Nicolaitans

I have had a new blog waiting in reserve for about a year, waiting for a sense of direction from the Lord on when to make it public. There is nothing really in it yet, just a placeholder, though I have several potential posts scattered among my unpublished writings. The blog Nicolaitans is different in purpose and content than this one, Cost of Discipleship, and I've sometimes published things in CoD that really belong to Nicolaitans. The post I am publishing here could very well be its first chapter, but I still don't have the direction to open it. I apologize in advance to any visitor to Cost of Discipleship for this departure from its mission, which is simply to encourage others to follow the call of Jesus in daily life.

No one knows for sure who the Nicolaitans were, or where they went, or what they morphed into, because history loses track of them early on. Probably they evolved into something we are very familiar with from early times till today, only we just don't recognize them because they've changed names. We do know some things about them that are recorded in holy apostle John the Revelator's transmission of the risen Christ's letters to the seven churches of Asia. We know that Christ loathes what the Nicolaitans are doing (Rev 2:6), and He considers those who accept what the Nicolaitans teach to be as bad as idolators (Rev 2:14-16). It does seem rather odd that of all the books of the Bible, only the book of Revelation is not read in any services of the Orthodox Church, even though it is the only book that contains the explicit promise, "Blessed is the man who reads [aloud] this prophecy, and blessed are those who listen to him, if they keep what it says." (Revelation 1:3)

In the November issue of Ðýnamis, our parish newsletter, there is a message from Fr. Paul Schroeder, entitled "Frankness" and Inclusive Language. This is how it starts out…

Recently, I have been reading a beautiful book that was recommended to me by my spiritual director entitled Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, by Fr. Richard Rohr. Fr. Rohr says something very interesting about the language we use for God, specifically with regard to the use of gender-specific pronouns for God (i.e., He, Him, His, etc.). "We must recognize our extreme overreliance upon masculine images and words. God is clearly beyond gender. For the sake of many people who have been wounded by the masculine, and many who can only trust the feminine because of these wounds, we must also use feminine images for God—or many will never have access to the Divine."

Further on in his message, Fr. Schroeder tames down a bit after making references to "some of the great saints and teachers of our Church" who (he says) taught that it doesn't matter whether we call God "Father" or "Mother" because "every name equally indicates God's ineffable nature." He goes on to discuss the concept of boldness in prayer which no one can find fault with. Then he closes his message with this pious wish. "May God bring each one of us this encounter which is beyond words, beyond images whether masculine or feminine. to that place where there is only my "I" and God's "you." Mystical. Almost something a Sufi would say.

I want to address a few things in Fr. Schroeder's message publicly, to bring them to the attention of my fellow Orthodox and any other faithful Christians who may visit my blog.

Does Fr. Schroeder agree with what this Fr. Rohr writes? "We must recognize our extreme overreliance upon masculine images and words…" We are people of the Bible, the only Divine scriptures on earth, in which the Godhead is addressed as He, as Father, as Lord, as Messiah, as King, as Holy One, all masculine terms. Does Fr. Rohr think to correct God Himself, because maybe "many will never have access to the Divine"? Doesn't he believe that God already knew what ravages sin would cause in our human nature, and so the Word that He sent us was the best and most truthful saving Word for the healing of all nations, in all times?

"For the sake of many people who have been wounded by the masculine, and many who can only trust the feminine…" I ask, what is this supposed to mean? Even at the most basic level of discussion, what of the many people who have been wounded by the feminine? And do we have the right to tell God under what form we will trust Him? Christ, the God-Man, invites us to come to Him, to lay down our burdens at His feet, to trust Him, who is the Second Adam. What application can it have to say that God is beyond gender? I reiterate, we are people of the Bible, the only Divine scriptures on earth, in which the Godhead is addressed as He…"

Well, nevermind, it's rather useless to contradict people who know they're right, regardless of what the Bible says, because only the ignorant believe it and think it can be believed "as it is." I admit, I am one of those. But in case you don't know or haven't noticed, we are being infiltrated at every level by those who assume our outward forms, expressing their alien ideology in Orthodox sounding language, to pursue their agenda to conquer the people of God. This is what Nicolaitans do. This is what they are doing.

One more thing. We read Fr. Schroeder's words, and we hear his homilies every chance he gets to "preach" to us, and what he expresses is sometimes quite right, but at other times quite wrong. Do we ever wonder where he gets his ideas? It's easy to assume that a seminary graduate just knows his stuff. "Father says it, so it must be right." That's the usual Orthodox attitude, but I tell you, brethren, this is not what the Word of God, and even the Church fathers tell us. They warn us to check everything, to show ourselves rightly believing in the Truth that leads to salvation.

The verse that has always spoken to me is what holy apostle Paul writes to his co-laborer Timothy, and to us: "Remember who your teachers were." (2 Timothy 3:14) Actually, let's quote the passage in full. "You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were, and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures—from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

So, I ask again, where does Fr. Schroeder get his ideas?
For example, just who is this Fr. Richard Rohr, who Fr. Schroeder says was "recommended" to him by his "spiritual director?" Is he even Orthodox? As it turns out, he is not Orthodox, but Roman Catholic. "So what?" might be your response. Roman Catholics can write good spiritual books, and I agree, there have been some.
But what about Fr. Rohr?

I just typed "Fr. Richard Rohr" into Google, and the first reference that came up was this one: Priest: 'The boy always gets naked...' You can read for yourself this article written by a Roman Catholic journalist, but here is as much of an excerpt as I am willing to post…

Father Rohr is founder of New Mexico's new age facility 'Center for Action and Contemplation' which is most popular among Catholics promoting the homosexual lifestyle. At Father Rohr's center, retreatants are fed unorthodox instruction and false teachings. Father Rohr has been a dissenter of Humanae Vitae since its infallible promulgation by Pope Paul VI in 1968. The website of Soulforce, a homosexual advocacy group, carries a letter written by Father Rohr (dated 2000) supporting their mission. Father Bryce Sibley, S.T.L, a priest of the diocese of Lafayette, La., recently wrote a column refuting Father Rohr's dissent from magisterial teachings. Father Rohr is well known for his 'Wild Man Retreats' where men sometimes take their clothes off and touch each other in certain parts of their bodies — to release the demons.

To quote any more would verge on the obscene, but this is an author and authority that Fr. Schroeder is reading and presumably following, and passing on to us. As I said at the beginning of this long post, "we are being infiltrated at every level," and what else can I think, if an Orthodox spiritual director (or is he Orthodox? maybe not) recommends this to an Orthodox priest, who was appointed to our parish by an Orthodox bishop?

You know, though, what I have taught, how I have lived, what I have aimed at; you know my faith, my patience, and my love; my constancy and the persecutions and hardships that came to me in places like Antioch, Iconium and Lystra—all the persecutions I have endured; and the Lord has rescued me from every one of them. You are well aware, then. that anybody who tries to live in devotion to Christ is certain to be attacked; while these wicked imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and deceived themselves. (2 Timothy 3:10-13)

Nicolaitans.