NCC Exit Poll

Why One Orthodox Church Left the National Council of Churches

by Johannes L. Jacobse

Few people noticed when the 390,000-member Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese (AOA) withdrew from the National Council of Churches (NCC) last summer. But the importance of the move was not lost on ecumenical observers. When a long-term member walks out of the NCC, it indicates deep problems—in this case, that an Orthodox jurisdiction felt that the politicization of the NCC was hampering it from preaching the gospel in American society. If the Antiochians acted, how many others among the 35 member churches (and not just among the Orthodox) felt the same way?

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Johannes L. Jacobse pastors St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples, Florida, and edits the website Orthodoxy Today (www.ortho doxytoday.org ). A past fellow of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, he has written for Front Page Magazine, Break Point, Town Hall, and other magazines and websites. He lives in Naples with his wife and daughter.

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