July-August 2018 ‘And the disciples were first called THE NARTHEX Christians in Antioch’ (Acts 11:26)

The Orthodox of St Dunstan of Canterbury, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH14 9JG The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland. Archbishop: Metropolitan Silouan The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Patriarch: His Beatitude, John X

Parish Priest: Fr. Chrysostom Tel. 01202-602628 e-mail: [email protected]

Deacon: Fr Dc Filip Tel. 01308-868543 e-mail: [email protected]

Deacon: Fr Dc Alexander Tel. 07765417610 e-mail: [email protected]

Subdeacon David Tel. 01209-217499

Parish web site: www.-dunstan.org Archdiocesan web site: www.antiochian-orthodox.co.uk

If anyone imagines that this is A perfect example of this nonsense was to be seen recently when, no doubt jealous ridiculous, I merely call your attention to a Can you see me? of the snide abuse suffered by Jewish members new law being debated in Canada that According to the American writer, Mark of the Labour Party, a spokesmen for something would criminalise, for something called Twain, ‘There are lies, damned lies and statistics’ called the Muslim Council of Britain insisted that ‘hate-speech’, the deliberate use of the (Autobiography 1924). In other words, although the same was happening to Muslims in the Tory wrong gender-pronoun. Interestingly, this mathematics is a logical, ordered and beautiful Party. echoes another ancient heresy, Docetism. thing, numbers can be presented in such as way as Christians need no lessons in This Gnostic idea latched onto Christianity to deceive. victimhood. We are all too aware of what is very early; St Ignatios of Antioch had to The problem, therefore, of estimating suffered by our fellow believers all around the battle against it. Docetists taught that the the numbers of adherents to particular religions in world and especially under Islamic regimes and incarnation of Christ was not a physical this country, is a science open to interpretation. societies. Where we do need to be wary, reality but only an appearance [Greek: Recent figures on European migrants settling in however, living as we do in a liberal democracy, dokeo, to seem] imagining that the Divine Britain for example, put Romanians as the second is the subtle influence of people who have either would never lower itself to be joined with largest group (c. 400,000) after Poles. Alongside a hidden or very open which, if not the sinful and impure physical world. Is not others from the traditional Orthodox Christian aimed directly at the destruction of Christianity Transgenderism, and even the claim to be countries, we might assume that the number of in Britain, does indeed seek to remould it, in neuter (of no sex whatsoever) a kind of our fellow-believers has risen enormously. That is order to accommodate their own world view anthropological Docetism, where ones certainly true since the days when I was ordained and life-style; to promote their minority views, biological sex is just an appearance? in 1995. choices and way of life, as in fact, ‘normal’. This It would seem, therefore, in all The problem is, of course, that when it is certainly the case with the LGBT political seriousness, that western societies have comes to religious allegiance, the elephant in the agenda which, over the last couple of decades, evolved and ‘progressed’ to such a degree room is Nominalism: religious in name only. Twice, has been very successful in promoting what, in that they have now passed beyond maturity recently, I have heard followers of the faith of our understanding, is an anthropological heresy into their dotage. It is interesting that in Mohammad of Medina, claiming on the BBC that that has readily been adopted, especially within Britain, whereas perhaps 2% of people might there are now four million Muslims in Britain. The liberal Protestant churches. The dawn of identify as LGBT, when it comes to BBC adherents of Islam appear very adept at self- Christianity witnessed the rise of Christological employees, recent analysis by the ‘Head of promotion. Whether these claimed numbers are heresies (a false understanding of Christ) such as Diversity’ (did you know your license fee factual, of course, I have no way of knowing. Arianism or Nestorianism. In later centuries helps pay for one of those at the BBC?) the Whatever the