Title: Lutheran-Orthodox Lessons of History
March 6, 1996
LUTHERAN-ORTHODOX LESSONS OF HISTORY (58
lines)
96-04-012-GW
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (ELCA) -- A
little-known interchurch council of more
than a thousand years ago, the religious
disagreements that prompted it, and how
Christians view God and human salvation
were the topics which U.S. Lutheran and
Orthodox representatives reviewed in
conference here Feb. 21-24.
Now in Round III, the dialogues --
originally begun nearly 30 years ago --
"have evidenced a growing convergence on
major issues of Christian faith and life"
between the two historic Christian
churches, said a dialogue communique.
"We saw how the Council of 879-880 A.D.
temporarily brought the great churches of
East and West back into communion with each
other," said the Rev. Paul M. Werger,
Lutheran co-chair of the dialogues and
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's Southeastern Iowa Synod.
The lead-off study was researched and
reported on by Fr. James Jorgenson, an
Orthodox priest who serves a suburban
Detroit parish and teaches at the (Roman
Catholic) Sacred Heart Seminary there, and
Dr. Bruce Marshall of the religion faculty
of the
ELCA's St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
The ecumenical team noted that, lacking
long-term affirmation by the church
authorities of the time and due to
political rivalries, the Constantinople
"reunion council" failed to resolve the
growing theological disagreements over the
church's universal creed and Trinitarian
theology, questions of authority and
primacy, and questions of what assures an
ecumenical council is truly "ecumenical and
ultimately binding for normative Christian
life."
Bishop Maximos (Aghiorgoussis) of
Pittsburgh, Orthodox co- chair, emphasized
that "far from being just an interesting
exercise for historians and theologians,
this study has brought to our attention and
consideration ways our different churches
can profitably learn and act, if we are to
restore a common faith and peace among
Christians as we approach the 21st century."
Other discussions followed
presentations on:
* "Christ and the Spirit of God," the
Rev. Carl Volz, Luther Seminary, St.
Paul, Minn., and Dr. John Breck, St.
Vladimir's Theological Seminary,
Crestwood, N.Y.;
* Two reviews of "theological
anthropology," the Rev.
Gregory Wingenbach, Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese-National Ministries
consultant, and Dr. Lynne Lorenzen of the
religion faculty of the ELCA's
Augsburg College,
Minneapolis; and
* Proposals for a common
Lutheran-Orthodox handbook and
congregational study guide for ecumenical
relations. Others on the dialogue
commission are: Metropolitan Christopher of
the Serbian Orthodox Church, Chicago; the
Rev. Jan Flaaten, Trinity Lutheran Church,
Phoenix; the Rev. Victor Langford, St. Mark
Lutheran Church, Seattle; the Rev. Robert
Stephanopoulos, dean of Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, New York; the Very Rev.
John Morris, Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox
Church, Canton, Ohio; and staff of the ELCA
Department for Ecumenical Affairs: the
Rev. Daniel F. Martensen, acting director,
and Yvonne Crumpton.
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir.,
ELCA News Service, (312) 380-2058; Frank
Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia
Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956
