Why Did Rod Dreher Become Eastern Orthodox?

Why would Dreher join a rudderless group of "Churches" with no central authority, which calls Christ in John 10:16 a liar? Mr Grigorieff attempts to answer.

From One Peter Five

By Maxim Grigorieff, MA

Editor’s note: we appeal with love and respect to our separated brother, Mr. Rod Dreher, and all Catholics who have questioned or lost their faith in the ancient doctrine of the Apostolic See and taken refuge in one of the Greek schisms. This piece is authored by a Russian Orthodox Christian who reconciled with Rome after a thorough study of the Fathers and writes from Russia.

The United States and Russia are not now on best terms. Yet, no compatriot of mine would deny you Yankees, your taste for a good bargain. So, as a Russian, I would like to ask you about a very big deal: Latin Trads converting to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Imagine a person who has spent a considerable part of his life fighting for Christian ​​marriage as an indissoluble, sacramental union between one man and one woman, that is also open to life. He is zealous enough to challenge Pope Francis who slightly opened the door for civilly remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion. Is it reasonable for him to leave the Catholic Church that has a monopoly on this ideal without any competition within Christendom? Furthermore, would it be profitable for him to join one of those churches that allow contraception and literally recognise dozens[1] of official grounds for so-called ‘Christian divorce’ open to remarriage, having almost no trouble in giving Holy Communion to these people, in some cases even allowing the widowed or abandoned priests to get a new wife?[2]

Then think of another young tradesman who has invested his time and money to fight  for the glory of the Latin rite that, as he believes, unjustly suffers persecution. Imagine him now leaving the Latin Church for one of those Churches with no Latin rite bishop that are intrinsically, historically and by definition opposed to all things Roman, with some very few exceptions? You don’t have to be an American to see that the bargain is no good. But what is it that makes one make a bad deal?

When somebody starts exploring the depths of his credit card limits or swimming among the loan sharks, it may suggest that the person is either naïve or desperate. Sometimes the two make up a life story in a nutshell, other times a man suddenly finds himself on the edge rather than stepping towards the abyss voluntarily.

Rod Dreher, for twelve years the senior editor of The American Conservative, a convert from Protestantism and a Latin Trad, left the Catholic Church to become an Eastern Orthodox in 2006 (he is still the “editor at large” at TAC, last I checked).[3] It is his testimony[4] that I shall take as an example to show why some Trads would have to leave Catholicism in this direction, why it is not a good bargain and what we might do about it.

A weaker case: claims of doctrinal superiority

Mr. Dreher does not present doctrinal arguments for Orthodoxy in his essay, which is reasonable, given the following:

1. Orthodoxy ceased doctrinal development (at least in any universal, definitive and authoritative capacity) in the 8th century,[5] as held to be true in the OCA, the Church of Dreher’s choice. This limits the ability to criticise Catholicism with dogmatic authority. The Orthodox Churches have never called an Ecumenical Council to anathematise anything Catholic, especially because it historically requires a Roman Emperor to even call one, and a Roman Pontiff to fully ensure its orthodoxy, (not to mention the unanimous acceptance of the decisions by the Orthodox communion that would be even less imaginable to archeive nowadays). They can criticise certain Catholic developments against their own tradition (shifting towards Protestantism and sometimes under its influence), but a new dogma anathematising Romeis simply not in the arsenal of Eastern Orthodoxy for – they are just as worried about new dogma as they are subconsciously aware of having no right to introduce one.

2. The Orthodox Church does not exist as an entity.[6] It functions more as a confederation of states which are currently engaging in a civil war that is not always cold. For instance, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) prohibits communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and some other Greek bishops including the Patriarch of Alexandria due to struggles for power over the Ukraine crisis. The ROC ‘invaded’ Africa (that used to be under the Orthodox Church of Alexandria) and is now actively proselytising there among fellow Orthodox.  This civil war led to sacreligious practices like re-baptism of enemy Orthodox converts performed by Russian priests who at the same time do not re-baptise even Catholics and Protestants coming to them, following the old Tridentine protocol they ‘borrowed’ from Rome, which is absurd. Rod Dreher got lucky with his choice of the OCA in a certain way: the Russian camp recognizes his Church as a full-fledged Orthodox Church, while their Greek rivals see it simply as a ROC ‘branch’ and do not dispute the validity and the lawfulness of the sacraments. So far.

