Against Ethnocentrism and Nationalism in the Church

Last updated on: September 11, 2017 at 6:48 pm by Chase Padusniak

Against Ethnocentrism and Nationalism in the Church 2017-09-11T18:48:29-04:00 Chase Padusniak

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Therefore every individual, conscious of his responsibility as a member of Christian and Western civilization, must defend himself against the scourges of mankind, against fascism and any similar system of totalitarianism. Offer passive resistance—resistance—wherever you may be, forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late, before the last cities, like Cologne, have been reduced to rubble, and before the nation’s last young man has given his blood on some battlefield for the hubris of a sub-human. Do not forget that every people deserves the regime it is willing to endure. – The First Leaflet of the White Rose

(A picture of Cardinal August Clemens Graf von Galen. Source: Wikimedia, Creative Commons License).

A multitude of factors have the nexus of nationalism, its ethnic equivalents, and religion on my mind of late. From the slough of articles placing Catholicism alongside Trumpism to a recent mass endorsement of Ted Cruz by major Catholic Americans (including Robert George, Ryan Anderson, and Bradley Birzer), the intersection has become difficult to ignore. But the impetus for this article actually doesn’t come from the quasi-cataclysmic American political landscape; no, in fact, my recent foray into Byzantine Catholicism has reminded me of the danger of phyletism.

It’s a common criticism Catholics lob at the Orthodox: they’re ethnocentric, easily coopted by the state, and generally less universal. The Russian Church is making this argument easier and easier, and admittedly, the Orthodox Church in America itself has expressed concerns about intermarriage that one is more likely to associate with Orthodox Judaism than any orthodox branch of Christianity. While I don’t fully endorse these views, I have found something of this sort among my fellow Byzantines (admittedly, mostly on the internet). Centuries of oppression at the hands of Latins have made many defensive, angry, and, frankly, at times, disdainful of their brethren.

Indeed, the list of Latin transgressions against Byzantines is almost too long to recount: forced Latinizations of the liturgy, the story about Pope Pius IX placing his foot on the head of the Melkite Patriarch, and the infamous Bishop Ireland. But what has replaced it, on my view, is too often an embittered resistance to all things Latin.

Take for example, a discussion I had recently about whether Byzantine infants can receive Communion at a Latin Church (the Byzantines first give the Eucharist upon Baptism). The answer is, without question, yes. Of course, because many Latins are unaware of the existence, let alone the practices, of their Eastern brethren, many priests are ignorant of this requirement. In attempted charity, my stance was just that: one of assumed ignorance. If a Latin priest refuses to Commune the child, assume he is doing so out of love for our Lord and fear of desecration of the Eucharist; at worst, this calls for a gentle and brotherly rebuke, with canonical action taken only if necessary. My status as a canonical Latin speaking to Byzantines did not make my position any more secure (though it is precisely my love of Byzantine traditions that led me to attend such a church!). Others were, to say the least, less sanguine about Latin Catholics’ reasons; they assumed their Western brothers and sisters disdained them and that many would refuse based on this prejudice alone. I sympathize with their feelings of alienation and mistreatment, but I cannot but object to their meeting past enmity with renewed suspicion.

Previous Post

March 14, 2016

Why I Oppose Physician-Assisted Suicide

Next Post

March 21, 2016 Be Not Angry with Your Brother: A Reflection for Holy Week

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Culture Politics Reviews Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What foreign power destroyed Jerusalem, ending the kingdom of Judah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Assyria Babylon Egypt Persia