case, they ignore the fact that for there were ecclesiastical heresies (false figure rises to 12%, and these people have, in most people identifying as religious, their loyalty understandings of the Church) such as Papalism large part, free and influential access to a and practice are largely nominal; that their religion or Phylitism. And now we see the arrival of false large section of public broadcasting media. is, for the most part, cultural and not the central understandings of Man as the creation of God, Although, as a culture and a meaning and trajectory of their lives. This is giving rise, for example, to Transgenderism. civilization, we should avoid talking certainly the case with Orthodox Christianity, just Here, someone conceives the idea that Nature ourselves into a self-fulfilling prophecy of as much as with any other faith. (biological science) must be wrong in having decline, the parallels between our own No doubt, self-publicists have always assigned the person this particular body, despite times and mores and those of the ancient been with us. Egyptian pharaohs might have had the fact of possessing XX or XY chromosomes. Roman Republic I find eerily similar. We are to erect pyramids in order to promote their You may recall the story of the increasingly in the same position as those grandeur: today the Internet and the media in Emperor’s New Clothes, where a couple of earlier Christians vis-à-vis the world. Clearly, general allow any individual or group at least to try charlatans convince the ruler that they can make as Orthodox believers we must make to shout louder than anyone else. him (for a very large fee) the most splendid ourselves visible in the current age, but our One of the themes that emerged from clothes in the world. These clothes, however, reasons for doing this is not because of our recent archdiocesan conference at Swanwick were only visible to the wise; to a fool they were perceived victimhood, historical grievance was precisely how Orthodox Christianity, and not completely invisible. Not wishing to appear or the pursuit of some special legal just our own archdiocese, might become more fools, the imperial court went along with this protection. We need to be seen in order to visible in Britain. This requires a very cautious confidence trickery, to the point where the fulfil our mission to save souls. In part, that approach when it comes to the broadcast media emperor even paraded through the streets, will require that we be contra mundum, for a number of reasons. believing that he was clothed in the most standing out against these anthropological One approach that we should avoid is gorgeous apparel. It took a brave lad to call out heresies that seek nothing less than to that employed by a many minority groups in that the emperor was, in fact, naked. abolish Man as a creation in relationship to recent years: claiming to be ‘victims.’ Clearly there The claim that what the transgender God. Similarly, let us be known, even if we have been all sorts of victims of abuse and cruelty heresy calls, ‘gender,’ is just a social construct, are unpopular, for opposing abortion, throughout human history. The difference now is leaves the rest of us like the credulous courtiers euthanasia, ‘recreational’ drugs, and the emergence of groups who, sharing common in the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. The homosexual marriage; whilst standing in social factors, turn their differences (when power of the political and social charlatans is just favour of Life, palliative care, monogamous, compared from the majority) into a political quest as real as the two charlatan tailors in the story. heterosexual (traditional) marriage, sobriety for recognition as an endangered species, Wishing to avoid the current social stigma of and watchfulness: for although our life is requiring legal e quality and protected status. The being thought a fool by accepting the facts, the lived in this world, it is focused on that age end result is a social and media world turned into a science and, no doubt, common sense, people which is to come and is unending. room full of barefoot people where one must are pressurised into accepting the whole We can be candid, bold and tread very carefully in heavy boots, for fear of nonsensical LGBTQ+ package as right. unashamed, with any need to be afraid of treading on toes!

