12-19-2007, 09:33 PM
Couple of points:
True, after the decimation of Tamerlane and the subsequent milletization of the Church under the Ottomans, the CoE suffered it's greatest period of decline.
However, I doubt you can classify the Indian portion of the Church (which is actually the majority) as part of any millet.
Additionally, we do have outreach churches. Mar Youkhannan parish, in which I serve, does the service in Aramaic and English combined. In fact, the Synod has decreed that every parish work towards having some sort of English service, whether in total or in part.
The remnant in China has even been found, after more than 500 years the parish there is now being set up under Mar Gewargis' leadership. They made contact with the Patriarch.
Sooner rather than later the missionary heritage of the CoE, always an integral part of our history, will flourish again. We don't need to be in communion with anyone else for that to happen. We certainly weren't in communion with anyone when most of Asia had our parishes in it back in the heyday.
In any case, back to your original point.
You know as well as I do that in the CoE, any baptized Christian can receive the Qurbana and participate fully in the Razeh.
Would your priest give me bread and wine if I approached the altar?
This points to the very heart of the issue: we respect you, but unfortunately, that respect is not mutual.
It is the EOC that has to change its mentality if it truly wishes to have a relationship with the CoE. We're more than willing ... our actions show it. But on the other hand, we're fine with things as they stand, too.
Listen to the speech by Qasha Antwan Latchin, regarding being "skinny" (definition: those who aren't comfortable being alone and isolated from the rest of Christianity)
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4H7gqa12rFE">http://youtube.com/watch?v=4H7gqa12rFE</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bs1raJD96R0">http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bs1raJD96R0</a><!-- m -->
True, after the decimation of Tamerlane and the subsequent milletization of the Church under the Ottomans, the CoE suffered it's greatest period of decline.
However, I doubt you can classify the Indian portion of the Church (which is actually the majority) as part of any millet.
Additionally, we do have outreach churches. Mar Youkhannan parish, in which I serve, does the service in Aramaic and English combined. In fact, the Synod has decreed that every parish work towards having some sort of English service, whether in total or in part.
The remnant in China has even been found, after more than 500 years the parish there is now being set up under Mar Gewargis' leadership. They made contact with the Patriarch.
Sooner rather than later the missionary heritage of the CoE, always an integral part of our history, will flourish again. We don't need to be in communion with anyone else for that to happen. We certainly weren't in communion with anyone when most of Asia had our parishes in it back in the heyday.
In any case, back to your original point.
You know as well as I do that in the CoE, any baptized Christian can receive the Qurbana and participate fully in the Razeh.
Would your priest give me bread and wine if I approached the altar?
This points to the very heart of the issue: we respect you, but unfortunately, that respect is not mutual.
It is the EOC that has to change its mentality if it truly wishes to have a relationship with the CoE. We're more than willing ... our actions show it. But on the other hand, we're fine with things as they stand, too.
Listen to the speech by Qasha Antwan Latchin, regarding being "skinny" (definition: those who aren't comfortable being alone and isolated from the rest of Christianity)
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4H7gqa12rFE">http://youtube.com/watch?v=4H7gqa12rFE</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bs1raJD96R0">http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bs1raJD96R0</a><!-- m -->