George C. Michalopulos - AOI Observer

June 19, 2013

Tulsa World: Speaker didn’t reflect the church’s views

July 24, 2010 3:18 PM

Source: Tulsa World By: GEORGE C. MICHALOPULOS Recently, the Tulsa Interfaith Council sponsored an appearance by Frank Schaeffer. I had the pleasure of attending one of Frank's lectures. As a fellow Orthodox Christian it's always good to see Frank. Whether you agree with him or not, you know you're in for a good and lively debate. Personally, I've always considered him a friend and still do. (Regina Orthodox Press, which is owned by Frank, published a book I wrote.) Having said that, I was disheartened by much of what I heard. I fear that some of his statements may have been injurious to many people; at the very least some might think that because of his fame, as an author, lecturer, and television commentator, he represents the views of the Orthodox Church. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Culture, Frank Schaeffer, George C. Michalopulos

To the anonymous priest-critic of the Manhattan Declaration

December 22, 2009 6:58 PM

George Michalopulos answers the "Orthodox Priest" (name withheld) whose critical comments about the Manhattan Declaration were posted on The Observer (here) by Harry Katopodis: A Response to an Orthodox Priest Regarding the Manhattan Declaration Dec 21, 2009 Reverend Father, bless! Christ is in our midst! As you can tell by my name, I am a layman, not a clergyman. Neither am I a theologian, therefore what follows must be viewed with that in mind. Be that as it may, I am at a loss to understand how the Manhattan Declaration is a document whose “…theology is not Orthodox” (as you state). This is a bold assertion. Therefore I am forced to ask which heretical and/or heterodox teachings were promulgated within the Declaration. As two Orthodox bishops and several Orthodox priests were involved in its creation, I need to know if they were wrong in any way. You then go on to state that the Declarations “approach to pastoral ministry…is not Orthodox.” Unless I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Ecumenical, George C. Michalopulos, Harry Katopodis, Manhattan Declaration, Orthodox Church, religious freedom, sanctity of life

To Frank Schaeffer: ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t cut it

June 12, 2009 7:11 AM

(HT: Orthodoxy Today) The State of Kansas vs Frank Schaeffer in the Murder of Dr. George Tiller By George C. Michalopulos Recently, the notorious abortionist Dr George Tiller was gunned down in his church in Wichita, Kansas. The killer was a man who appears to be a dysfunctional loner with grave psychological problems. Nobody in the pro-life movement has stepped forward to applaud him or his actions; routine condemnation has been the order of the day. One man however, has bravely stepped forward to take responsibility for this act. Frank Schaeffer, a self-described former member of the “Republican Party hate machine,” a group that included his father Francis Schaeffer, Jerry Falwell, and Ronald Reagan among many others, recently offered a mea-culpa in the left-wing journal The Huffington Post. Schaeffer believes that his life’s work as a young man in the Evangelical movement directly led to this incident because he helped create a "climate of fear" with his … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: abortion, Bristol Palin, Culture, Ecumenical, Frank Schaeffer, George C. Michalopulos, George Tiller, History, Huffington Post, Law, liberal Christianity, News, Orthodox Church, Politics, Protestant evangelical, Religious Left, Religious Right, sanctity of life, Theology

Canon 28 and Constantinople’s Jurisdictional Claims

May 9, 2009 8:18 AM

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Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: American Orthodoxy, autocephalous, Canon 28, Ecumenical, ecumenical patriarch, Fourth Ecumenical Council, George C. Michalopulos, mission and evangelism, Orthodox Church, Orthodox Unity, Theology

The American Orthodox Church at a Crossroads

May 8, 2009 9:39 AM

George Michalopulos, frequent contributor to the AOI blog and author of several articles on the AOI website, is this week's guest on The Illumined Heart, a program on Ancient Faith Radio. In June 2009 leaders of all autocephalous Orthodox Churches - excluding the OCA or any representatives from North America - meet in Cyprus or Geneva (undetermined at the date of this posting), at a meeting convened by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew I. This meeting is being called to discuss "the so-called Orthodox Diaspora, with a view to overcoming every possible influence that is foreign to Orthodox ecclesiology." The American Orthodox situation and its disunity is at the top of the agenda. In this edition of The Illumined Heart, host Kevin Allen and author George C. Michalopulos discuss this meeting, the history and state of Orthodoxy in North America and possible outcomes of this potentially pivotal convocation. Listen to Part 1 Listen to Part 2 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: american orthodox church, American Orthodoxy, ancient faith radio, Audio, autocephalous, diaspora, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, George C. Michalopulos, Orthodox Church, orthodox ecclesiology, Orthodox Media, Orthodox Unity, Podcast

OCL responds to EP talk at Holy Cross

March 26, 2009 7:28 PM

George Michalopulos, Orthodox Christian Laity board member and frequent contributor to the AOI blog, penned the official OCL response to Arch. Elpidophoros Lambriniadis' recent talk at Holy Cross School of Theology. Original article is posted on the OCL website. An OCL Board Member Responds to the Message of Chief Secretary of The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate March 25, 2009 - the Feast of the Annunciation I. Introduction: An Archimandrite Speaks Recently, a certain archimandrite, the Very Rev Dr Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, spoke at Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. His position is one of auxiliary professor at this seminary but his formal title is “Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod.” His remarks thus were more than the observations of a mere academic; indeed he stated from the outset that they were authorized by the Ecumenical Patriarch himself and “with the consent” of Archbishop Demetrios, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, George C. Michalopulos, Greek Orthodox, Hellenism, Hellenism and Orthodoxy, holy cross greek orthodox school of theology, Metropolitan Jonah, Metropolitan Philip, OCL, Orthodox Christian Laity

E Pluribus Unum: One Church From Many?

