Is the Culture Targeting the Orthodox Church?

Over at The Stream, Timothy Furnish has a piece discussing the animus against the Orthodox Church. Furnish notes that this comes on the heels of disdain for Evangelicals and Roman Catholics. Furnish writes:

Now they’re coming for Orthodox Christians. Most recently—during our Lent, of course—a Texas Monthly hit piece accused the Orthodox of being “inspired by the Confederacy and Czarist Russia.” But this has been going on for a while: Last fall, Newsweek said the FBI is warning that the Kremlin is “recruiting spies” in American Orthodox churches. In 2022, NPR ran the hyperventilating story “Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts.” So now Eastern Christians, not just certain Western ones, are in the cross-hairs of the “elites.”

The Texas Monthly piece “Inspired by the Confederacy and Czarist Russia, ‘Ortho Bros’ Are on the Rise” talks about an Orthodox church in Spring, Texas. It is part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The article describes the priest's sermon about Israel, which the article portrayed as an example of replacement theology. The writer takes issue with the fact that the priest, Rev. John Whiteford, despite having publicly condemned neo-Nazis, has opposed the removal of Confederate statues. The article also states that Whiteford does not believe that slavery was the cause of the Civil War.

Furnish also cites a Newsweek article from September of last year stating that the FBI warned Russian and Greek Orthodox churches about possible attempts by Russian spies to infiltrate churches and recruit operatives and that they might be using blackmail. A May 2022 NPR piece is about alt-right infiltration into Orthodox churches with the headline, “Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts.” 

From the piece:

Perhaps the most well-known among Orthodox converts who worked within alt-right circles was Matthew Heimbach. He had established the Traditionalist Worker Party, which helped organize a deadly gathering of neo-Nazis and white nationalists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. But years before that, Heimbach's activities had already created waves within some Orthodox circles.

In 2014, he was excommunicated from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America shortly after he had been accepted into it. During his brief time there, Heimbach's activities with other Orthodox converts on a college campus in Indiana drew scrutiny. In explaining the decision to cut Heimbach off from the church, the priest who had brought him into the church explained, "I did not understand at that time that he held nationalistic, segregationist views." Heimbach went on to join another branch of Orthodoxy.

The NPR piece also quotes a scholar that there are those in the ROCOR who view Vladimir Putin as a "king-like figure."

When someone walks into a church, there is no way of knowing who they are or what they believe. It is worth noting that the priest excommunicated Heimbach for his views. There is a story of an unidentified parish where a woman told a visiting black woman that she should attend another church. The priest learned of the situation and stood before the congregation the following Sunday. While not naming the offender, he said that the woman would not be absolved of her sin until she apologized to the black woman. Only then could the offender receive absolution. 

By way of a very, very brief summary, Furnish contends that Orthodoxy finds itself under the microscope because only men are ordained and because it holds traditional views regarding marriage, LGBTQ issues, and abortion, although, in my experience, Orthodox Christians are as diverse on those issues as anyone else, and their views are all along the various spectrums. Furnish also notes that the church is also steeped in centuries of tradition, and it is growing. 

Furnish quotes from the Texas Monthly article:

 “though [Houston’s Father John] Whiteford says he stays out of purely political discussions, others in his orbit have used their faith and online megaphones to further the cause of right-wing politics. Some of them have found common cause with the Confederacy, fascism, monarchism, and white supremacy.”

 Saliashvili (the article's author) provides no actual links between such folks and Fr. Whiteford. And of course, like any modern journalist, she goes to X, where the priest “posts and reposts content that is critical of Israel, expresses skepticism of U.S. support of Ukraine … and pushes various reactionary talking points.” Fr. Whiteford (horror of horrors!) also supports homeschooling, opposes the LGBTQ agenda, and is against taking down Confederate statues. Saliashvili then decries Texas becoming a magnet for “right-wing” and “right-adjacent” figures such as Glenn Beck and Elon Musk. And presumably Fr. Whiteford.

You can read Furnish's piece here.

Why I am a Greek Orthodox Christian

Long-time readers know that I was born and raised Episcopalian. For a time, I sought ordination. My apologies to those who have read this story before, but ultimately, I was rejected for the ordination process. I would not have made a good minister, but I found out later that the sole reason I was turned away was because the diocese was not ordaining "white straight men" and that I never had a chance. 

I decided that I did not want to spend my life sitting in an ecclesiastical re-education camp, confessing to crimes I had never committed and renouncing men I had never met or who had died before I was born. Eventually, I grew tired of trying to convince myself to stay in a church that did not want me and realized that Sundays were perfect for sleeping in, watching sports, grilling burgers, and quaffing a few cold ones. 

Like many disaffected Christians, I decided to try something new. My long-time interest in Joesph Campbell eventually led me to try Buddhism. Those days found me sitting on my living room floor in the lotus position in front of a statue of the Buddha while meditating to the chants of Tibetan monks. Yes, I really did do that, and I am sure I looked ridiculous. By all means, have a field day in the comments section. I deserve it. But at the time, I was counter-cultural, man! 

My new wife quickly surmised that I was a BINO (Buddhist In Name Only) and announced that it was time to find a church. So, I became an Evangelical. For ten years, I gave it my all. I rarely missed church, participated in Bible studies, took a role as a deacon, volunteered for everything, and even went on overseas short-term mission trips. 

