Responsibilities of the Orthodox in Contemporary Debates

An excerpt from an Encyclical of His Eminence, Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland, dated April 29, 2020 (O.S.).

 

Examining the circumstances of the contemporary... debates, Orthodox should be alarmed by most of what they see and reluctant to be involved. If, in good conscience, there is some need for involvement, precautions are in order:

1) Immunization to the ills of our society. Orthodox should not be ignorant of their vulnerability to social contagions which, like the virus itself, threaten to infect them unawares, unless, here too, they take appropriate measures of “social distancing”! To protect themselves against the deficits of social media, they must limit its use and understand its foibles. They must take countermeasures to train themselves and others in the virtues of Christian decorum that are attacked by social media: civility, humility, modesty and restraint in speech, self-doubt, respect for one’s neighbor (and partner in dialogue!), and love for one’s enemies.

2) Recognizing the true causes of social ills. Orthodox must not be deceived and drawn into struggles and battles against one another or other factions of society. They must remember that the causes of social ills are the passions of the human heart, which we must first address in ourselves if we wish to be of genuine assistance to those around us:

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (St. James 4:1)

Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye (St. Luke 6:42).

In the life of Saint Basil the Great and other Saints, we read how they would withdraw to solitary prayer and shed copious tears, accusing themselves for the world’s calamities.

3) Identification of our opponents. The battle line in the warfare that a Christian is called to engage is primarily “the line separating good and evil [that] passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart” (Alexander Solzhenitsyn). It is in our heart where we must “shed blood and receive the spirit”; where “the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” As the Apostle Paul said, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Blessed Theophylact makes it clear that the Apostle is directing our struggle towards an interior, noetic struggle:

We Christians and fellow soldiers are not engaged in battle with opponents who are human, like ourselves, and share the same passions and power that we have.... We must wage war against the noetic and unseen princes and powers, the demons.... We Christians do not wrestle...against flesh and blood, that is, against visible, bodily enemies.... Do not imagine that the demons wage war against us, and we against them, over earthly trifles. No, we do battle for the heavenly, for the incorruptible and inexpressibly good things of the kingdom of God.... We must make war against all the sinful passions and evil desires, and subdue them.... Only then can we stand fast. ... [To the extent that we, like the Ephesians, should have many visible enemies,] may you Christians not get angry at men, who are not at fault, but at the demons, who use men as vessels to war against you.

It is a beguilement to think that our proper warfare is against humans, societies, or nations. Similarly, we are beguiled if we war against inanimate entities in this world (e.g., technologies, medical procedures, etc.), all of which are morally neutral and assist for the sake of good or evil according to the intentions of those who employ them.

4) Focus on the aim of Christian life. Above all, regarding any troubling or demanding circumstance, Orthodox should be mindful of the Lord’s admonition to Saint Martha: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (St. Luke 10:41–42). In a word, the life of a Christian can be characterized as repentance, a continual transformation and renewal accomplished by a turning away from that which separates and towards that which unites him to His Creator. Its aim is nothing less than the “acquisition of the Holy Spirit” and, by Grace, union with God. As Saint Seraphim of Sarov also counseled, “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved.”

5) Public Discourse. To the extent that Orthodox should engage in debates, they should remember that their primary duty is not to win an argument. The perennial duty of Orthodox vis-à-vis public discourse is that their speech and conduct reflect their calling:

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man (Colossians 4:6).

Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I St. Peter 3:15).

Fear, agitation, alarm, distress, aggression, outrage, and anger, especially when revealed in disputation, signal that we are “of the world” and off track in our Christian life. The Apostle set a high bar for our own demeanor and our relationship to society: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). The human heart is a sanctuary which must be guarded by the peace which our Lord gives: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (St. John 14:27). “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

In Her own sanctuaries, our Mother, the Church, redirects our minds and hearts towards this peace multiple times a day:

In peace, let us beseech the Lord.

For the peace from above....

