"Having studied recent Protestant American history and the harm that the conservative/liberal split began to cause to their churches in the early twentieth century, and the harm that it continues to cause, I desired to see if this split was evident within American Orthodoxy. The rhetoric of the conservative/ liberal debate was prevalent in a few statements about the war.
For example, some Orthodox Americans accused the OPF of using theological arguments derived from liberal ideologies, and antiwar Orthodox Americans accused those who supported the war of laying down their faith in the face of conservative political ideologies.
Nevertheless, I was grateful to discover that there is yet to be a conservative/liberal split among Orthodox Americans to the degree that is found among Protestant Americans (in many responses, people wondered why I even asked such a question).
However, I continue to believe that this danger lies ahead as Orthodoxy becomes increasingly linked to the socio-political facet of American life. Fr. Johns concluding remarks about this potential political split highlights the focus that Orthodox Americans must keep in the years to come: These two political poles bracket the range of choices available to Orthodox Christians in democracies. To me, the most important thing is for all Orthodox to keep their focus on following Jesus Christ within His Church. We must not let our political ideologies become idols, which replace our highest allegiance. We must let the Gospel continuously critique us and whatever political philosophies we hold.
We must listen to our hierarchs when they speak on the ethics of any war. When voting or publicly advocating for or against a war, we must strive to fulfill all three injunctions of the Prophet Micah, “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
+ Michael G. Azar, "Orthodox Americans, the Orthodox Peace Fellowship, and Iraq." St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Orthodoxy in America, December 2003
