Church Renewal Advocate: Politics May Cost NCC Its Conservative Constituents
by Jim Brown
August 9, 2005
(AgapePress) - A spokesman for a church reform group believes the recent decision by the Antiochian Orthodox Church to leave the National Council of Churches (NCC) may prompt the larger Russian and Greek Orthodox churches to follow suit.
Late last month, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America became the first denomination in several years to quit the NCC. Antiochian Orthodox spokespersons cited concerns over the NCC's liberal stance on homosexuality and the group's political outspokenness as among the church's reasons for leaving.
Mark Tooley is with the Institute on Religion and Democracy, an ecumenical alliance of Christians working to reform their churches' witness in society. With regard to the Antiochian Orthodox Church's departure from the NCC, Tooley says the handwriting was on the wall.
"Eastern Orthodox churches are still very traditional theologically and on moral issues," the IRD spokesman points out. "And, interestingly, although they tend to be fairly wealthy churches, they give no money to the National Council of Churches."
In fact, Tooley says, "There have always been hints that perhaps the Eastern Orthodox would pull out." He believes the recent move by the Antiochian Orthodox will likely have a ripple effect on larger Orthodox denominations that are fed up with what many see as the NCC's left-wing political activism.
The NCC's "primary concern is politics, not churches," the Christian reform advocate contends. He says the head of the National Council of Churches, Bob Edgar, "has emphasized his outreach to new constituencies, especially Catholics and Evangelicals." But as the NCC receives less funding from its member denominations and increasingly relies on support from liberal foundations, political advocacy groups and direct mail campaigns, Tooley feels Edgar has further accentuated the NCC's liberal political focus in ways unlikely to endear him to the more traditional and conservative Christian denominations.
And if Edgar "starts to lose even members of his own council, especially the Eastern Orthodox," Tooley notes, "that certainly is going to undermine his claims of being able to broaden the National Council's constituency."
The ripples the IRD spokesman is predicting may have already begun. The Russian Orthodox Church recently studied a paper urging its withdrawal from the National Council of Churches. Russian Orthodox bishops plan to discuss the issue further this fall.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