March 18, 2009 7:49 PM

The American Orthodox Institute has published a new paper on Orthodox unity by George Michalopulos that examines the historical usage of the title "metropolitan," the role of the metropolitan in Church administration, and the "crucial" pastoral duty defined in the Divine Liturgy as "rightly dividing the Word of [God's] Truth." In "E Pluribus Unum: One Church From Many?" Michalopulos takes it a step further. He offers a "sketch" of how an American Orthodox Church might be structured along traditional lines. In a unified American Orthodox Church, for example, the Archbishop of Washington would be the primate of the American Church and also carry the title of Patriarch. Rather coincidentally, AOI published "E Pluribus Unum: One Church from Many?" just a day after the Very Reverend Archimandrite Dr. Elpidophoros Lambriniadis delivered his speech "Challenges of Orthodoxy in America And the Role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate" at Holy Cross seminary. The Ecumenical Patriarchate sees … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, ecumenical patriarchate, Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, Essays, George C. Michalopulos, Orthodox Church, Orthodox metropolitan, Orthodox Unity, Politics, SCOBA, unity

Culture Wars: Fr. Jacobse on Ancient Faith Radio

January 10, 2009 2:47 PM

Kevin Allen, host of Ancient Faith Radio's Illumined Heart program, interviews AOI President Fr. Hans Jacobse for a fascinating discussion on "The Culture War and Orthodox Christianity." Fr. Hans talks about the need for Eastern Orthodox Christians to engage in the moral and social debates -- call them Culture Wars if you will -- that are being waged in American society today. In this 35 minute program, Allen also asks Fr. Hans about the recent discussion on this blog about whether "Religious Right" leaning ex-Evangelical converts are taking over the Orthodox churches in America. Allen asked Fr. Hans if he thought the Culture Wars might be a lost cause, given what we see in society today. Fr. Hans said the battles over moral issues will be difficult, with uncertain outcomes. But he reminded Allen that our faithfulness will determine the shape of tomorrow. "If it be God's will that the world be saved -- and it is -- I think there's a chance we can turn this around," Fr. Hans … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: converts, Culture, culture wars, George C. Michalopulos, Harry Katopodis, Illumined Heart, Kevin Allen, Media, News, Orthodox Church, Politics, Religious Left, Religious Right, Rev. Johannes L. Jacobse, sanctity of life

Disarray, Disunity and the Metropolitans

January 7, 2009 1:42 PM

AOI has published an article by George C Michalopulos titled "The Role of Metropolitan and Its Relationship within the Episcopate: A Reappraisal." This original work looks at the historical antecedents of the office of the Metropolitan from early Christianity to today. Along the way, we discover that although the office arose out of the episkopos (overseer) in the first centuries and lasted a millennium, the fall of Constantinople and the Ottoman oppression changed that early practice. The Patriarch and his bishops, while still holding some authority over the Orthodox Christians under the Ottomans, lost their episcopal sees and the office took on bureaucratic functions along with the petty intrigues, corruptions, and loss of prestige that followed the historic catastrophe. We've inherited that model today, Michalopulos argues, and it explains in some measure why the American Orthodox are afflicted with jurisdictional confusion. He also suggests how the episcopal hierarchy might … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: american orthodox church, episcopacy, George C. Michalopulos, History, Orthodox Church, Politics, Theology, unity

Michalopulos responds to Katopodis on ‘Orthodox Dominionists’

October 13, 2008 2:02 PM

George C. Michalopulos has submitted the following in response to Harry Katopodis' article on Orthodox Dominionists. Michalopulos is co-author, with Herb Ham, of "The American Orthodox Church -- A History of its Beginnings" (Regina Orthodox Press). Michalopulos: It never ceases to amaze me how certain benighted and theologically inept individuals take upon themselves the task of speaking for Christ’s Church as it traverses on its voyage through history. One such individual fears that the so-called religious right has made inroads into the Orthodox Church in North America, and that it is only because of noble souls such as himself that tolerance can only be found in one remaining bastion, i.e. the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. And of what is Katapodis afraid? In no particular order: converts, “theocons,” non-GOAA bishops, and the rising tide of pro-lifers within American Orthodoxy. The ridiculousness … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: abortion, antiochian orthodox christian archdiocese, converts, Democrat, Dominionist theology, George C. Michalopulos, Greek Orthodox, Harry Katopodis, Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church in America, Republican, sanctity of life