Ecumenism Awareness: Introduction I have set up these pages, and scanned in many of the articles, solely to help raise the level of awareness about a problem that has caused much controversy within the Orthodox Church. I am speaking about ecumenism (and its midwife, modernism). Briefly, modern ecumenism is both a movement and an ecclesiological heresy. It poses a grave threat to the very "pillar and foundation of the Truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) itself—the Church. And it really does matter what the "average layman" thinks about it. I hope this will become more clear as a one's level of awareness concerning this controversy increases. But more can be said now about the necessity of self-education.

It is the duty of the entire Church, the Royal Priesthood of Believers, to not only be aware of the issues, but to speak out against clear and public violations of our Tradition in order to preserve it: "...because the protector of religion is the very body of the Church, even the people themselves..."—Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs, 1848. In his First Sorrowful Epistle, the ever-memorable Metropolitan Philaret stated, "Can any one of us be silent if he sees that many of his brethren simultaneously are walking along a path that leads them and their flock to a disastrous precipice through their unwitting loss of Orthodoxy?"
On March 16, 1997, the world-renowned Orthodox scholar and layman, Dr. Constantine Cavarnos, made the following statements during a lecture at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Atlanta, GA: "We must all rise to our responsibility to our holy Orthodox Faith, and speak out that we do not accept the Decree of the recent Synod of Balamand, and we will not accept the Decrees of any other Pseudo Synod that might be convoked in the years ahead....The time has come for all faithful Orthodox Christians to speak out and promptly put to an end this spurious form of Orthodoxy known as 'ecumenistic Orthodoxy'. It is a betrayal of the Holy Orthodox Church, a negation of its essence." (Victories of Orthodoxy, pp. 80-81, emphasis his)
Statements such as these have motivated me to set up this special section of the Orthodox Christian Information Center.
Some of you will doubtless be surprised and greatly disappointed to discover that this controversy exists within Holy Orthodoxy. If you are such a person, read Chapter XXX from St. Basil the Great's On the Holy Spirit, as well as Archbishop Averky's "For There Must Be Also Heresies Among You...". There has never been a "golden age" in the Church where problems did not exist. In fact Church history gives witness to tremendous controversies occurring almost continually.
Let us be zealous for the Tradition of our Holy, God-bearing Fathers; but may our zeal always be balanced by love.
And may God preserve the Holy Orthodox Faith!