
Madeleine Nantze
OCA from Santa Maria, CA, Annunciation Church