3. Eastern Orthodoxy lacks a positive alternative to Catholicism, defining itself primarily in opposition to it. It offers such alternatives to Arianism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism through dogmas and theology, hymns and icons – the pre-schismatic heritage of the first Ecumenical Councils. However, its stance against Catholicism is overwhelmingly rooted in a negation: “We are Orthodox because we are not Catholic, not Latin, not pro-filioque, etc.” My experience in apologetics shows that Orthodox polemicists can succeed to a certain extent in historical ‘deconstruction’ of Papal primacy and other Catholic dogmas, delving into an increasing number of details and getting lost among them. Indeed, ‘destroying’ Catholicism, they are left with a heap of fragments that are not to be reconnected into a strong case for their Eastern Orthodoxy. Partly because there is no clear vision to begin with.

All these reasons are hard to deny, but some Catholics do become Eastern Orthodox anyway. And no wonder. If reason were sufficient, alcohol would not count among the most profitable businesses in the world, speaking of a good bargain. People drink liquor without profit for their health, but not without a reason. Many times it is a coping strategy just to to survive. Going Orthodox is like that, as Rod Dreher himself tells us in his honest confession.

A stronger case 1: The Scandal

Mr. Dreher begins with the child sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. It is difficult to overstate the impact of such scandals. They can be the last straw for a sense of total crisis in the Catholic Church that leads one to flee. It is not easy to be part of a Church that is set up to be collectively responsible for such evil or sets itself up as a ‘collective defendant’ when esprit de corps comes in. One may argue that going Orthodox will not make you free from sexual and financial scandals. Fair enough, and Dreher admits it beforehand in his text. But just like using a strong depressant to cure depression (speaking of drinking), changing one’s church can relieve the immediate pain, leaving problems for later.

Dreher writes:

In fact, the further I moved from Catholicism, the more I was able to love it. I think it’s because I felt somehow released from feeling responsible for the Scandal.

It is indeed about feelings, and rather grave ones, such as frustration and denial. I believe that Trads need to overcome their branded intellectualism and seriously examine the realm of feelings. What is the cause of frustration? Failed expectations.

Case 2: The Catholic Arrogance

Being a Trad, your expectations are not met on two sides. First, you believe in the Church, which is the pillar and foundation of truth, the visible refuge of salvation, the perfect society. But scandals come, and you see the image crumbling piece by piece. In addition, you understand that this ideal image of a perfect society is more in your head and on the pages of history books rather than in real life, where you encounter different reality and a two-faced reaction from pastors: as long as you are ‘one of us,’ we play hippie, but when you dare to ask questions, you are an enemy and a schismatic. Old vocabulary is recalled. Beware of Hell! Which exists only for your kind of people, if it does, because nobody else goes there anymore, because we reasonably hope so…

Legacy Orthodox in countries like Russia, mostly because they feel at home as the entitled majority, suffer similar illnesses, while in the Western convert community they genuinely are more humble, and it is the humility (as the opposite of feeling being entitled) that a wounded soul desperately needs, as it goes on suffering.

Case 3: ‘Church Worshipping’

Mr. Dreher describes his spiritual crisis as follows: too much Peter, too little Christ. For him as a ‘professional Catholic,’ the external manifestations of the faith, its political and civilizational implementation used to be of paramount importance. This, of course, is an idol, similar to Richard Dawkins’s ‘cultural Christianity’ he now claims to profess, remaining an Atheist. God, as we know, breaks idols, and this can be very painful. Probably that is why Mr. Dreher, intoxicated by politics, in a kind of hangover, said to his wife Julie:

I’m now part of a small church that nobody’s heard of, with zero cultural influence in America, and in a tiny parish that’s materially poor. I think that’s just where I need to be.

Only that Church is true which Jesus Christ (the Truth incarnate) considers as such. And only because of that. Only those values ​​have meanings that correspond to the Gospel, even if for some they are ‘ultra-right,’ and for others ‘ultra-left.’ It is God Who sets the criteria, it is Jesus Christ Who is the criterion. I don’t believe Mr. Dreher found a right way of meeting it, but I do understand why he tried and respect the humility of his judgement:

I hope also that my own example will encourage others — Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant — to look seriously into their hearts, and detach themselves from both idolizing the Church in the place of Christ — this is partly what led to the Scandal, and partly what led me to put myself in a position where the Scandal destroyed my Catholicism.

