Apparently the OC could use a little reforming itself.
The so-called "Orthodox Church of America" (OCA) is not an Orthodox Church. Any church in America can use the word Orthodox in their name and try to fool people into thinking they are Orthodox.
The Orthodox Church is that Faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all Orthodox Christians. It is not some building or group who simply calls themselves Orthodox and looks Orthodox based upon outward appearance.
Any church or bishop which does not confess the true Apostolic Faith which was delivered by Christ to His holy Apostles, and then passed down to the faithful from each generation, is not Orthodox, no matter what they call themselves.
We live in evil and perilous times, when truth is being obscured by gross apostasy. We ought not lose faith over this, it has been foretold. We also cannot lift a finger to stop the apostasy either. The best we can hope for is to save our own souls and perhaps reach out to a few others.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timonty 4:3-4)
Sadly, a century or two ago most churches calling themselves Orthodox confessed sound doctrine, but this is no longer the case. We are in the age of Antichrist, and he is just around the corner. During the reign of Antichrist there will be very few Orthodox bishops in the world. The number is rapidly declining even now. There used to be hundreds of Orthodox bishops worldwide. I would venture to say that there are far less than one hundred today.
There are many churches out there professing to be Orthodox, yet only having an outward form of godliness. Inwardly they are ravening wolves.
I will help you to distinguish the true Orthodox from the false.
For starters, no so-called Orthodox Church which uses the New Calendar -- i.e. the revised Julian, or as it is more commonly termed, the 'Gregorian' calendar, is truly Orthodox.
No true Orthodox church is a member of the World Council of Churches or the worldwide ecumenical movement. Ecumenism is a devious plot of Antichrist that seeks to merge all the various heretical denominations, and sects into one giant synagogue of Satan. The only way this can be accomplished is if all the "churches" decide that the truth is not important, and therefore unify around lies and falsehood.
No truly Orthodox church desires union with the heretical Roman Papists. The only way Christ will bless a union of Papists and Orthodox is for the Papists to cease being Papists and to confess Orthodoxy. Then of course they would be welcomed back into the Church.
Cyprian |