the taunting that is bound to come from those To the eye, it is far too broad for the space provided SERVICES who have misconstrued the world. We can be like and almost touches the columns of the baldacchino. Vespers is normally served on the brave lad in the story, who saw from the start To serve our liturgy at such a holy table would Saturdays at 5.00pm and on that the emperor was naked. Meanwhile, here are present many difficulties, especially in the lack of Wednesdays at 6.00pm. Fr. Chrysostom some interesting, if ‘damned statistics’, space and the inability to walk easily around, for example, during the censing. The solution here, of is available for Confession afterwards. suggesting that we might not be entirely alone: course, is to move it and it can be accommodated in Orthros is served before the Divine

• People who think Islam is not another part of the building: where currently we Liturgy on Sundays at 9.00am

compatible with the British way of life – have St Luke’s shrine on the north side. As this July 56 per cent (ComRes poll, 2016) would have to be done by specialist removers with • People who disagree with the ‘right’ of machinery, we have already asked for quotations Sun 1st 5th after Pentecost gay people to adopt children – 52 per for the work. Once removed, we would place our Divine Liturgy 10.30am Baptism cent (British Social Attitudes Survey own, cube-shaped holy table under the baldacchino. 12.30pm 2013) Outside the rail, the of Our Lord and His

• Europeans who want to stop all Mother would be placed on stands, outside the immigration from Muslim majority curved wooden rail. Sun 8th 6th after Pentecost countries – 55 per cent (Chatham We have checked that English Heritage Divine Liturgy 10.30am and the Local Council are content to have this done House, 2017) • People who believe Britain is a Christian and indeed, it actually restores the building much country – 55 per cent (YouGov poll, more to what it looked like originally. NB No Vespers on Wednesday 11th 2014) Everything else in the building would July • People who think, rightly, that there are then be moved up one bay, towards the east. This just two genders, male and female – 56 would mean that the ’s throne would be Sun 15th 7th after Pentecost per cent (Fawcett Society, 2016) placed where the current screen begins on the Divine Liturgy 10.30am Fr Chrysostom south side. The Icons of Our Lord, Our Lady and St Dunstan, at present in the Narthex, would move to below the new steps where we would also place the Sun 22nd 8th after Pentecost The Building and the Liturgy votive candle stands. The acoustics under the baldacchino are Divine Liturgy 10.30am

exceptionally good and for the choir, likewise, they When our Archbishop visited us last would move up to the spaces behind the curved year he remarked that we should really use the Sun 29th 9th after Pentecost balustrades, either side of the top of the steps. As high altar for the Liturgy, rather than what we do we have shown by experiment, their sound carries Divine Liturgy 10.30am at present. Currently, of course, we have the full far better in that position, under the dome. From screen. It was not until 13th century that the the point of view of safety, opening and using more final form of this type of screen had been August of the floor space makes sense, especially when we developed in Orthodox churches. have large crowds in church, as at Pascha. Wed 1st Beginning of the An earlier form of the screen in front of Spreading people around the building prevents Dormition Fast the holy table was often a low balustrade, usually crowding at the back and the possible blocking of with icons and some form of curtain. the exits in case of an emergency. Interestingly, the baldacchino (canopy with Sun 5th 10th after Pentecost Whether any of this is possible at present columns) is another feature of altars in early will, of course, depend upon costs which, naturally, Divine Liturgy 10.30am illustrations and we, of course, have a fine will have to be taken into consideration. example at St Dunstan’s. Indeed, this east-end part of our church is modelled on the famous Mon 6th The Transfiguration of church of St Clemente at Rome. Possible layout-plan for the building. Our Lord For some time members of our parish (Service time to be announced) committee have been considering the possibility Holy Table of following Met Silouan’s suggestion. This would under canopy entail the removal of the current screen and Sun 12th 11th after Pentecost expanding everything eastward, as it were. Fr Divine Liturgy 10.30am Ioan had used the high altar when he was the Choir Choir priest here before 2011. In principle, this idea is correct: the layout of the building requires the Wed 15th The Dormition of Our use of the High Altar and our current usage takes Lady (service time to be away a great deal from the splendour of the announced) architecture. There are, though, two large problems with this idea in respect of serving the Orthodox Liturgy in a place with its interior Icons & candles designed for the traditional Western Mass. Platform Firstly, there are seven short (5 inch) 5 Steps stone steps in black stone, leading up towards the high altar. For the less agile this presents a Bishop’s possible problem when going up to receive the throne Holy Gifts. Conversely, it does not take much imagination to see the dangers involved if the priest/deacon were to descend the steps with the and wearing long , in order to bring communion down to the level of the people. The solution (as already envisaged by the architect working with our building-renovation programme) is to build a stage area in wood with higher but fewer steps, incorporating, two broader, flat areas: one at the top for Sun 19th 12th after Pentecost communicants, and one below for preaching,  Divine Liturgy 10.30am weddings, baptisms etc. Parish Committee & Directors’ Meeting The second problem is the high altar Thursday 19th July 7.00pm Sun 26th 13th after Pentecost itself. Constructed in wood with a mensa (table top) in marble, it is very heavy and very long.  Divine Liturgy 10.30am