Case 4: False worship of Tradition

Just as it is with substance abuse, besides the pain one wishes to moderate by a dangerous bargain (when the present is sold for comfort and the future is sacrificed for the present), there might spawn a hidden lie, a lurking contradiction one may nourish as a brain parasite that seeks to comfort his host’s conscience. It initially creates a weak point that breaks the normal coping mechanism, foredooming substance abuse to be the remedy. Applied to the substance of the Catholic-Orthodox conversion, this point is Tradition.

Up to a certain point of his story, Rod Dreher wrote about his spiritual crisis, striving for salvation, the primacy of Christ, even the hope for the unity of the Churches. He refrained from dogmatic criticism of Catholicism, and rightfully so. But suddenly he writes:

As far as tradition goes, I have moved with my family to a church that I believe stands a much better chance of maintaining the historic Christian deposit of faith over time. To be more blunt, I have moved to a church that in my judgment within which I and my family and my descendants will be better able to withstand modernity.

I am sorry, but no.

Eastern Orthodoxy undoubtably forfeited the Christian Marriage described in the New Testament and witnessed by the Fathers. Many other teachings are vague, including some vital for salvation like the efficacy of the Sacraments. It has been influenced by Protestantism, and all the positive insights it has ever had, such as synodality, diversity and learning from the Fathers are much better developed and implemented in the Catholic Church. One can see and embrace these facts palpably. What it takes, of course, is to embrace Vatican II and all of its positive fruits as legitimate parts of the Tradition. It is the only way to fight back without pushing back, and more – to fight forward. All the lessons about Christ being the true centre and the Church being secondary to Him could have been learnt in Lumen Gentium along with much more wisdom of the East and West alike that are written in that unprecedented creed. Lumen Gentium – the light for all nations – is the Word Incarnate. The constitution insists on His primacy so much on its pages that a Trad may falsely and tragically disregard this teaching as crypto-Protestant.

What is more important for a Trad in this case: our goal is not to survive modernity and ensure this cultural survival for generations to come in this life (as if hiding in a sort of museum), but to defeat the devil with the Blood of Jesus Christ, Which is poured out onto the whole world from the Catholic Church. If one wants to be more pragmatic about it, the Catholic Church provides the highest quality tools for salvation – the tools that don’t become useless regardless of how disregarded they are by many.

I never intended to judge Rod Dreher for what he did. After all, getting a bit ‘spirituous’ to get over it is not the worst bargain imaginable. However, he should not show off his conversion as if it were spiritual. Let us be truthful with ourselves. A man can be pardoned for his drinking strong drink if he is suffering from painful trauma. But he cannot be pardoned if he claims his alcoholism is the healing alternative to his trauma. Mr. Dreher spends his whole conversion story admitting that Orthodoxy is his alcohol. But when he claims that his alcohol is healthy, he builds the same idol of a Church institution that he had with Rome. Thankfully, as he admits in the end, ‘we all depend on the mercy of God to deliver us from our faults and errors.’

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[1] There is just one version of the list available in English, while the Russians have a different set of such ‘grounds’: Divorce | St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

[2] See: Patriarchate of Constantinople will now allow priests to enter second marriage / OrthoChristian.Com

[3] According to Rod Dreher warns: Christians get to the margin because of woke ideology

[4] Quoted here and below: Crunchy Con’s Conversion Crisis

[5] The last ecumenical council recognised by all Easter Orthodox was Nicaea II, held in 787.

[6] There is no Orthodox Church in the sense that we say “The Roman Catholic Church,” only different Orthodox churches in different levels of communion with each other, which all differ doctrinally and Sacramentally (to varying degrees). The primary schism among those who call themselves “Eastern Orthodox” is between the Orthodox churches that accept Moscow and those which accept New Rome (Constantinople) as their head since 2018. Otherwise, there are further other Orthodox churches not in communion with these first two (nor with each other), such as the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church in America (the OCA), the Orthodox Church that Dreher belongs to, is of Russian origin but is separate from the two other Russian Orthodox Churches in the States: the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).