a priest's musings on the journey
Thursday, May 10, 2007
'Between Agabe and Eros' revisiting traditional Orthodoxy teaching on homosexuality by Andre Florin
I'm still processing this, but check it out. It is an essay written by a twenty something Anglican seminarian at St Mary's College, University of St Andrews. Although an Anglican, he has an attraction, as I do, to Eastern Orthodoxy. I'll post his conclusions below, then you can go read his essay. I do not agree with all he says, but I think he raises some interesting ideas here.
5. 5. Recommendations
To sum up, the recommendations flowing from this essay are as follows:
The Orthodox Church should refrain from using the modern concept of homosexuality to talk about its theological anthropology and moral teaching.
The Orthodoxy Church should retain the distinctions made by the Apostles and Holy Fathers between agape and lustful passions and uphold the distinction between different sexual acts.
Orthodoxy should consider agape-based relationship with greater compassion and exercise the same sensible church economy with them (as it does with divorce) rather than impose temporary excommunication.
It could only be in the interest of Orthodoxy to consider the revival of the liturgy of brother-making within the framework of church economy in order to (1) provide a liturgical context in which members of the same sex can live in agape and work together towards theosis (2) make clear from the existing liturgy that this bond of love has nothing to do with marriage and is only between two individuals rather than any given number as in monasticism.
Orthodoxy has the chance to allow those of its faithful and catechumens who are called by God to love members of the same sex a meaningful life in the Orthodox Church, which has an immensely rich tool at its hand in order to support these members and to bear witness to its mission to the world at the same time. It has even here on earth access to a healing and deifying reality, which transcends the weary world – the reality of the Divine Liturgy, in which all the faithful come together in Christ to worship him in true agape.
'Between Agabe and Eros' revisiting traditional Orthodoxy teaching on homosexuality by Andre Florin
5. 5. Recommendations
To sum up, the recommendations flowing from this essay are as follows:
The Orthodox Church should refrain from using the modern concept of homosexuality to talk about its theological anthropology and moral teaching.
The Orthodoxy Church should retain the distinctions made by the Apostles and Holy Fathers between agape and lustful passions and uphold the distinction between different sexual acts.
Orthodoxy should consider agape-based relationship with greater compassion and exercise the same sensible church economy with them (as it does with divorce) rather than impose temporary excommunication.
It could only be in the interest of Orthodoxy to consider the revival of the liturgy of brother-making within the framework of church economy in order to (1) provide a liturgical context in which members of the same sex can live in agape and work together towards theosis (2) make clear from the existing liturgy that this bond of love has nothing to do with marriage and is only between two individuals rather than any given number as in monasticism.
Orthodoxy has the chance to allow those of its faithful and catechumens who are called by God to love members of the same sex a meaningful life in the Orthodox Church, which has an immensely rich tool at its hand in order to support these members and to bear witness to its mission to the world at the same time. It has even here on earth access to a healing and deifying reality, which transcends the weary world – the reality of the Divine Liturgy, in which all the faithful come together in Christ to worship him in true agape.
'Between Agabe and Eros' revisiting traditional Orthodoxy teaching on homosexuality by Andre Florin
:: posted by Padre Rob+, 7:59 PM
1 Comments:
Wow. Interesting essay. Hope you don't mind if I post the link on my blog. Thanks for bringing this forth.
