“Are you Jewish?” That is a common question I often hear when I tell somebody that I am Orthodox. It is often followed with a clarification that I am Orthodox Christian, which leads to more confusion, and ultimately a resignation to the fact that my faith is not widely known in the United States. There are approximately two million Orthodox Christians in the United States, with the most common being the Greek Orthodox Church, of which I am a member.
The Orthodox Church, while not widely known in America, has over 300 million global adherents and is the major religion in countries such as Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Although the Church has a strong foothold in Europe, its location primarily in Eastern Europe has led it to not being perverted by the denigration of Western civilization in recent decades. It is no secret that ever since Vatican II, there has been an ideological fight between more traditional Catholics and more liberal Catholics about what direction the Catholic Church should take. In an effort to “modernize and revitalize” the Catholic Church, Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI reformed parts of the Church in hopes of a re-awakening of the faith. Unfortunately, Catholic Church laity attendance continued to drop in the wake of Vatican II, and now weekly attendance is in the single digits for most European countries. It is also alarming that recent polls show 70% of Catholics do not actually believe the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I do not mention these numbers in glee but instead in sorrow that so many people have fallen away from the faith in the past generation. I do have hope from what I see at the Sons of St. Patrick that a new generation of committed and traditional followers of Christ can revitalize the Catholic Church to new heights.
I provide all this background on the Catholic Church because, as an Orthodox Christian, I fear we are barrelling down the same path that the Catholics started on fifty years ago with Vatican II. The Orthodox Church has become significantly more invested in social issues in recent years that are directly turning off the people they should want to remain in the faith. In 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople allowed a splinter group to separate from the true Ukrainian Orthodox Church despite it not being approved through an Ecumenical Council. This decision led to the persecution and martyrdom of my fellow Orthodox brothers and sisters at the hands of the current regime in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government just recently voted to ban the Orthodox Church in the country because of supposed ties to Russia. In addition, the Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, recently went to Greece to perform a baptism for the child of two gay parents. This directly violates the stated positions of the Church. He also recently marched in certain Marxist political organizations and injected himself into contentious political issues.
The Orthodox Church is regrettably following the same decisions of the Catholic Church with Vatican II by attempting to appease groups that will never join the Church. These people don’t want to reform the Church, they want to abolish our faith because it is a direct threat to their power. If we believe in eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, and not salvation from the government or our earthly leaders, then these people cannot control us. This is exactly why the Bolsheviks persecuted and martyred millions of Orthodox in Russia in the aftermath of the Communist Revolution. True Christian faith was a direct threat to their power, and they understood it must be eradicated in order for their radicalism to survive. If people cannot accept the true tenets of the Christian faith and 2000 years of Apostolic Tradition, they will stand before God on Judgement Day, and it helps no one for the us to pander to their radical views on gender, sexuality, economic policy, or any other leftist cult. Instead, the Orthodox Church must double down on the objective truth no matter how unpopular and should not shy away from the faith, as Paul instructs in Timothy 1:7-17.
Overall, I am not advocating for forced conversion of people to Orthodoxy, Catholicism, or any other faith. Human nature allows us the choice to either accept or reject our Lord, but it also requires that we maintain the truth regarding Him. We must not indulge extreme ideologies to gain the favor of the media or politicians, but instead proclaim the truth in the face of hostility. If people cannot adhere to our teachings, then they are free to join a faith that better suits them. Ultimately, it is up to the Orthodox and Catholic Churches to understand that the existential threat they face is not being “outdated” but instead it is the forces that seek to eradicate the truth. We must confront these attempts head-on, standing strong in our faith and having the resolve to reject perverse ideologies. The truth is what will draw more people to the faith, not pandering and liberalization.
James “Δημήτριος” Markis is a senior at Boston College studying History, Political Science, and Ancient Civilization. He is a Greek Orthodox Christian, offering a unique perspective from the East on faith, scripture, and liturgical practices. His interests include right-wing politics, Church Fathers, and refuting Protestant heresy. His hobbies include basketball, baseball, and trivia, with the occasional adventure into the arena of chess.
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