FALL 2003 INTERNET SCHOOL OF ORTHODOX

[TomS]

September 2, 2003

Contact: Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos
Department of Religious Education
50 Goddard Avenue
Brookline, MA 022445-7415
(617) 850-1218

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ANNOUNCES

FALL 2003 INTERNET SCHOOL OF ORTHODOX STUDIES SCHEDULE

Brookline, MA -- The Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces the Fall 2003 schedule of religious education classes for adults, families and parish educators over the Internet. The theme of the ISOS Winter Semester Classes is: An Introduction to Orthodox Theology. The series of 60 minute classes is intended to provide participants the opportunity to examine the basic theological elements of the Orthodox Church.

The Fall Semester classes, which are scheduled to take place on each Tuesday evening (September - December, 2003, 7:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.) on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology will be taught by the Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos, Director of the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and adjunct assistant professor of Religious Education and Homiletics for Holy Cross School of Theology and Dr. George Bithos, the Registrar of Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

In addition to those who can physically attend, the classes can be heard by anyone with a computer and Internet access. The classes are being made available by the Archdiocese Department of Internet Ministries with broadcasts in real-time through the Archdiocese web server. This year's presentations will also be provided in Streaming Video so that Web participants will be able to see the actual class presentations as they are being delivered. The ISOS web site address is:

http://www.isos.goarch.org

The presentations will also be archived so that students can listen to the classes when their schedule permits. A schedule and class syllabus is listed below and will be posted on the ISOS Internet Web Site.

The classes are offered free of charge to all Orthodox faithful in the Metropolis of Boston. The first class will convene on Tuesday, September 30 at 7:30 P.M. Participants are asked to please bring a notebook and to purchase the primary text for the course. Certificates of educational recognition will be provided to students who participate in the classes and
teachers who are engaged in the Teacher Certification Program of the Department of Religious Education.

[Justin Kissel]

Some interesting things. I learnt a lot of things that I hadn't known. I wanted to say that up front, because I don't mean for this to be a negative post. If you have some time (maybe while your making dinner or something), I think someone would be doing a good thing by turning this on and listening to it.

However, I'd also suggest caution in listening. There are a few lines here and there that could be potentially misleading or unorthodox. For instance, in his first talk on St. John Chrysostom and the priesthood, when briefly giving an overview of the Meletios Schism in the 4th century, the priest says: "as long as you had the big sees behind you you just couldn't dismiss them into nothing". The point was, neither party or group could be dismissed (not even the one he labels "rigorist" and "fundamentalist") because they had a Patriarchate supporting them. That's misleading at best though, and a reason that many today are so easily buy into neo-papal-patriarchalism. I had an Antiochian Deacon tell me last week that we were schismatic because we weren't in communion with one of the ancient patriarchates. * It's as though roman papacy is anathema, but an east/west pentarchy, or attributing undue power to the eastern "big 4," is considered perfect legit. I see even in traditionalists this tendency to move away from seeing individual bishops in the way that St. Ignatius saw them, and to try to view everything from the top down.

Justin

• I didn't even know where to go with that one! Do I say that we are in communion with an "ancient patriarchate"? But what good will that do, other than feeding into the false notion that such a thing is a requirement to be in the Church. On the other hand, trying to talk about neo-papal-patriarchalism didn't look likely.

[fserafim]

Dear Friends in Christ,

It seems to me that indeed "neo-papal-patriarchalism" will be the kind of government that Antichrist will promote in order to rule Orthodox Christians.

Yours in Christ,
Fr Serafim

One Bishop as Icon of Christ is the Church.

[user_164]

Dear Friends in Christ;
Please forgive my presumption, as I attend a GOA church, and don't know much first-hand about ROCOR and other traditionalist churches (except through reading) but I value the lines of authority in Orhtodoxy and am glad to be under the Patriarchate. I was a Protestant, and they are breaking off into thousands of new churches for reasons that seem very good to them. I very much admire the piety and devotion of more traditional Orthodox however, and wish such a church was accesible to me.

[Justin Kissel]

Welcome to the forum, Elizabeth

[尼古拉前执事]

Welcoem Elizabeth, where do you live? Perhaps there is one near you that you are unaware of?

[Lounger]

Dear Friends in Christ,

It seems to me that indeed "neo-papal-patriarchalism" will be the kind of government that Antichrist will promote in order to rule Orthodox Christians.

Yours in Christ,
Fr Serafim

One Bishop as Icon of Christ is the Church.

Interesting idea Father, bless.