For the peace of the whole world....

Peace be unto all.

 

Our Lord instructed us to preserve our peace even in the worst circumstances, be it wars or virtual warfare: “When ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled” (St. Mark 13:7). If, however, we allow any passion—even an ideological cause—to usurp our peace and rule in our hearts, we are guilty of no less than idolatry.

With respect to the particulars of public disputes, people should pursue their topic with decorum and the best skills of critical thinking, aiming to respect their opponent in dialog, discover relevant facts, and use reasoning skills to provide useful solutions that will benefit as many people as possible. Judgements of character and motives (except for oneself, where we should always be harsh!) should absolutely be avoided. Simply put, our role in matters beyond the boundaries of the Church is to do good, not to exercise judgement. "For what have I to do to judge them...that are without [the Church]? ... But them that are without God judgeth" (I Corinthians 5:12).

6) Render unto Cæsar. If we are to engage in public discourse with the intention of influencing the political life of our country, we must understand and respect its rules. Foremost, in a democracy, is the principle of majority rule. A close second is respect for the rights of minorities. These principles put heavy responsibilities of civility on each side in a contest and assure the whole society that its disputes will be resolved peacefully. Winning a decision, the victors are reminded that they should not be triumphalistic over the losers, nor should they prevail to such an extent that the minority is deprived of certain essential privileges. The minorities, on the other hand, are expected to honor the principle of peaceful dispute resolution over the actual outcome and, correspondingly, to quash any temptation to rebel.

Similarly, all sides must respect established protocols for change, accountability, and justice. We have time-honored institutions of elections, overseeing agencies, and departments of justice, sufficient to remedy problems of corruption, incompetence, and criminal behavior. We should abhor any threat to these established protocols and exercise all patience in allowing them to play their roles. Vigilantism should be rejected at every instance as a threat to the very foundations of our society, regardless of our sympathies for the issues under contention.

7) Clergy must lead by example. The faithful look foremost to those who “have the rule” over them as exemplars whom they follow. Accordingly, Priests must be especially concerned to follow the guidelines and principles I have laid out above with respect to public discourse. In general, clergy should not make public statements that reveal their political affiliations or positions on public disputes. If they or their Hierarchs should judge that there are good reasons to speak about an issue, statements should be made with the utmost discretion. Clergy should never forget the likelihood that, even if they cheer ninety-nine of their faithful, there remains the risk that one will be scandalized and leave, a sin for which they will give an account to the Lord Himself.

8) The House of God and partisanship. Our Lord was incarnate and endured His Passion and Crucifixion to save all of mankind. If we drive a believer away in dispute of an issue that does not itself separate him from the Savior, we ourselves are complicit in our Lord’s Crucifixion. The strict warnings we have in the Church for the preservation of the deposit of faith and protecting the faithful from beguilement or seduction to idolatry refer precisely to behavior or beliefs that affect the human heart, our Lord’s preeminent sanctuary. That sanctuary is purified and hallowed through the Mysteriological and hesychastic life of the Church. It is for this domain that we must exercise vigilance and fidelity. Conversely, the giving of our hearts and minds to contentions, debates, civil and informational wars, and other passions or distractions constitute precisely the beguilement, the setting up of false gods, and the welcoming of false christs that we are to beware.

Simply put, clergy should not endorse causes or circulate materials or links that lend themselves to partisan interpretation, unless thoroughly explained (e.g., as examples of what should not be done). And what is circulated should be vetted and fact-checked, in light of the increasing tendency for rumormongering, confabulation, and outright lying. Finally, in their personal conduct clergy should prove themselves able to engage people of all types with good will and sincere attention to the arguments or concerns put forward. In good conscience, a Priest should be able to affirm that in his parish there is neither Greek nor Jew, Republican nor Democrat, social isolationist nor re-integrator, vaccinator nor anti-vaccinator, and on, with an ever-expanding list of would-be opponents on issues inconsequential to salvation.