I went back to school for my Master's degree to become an effective preacher. I had some wonderful experiences and some awful ones, but the upshot was that I just was not a good fit for Evangelicalism. Something about it always left me cold. That is no knock on Evangelicals; I just didn't belong there.

At one point, my wife and I came to terms with the fact that we were in the wrong place, at least for us. The question was, where were we to go? I had visited one Greek Orthodox Church in my life and only for one day. Oddly enough, it was the one faith I had never studied in depth. But we decided to make a go of it, and I chose the closest Greek Orthodox parish to our house. 

Many people think that the appeal of Orthodoxy is some sort of mystical strangeness. They think that the appeal lies in the "smells, bells, and yells," so to speak. It does not. People are drawn to Orthodoxy for a variety of reasons. It was at our Greek Orthodox church that I first truly encountered the Divine. I experienced His greatness, my sinfulness and brokenness, and His grace and mercy. And that moment broke me. 

I do not worship icons. They have no salvific power and do not contain the presence of God. They serve as "windows to Heaven" and depict people whose examples I should strive to follow, even if I fail in that attempt. If you look at an Orthodox icon of Christ, you will see that His expression is a combination of compassion and seriousness. It reminds me that I was bought with a price and that I should not take my salvation for granted. 

I do not believe the saints or the Theotokos can save my soul. I do believe that they can join me in prayer and intercede with the Trinity on my behalf. I do not believe I can save myself by fasting on the appointed days, burning incense during my daily devotions, crossing myself, bowing, or kneeling. But those things serve as exercises to strengthen my Christian walk. The crucifix on our wall and the icon of my patron saint remind me that my faith is not allowed to begin or end at the doors of the church and that I still have daily work to do. I need to grow in compassion, understanding, and respect. 

I'm not saying that Orthodoxy is for everyone. I have defended Protestants, Catholics, and even Mormons in my career and will continue to do so when necessary for as long as I have a platform. If you have encountered God in your church, rejoice and be faithful. 

Is Orthodoxy alt-right?

Orthodoxy is found in America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Orthodox Christians come from all races and all backgrounds. Yes, I see an increasing number of young men, and for that matter, young couples attending on Sunday not because they are seeking to overthrow society but because they are looking for a meaningful way to relate to and worship God. They have found it in Orthodoxy. I have met former Evangelicals and mainline Protestants like myself and even former Mormons. 

In my church, we say the Lord's Prayer in English, Greek, and Russian. Others have even said it in Spanish. I have seen people of all races in church. Are there conservatives in the Orthodox Church? Yes, I'm proof of that. But some of my dearest friends at Church are as liberal as I am conservative. I do not need to engage them in politics. That is not what church is for. I value their friendship. I value them as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

I have no idea of our priests' political leanings. They don't discuss their views away from the pulpit. They certainly have never brought them up in their homilies. Can I say definitively that there are no hard right or hard left people in the Orthodox Church? No, because I have not met all of them. No denomination is homogenous. I cannot speak for every Orthodox Christian, clergy member, or parish. No doubt, there are those with reprehensible views in the Orthodox Church, but that is true of every church and, for that matter, any organized group of people. 

To try and cast a pall over all of Orthodoxy and intimate that it is a potential incubator or refuge for alt-right bad actors is irresponsible at best and reprehensible at worst. Faith, when it works, leads one from where one is to where one should be. The longer I practice my faith, the more work I see that I need to do and the more personal inventory I need to take. I am forced to question my life and hold it up to the Gospel for examination. Faith is a journey, not a destination. 

Why attack Orthodoxy?

Despite the claims that Orthodox churches are offering safe havens to angry, white misogynists and Putin-sponsored sleeper cells, if Orthodoxy is being targeted, it is likely because it is its turn.

It should be clear by now that some consider many Christian churches and denominations to be fair game for accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, or whatever the current panic may be on any given day. The only exemptions might be the mainline Protestant denominations that have fully embraced the accepted narratives. 

As proof, Fox News had the story of Glen Rock, N.J., Councilwoman Paula Gilligan. Gilligan, who is apparently a humanist, recently made an Instagram post that read, "Easter eggs are aborted chicken babies that are painted in drag for small children to worship."  Did she post something similarly offensive about Ramadan? My guess is no.

Cultural forces have successfully gone after the mainline Protestant churches and are working very hard in Evangelical churches. Not long ago, traditional Roman Catholics were the latest alleged threat of domestic terrorism. It only makes sense that Orthodox Christianity would be in the on-deck circle at some point. And it is easy to exploit bad apples while ignoring the many good people who are members. And admittedly it can be easy to let politics cloud the mission of the church if one is not careful.  

One of the primary drivers of the current popular ideology is the need to identify victims and locate the victimizers. That allows the dominant cultural elements to create policies and propaganda that help them to flourish while dividing the nation. And so, there must be a steady stream of suspects or enemies to fear and oppose. There must always be an Emmanuel Goldstein to provide a foundation for the rhetoric. It has been going on since at least the days of Nero and Diocletian and will continue so long as there are people who crave power for power's sake.