Lately, I've been thinking a lot more about the situation we (tradtionalists) are all in. This has not been just an "intellectual exercise," but something that practically, intimately effects me on the personal level. What follows are some thoughts that have developed, which I ask all of you to comment on. I know some will agree with certain things I say, and some will disagree with certain things: if you would, please say why you agree or disagree.
Archbishop Chrysostomos once said that "those who 'hunt down' heretics, who create strife and discord in the Church by unfounded and supercilious accusations of heresy, and who act out of pride and wrath in condemning those who may innocently hold wrong beliefs--these very same individuals are acting within the spirit of heresy itself. A true Christian seeks to correct those in error, to lead them with love, and to avoid strife and discord. A true Christian does not seek out errors in others, but examines first his own shortcomings." It is in this spirit that I make this post.
I am not going to "name names". The purpose of this post is not to single out offenders, but just to discuss basic principles and questions. I am confused about some very foundational things at this point: how can I judge someone according to my own chaotic understanding? This post is rather an attempt to bring some end to the chaos and come out into the light.
As to the actual lapses world Orthodoxy has fallen into, I think they can be grouped into three general types: 1) Dogmatic errors, 2) Generally accepted practical/canonical lapses, and 3) Sproadic, tacitly approved (or ignored) practical/canonical lapses. Here's the errors or lapses that most traditionalists would recognize as problems:
3) Sproadic, tacitly approved (or ignored) practical/canonical lapses
- Usage of the full Gregorian calendar so that Pascha is always at the same time as the Easter of western Christians
- Continued support for married bishops
- The rise in support--albeit minor at this point--for female priests
- General confessions given
- Strange teachings emanating from world Orthodox seminaries
- Giving antidoran to those not in the Church
2) Generally accepted practical/canonical lapses
- Usage of the Gregorian calendar
- Praying with the heterodox and non-Christians.
- Various gestures of friendship with Roman Catholics which violate Christian love (dropping of anathemas, etc.)
- Church canons disregarded with no justifiable explanation (kneeling on sundays, etc.)
- Protestantized scholarship among theologians in patristics, liturgics, and other areas
- Lack of, and sometimes complete absense of, a monastic presence
- Disregard for fasting and other ascetic virtues
- Various lapses in morality (Contraception, etc.)
1) Dogmatic errors
- Communion and Concelebration with Monophysites
- Acceptance of Roman Catholic and Anglican sacraments as having some degree of grace
- Allowing Orthodox to attend Anglican services and to receive communion
- Continued participation in the ecumenical movement
(It should be noted that in the case of 3 and 2, the error will sometimes be on the part of the priest or bishop, and the person "below them"--if I may use such a term--can be mostly innocent. An example of this would be giving antidoran to inquirers.)
Those who have fallen into the dogmatic errors must therefore be considered heretics, for they accept either heretical beliefs (and have practices that demonstrate this) or they accept heretical groups (and have practices that demonstrate this). Put shortly: to be in communion with a heretic, or to accept heretical beliefs, makes one a heretic.
However, each bishop must be evaluated differently. We cannot condemn every Church and every bishop within it for dogmatic errors if every bishop has not fallen into the errors. It might be possible that the majority of a Church has fallen into error, but that some bishops have resisted this error and fought against it. We would be no better than the neo-papal-patriarchalists if we tried to tie everything in with certain "central authorities," and left off true Orthodoxy ecclesiology, which sees each bishop as a beacon of light by himself--even apart from those bishops who are "above him".
There are many examples in Church history of bishops from insignifcant bishoprics taking stands against errors of the rest of their local Church. When such stands are taken today, these bishops should be commended, and not grouped together with the bishops whom they are fighting against! We must distinquish who stands where, and not be hasty to condemn entire Churches or to think that because the "head" of a church has fallen, that the entire Church will fall. Christ is indeed the head of each local Orthodox Church, just because the Patriarch falls that doesn't mean that the entire Church has fallen.
So what of cyprianite ecclesiology? The cyprianite ecclesiology seems perfectly acceptable when applied to the proper situations. Regarding groups 2 and 3 mentioned above (ie. non-dogmatic lapses), I think that cyprianite ecclesiology is a tenable option. In fact, I think it is the most sensible path to take in a situation where only lapses such as those seen in 2 and 3 have taken place. Where cyprianite ecclesiology isn't tenable (in my prideful, fallible opinion) is in cases where the errors of number 1 have happened. When there are dogmatic errors, and these errors have continued for some time and are apparently not going to be corrected, then something more than a mere "walling off" is necessary.
So what of ROCOR? As said above, discernment is needed when looking at who she is in communion with. The Serbs, the JP, the Cyprianites, and the Bulgarians and Romanians all seem like different situations to me, and we would not only have to seperate each of these groups and examine them seperately, but if we are going to be faithful to our Orthodox tradition we would have to look at the position of the varying bishops within these groups. This isn't something I propose we do here. 
Justin
Edit--Added something I forgot to add to this post (I composed the post offline and meant to add the quote by Chrysostomos but forgot to do so before I posted! 
)
)
