Orthodox Reflections

As the reader might already be aware, Abp. Elpidophoros of the Greek Archdiocese has approved a “Food-sensitive” Eucharist for those suffering from gluten intolerance. To understand the context of this move (very effectively discussed in the article below from Ben Dixon), please keep three key societal trends in mind. First, unexpectedly from the standpoint of the ruling elite, the secularization of society has stopped, and is in danger of reversal. As confirmed by Pew Research, Americans are no longer leaving churches en masse. Americans are not ready to give up on God, or religion. Which is not surprising. Humans are designed to live in faith-based communities. The experiment in mass secularization is ending. Even the New York Times has noticed:

…religion offers people three B’s: beliefs about the world, behaviors to follow and belonging in a community or culture. Readers seized on the last one. They said they wanted to belong — in rich, profound and sustained ways.

 

A major, global study recently released by Harvard and Baylor universities affirmed what so much other data has shown: People flourish — they live happier, healthier and better lives — if they have strong social connections. It also found that religions, for all their reputational baggage, can provide people with robust communities.

Second, a new trend has emerged in American politics. According to the latest Harvard Youth Poll, America’s youngest voters (18 to 24) consider themselves more conservative than those voters who are slightly older. Younger voters aren’t supposed to be more conservative than their older peers. That is unheard of. To say discovery of this trend set off shockwaves would be an understatement.

Americans, especially the younger ones, are looking for meaning in their lives. They are looking for connection to a community of like-minded individuals. They are looking for traditional values and for an authentic connection to a transcendent God. They are not looking for Maoist struggle sessions, self-help workshops, or slickly produced streaming content from megachurches.

Which brings us to trend three – the ongoing explosion of interest in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. These two communions, particularly the Orthodox Church, provide the connection to God, Tradition, and community that Americans (and Westerners in general) are seeking. Orthodoxy is the Church founded by Christ. People treat the Orthodox Church with great respect, for she takes her faith very seriously as befits service to a real, living, omnipotent God. No masses featuring drag queens or seeker-sensitive rock concerts. Just unadulterated 1st Century Christianity. The ruling elite (which wants the serfs isolated, depressed, drugged, and compliant) has noticed the appeal, and is none to pleased about it.

Which is why the Elpidophoros clown show exists – to discredit Orthodoxy by changing the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints into a more liturgically attractive Episcopalianism. This is the drive behind practically every awful thing Elpodophoros says and does: blatant obsequiousness to government power, repeated attacks on the Eucharist (closing and restricting parishes during COVID, promoting multiple spoons, advocating for communing unconverted spouses), pro-LGBT rhetoric, expanded roles for women at the altar, and ecumenism in the extreme. Elpidophoros is a paid secret agent with a specific mission – stop the spread of Orthodoxy by making the Orthodox Church appear to be as much of a joke as “mainline” Protestant churches have become.

Our job, as Ben Dixon illustrates so ably below, is to stop him and his allies from controlling the public perception of Orthodoxy. As tedious as this is, we faithful Orthodox have to push back on Elpidophoros’ efforts, particularly those directed at discrediting the Eucharist by making it “safe” (allergy-friendly, multiple spoons) and “more inclusive” (communing the non-Orthodox).

—OR Staff

Abp. Elpidophoros Approves “Food-sensitive” Eucharist

By Benjamin Dixon, a conservative political operative and commentator from North Carolina. Benjamin is a member of  ROCOR. He currently serves as the Veterans Committee Chairman for the Young Republican National Federation. You can follow Ben on Substack at Where the Wasteland Ends. Originally Posted by UOJ-America

When Accessibility Crosses the Line: A Call for Faithful Integrity in Liturgical Practice

Weston, MA—Hellenic College Holy Cross’s Huffington Ecumenical Institute (HEI) recently hosted a multi-day conference titled “Gathered as One Body: Disability, Accessibility, and Inclusion in the Orthodox Church,” together with the GOA Center for Family Care.

The initiative is part of the Greek Archdiocese’s “On Behalf of All” pilot program on parish accessibility, funded by a large grant from none other than the Lilly Endowment, a well-documented pass-through organization for covert donations from the CIA.

The closeness of the Greek Archdiocese to three-letter agencies is, at this point, old news. The real news lies in some of the features of the so-called Adaptive Liturgy. One could certainly argue that having an ASL translator for deaf parishioners is a good and pastoral thought. However, this task should, at minimum, be relegated to a tonsured reader properly trained for such a sacred purpose. There have been multiple cases in which supposed ASL interpreters have signed completely different messages than what was actually said. Preaching the Word and leading the laity in prayer is a sacred function of the clergy. Thus, this role should ideally fall to a member of the clergy—minor or major, as appropriate.

Another feature introduced was hypoallergenic incense. Again, one can appreciate the intent and even applaud the effort to accommodate an increasingly unhealthy population. But the real scandal—the one that may skirt the line of heresy—is the introduction of so-called Food-Sensitive Eucharistic Gifts.

One can only assume that this is a “gluten-free” bread, to meet the needs of the five Orthodox Christians in America who may have an actual Gluten allergy. We’ll start here just to note how absurd this is merely from a statistical point of view. Orthodox Christians account for just one percent of the American population. Similarly, only three-quarters of one percent of Americans have an actual Gluten intolerance. What are the odds that the three million Orthodox Christian population overlaps with the 2.48 million Americans with a real Gluten intolerance? Pretty slim. Of the total estimated Orthodox population, you’re looking at maybe 16,750 on the high end—again, less than 1%.

Now one may say “well wait, didn’t you just say that the desire to accommodate an increasingly unhealthy population was worthy of applause?” Yes, but incense is functional, not sacramental and a central tenet of the faith. So, let’s get to the actually problematic part—the disbelief in the Eucharist.

This is, unfortunately, not the first time in recent history in which the Greek Archdiocese has shown a lack of faith in the Eucharist. Remember 2020, when they introduced multiple spoons for the distribution of Communion? Apparently, the Body and Blood of the God-Man could cleanse sin and defeat death, but couldn’t quite manage to sterilize a spoon. Now, it seems, the Eucharist is reduced to mere bread and wine—a dietary risk to those with gluten sensitivity. Madness!

And let’s not forget the abandonment of ancient and sacred prosphora baking traditions—traditions stretching back thousands of years—all because maybe one percent of Orthodox Christians lack the faith to believe that we, who are but wax and grass, partake of the very fire of Divinity. Perhaps the burning we feel is not some largely imagined allergy, but our sins!

And to speak plainly to those who say, “But I really do suffer from this”—let me ask: is a little fatigue, bloating, or discomfort not worth your eternal soul?

And no, this is not some petty “Greek vs. Russian” polemic. I love the Greeks and have a deep appreciation for the Greek tradition and the piety of everyday Greek faithful—a piety that puts mine to shame more often than not. This is about fidelity to Christ, to the Tradition of our Fathers, and not inventing solutions to problems that don’t exist.

Not every idea whispered into our ears by the good idea fairy is actually a good one—let me tell you! I pray that my Greek brothers and sisters will raise their voices, and that this blasphemy will be consigned to the ash heap of history—alongside the unholy alliance that funds it.