St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary confers honorary doctorate on Archbishop Rowan Williams
Last Saturday, Crestwood received a visit from the archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the 80 million worldwide members of the Anglican Communion. The Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, fresh from a three-day seminar in Manhattan titled “Building an Ethical Economy,” switched gears from the political to spiritual for a lecture at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary at 575 Scarsdale Road.

The archbishop’s lecture at the seminary, attended by close to 400 people and entitled “Theology and the Contemplative Calling,” discussed human nature through the lens of the “Philokalia,” a compilation of ascetical texts written between the fourth and 15th centuries most specifically intended for monastics but widely appreciated by other Orthodox Christians.

Prior to his speech, Williams, who has written over two dozen books including several related to Eastern Orthodox spirituality, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity by the seminary in honor of his abundant scholarly work in Orthodox theology.

According to the Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of the seminary, who was examined for his doctorate at Oxford University by Williams, who then was a member of the university’s theology faculty, the decision to award Williams an honorary doctorate was made to honor his efforts to “further knowledge of Orthodoxy in the West” as well as for “help[ing] the Eastern Orthodox themselves to think through their own tradition.”

During his speech, Williams, whose first and only prior visit to the seminary came in 1974, spoke on the “Philokalia’s” understanding of the intrinsic nature of humanity and the powers of diversion that keep humanity from achieving its natural state.

“We are often held back,” Williams said, “in … the natural process of becoming natural,” a process which, he argued, involved detaching from an “acquisitive” view of fellow humans, in which relationships are built as either “food to the ego or threat[s] to the ego” rather than as acknowledgements of each human being’s foremost intrinsic link to and reflection of the divine.

Williams also discussed the power and prudence of “natural anger,” that is anger that attacks this warped understanding of humanity by encouraging people to dismiss their own selfish notions of relationship.  “Compassion,” he said, “is also an intense protest against the … suffering of another.”      

Second-year St. Vladimir’s seminarian Andrew Smith, noting his limited prior exposure to Anglicanism, said, “I was surprised by how little translation was needed.  It was like I was listening to an Orthodox Christian talking about Orthodox Christianity … I think Orthodox Christians can be kind of insular, and it was good to reach out a little bit … Everything that he said seemed pertinent and incredibly perceptive.”

The archbishop’s talk constituted the 27th annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture, established to honor a beloved dean of the seminary who served for over 20 years until his death in 1983.

Saturday’s event also marked a gathering point for Orthodox Christians and two different denominations of Anglicanism, members of the Episcopal Church as well as the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a conservative group that refers to itself as a “Province-in-formation” of the Anglican Communion.

Rev. Dr. Arnold W. Klukas, who represents the conservative side of Anglicanism, called the lecture a “marvelous talk” by a “brilliant theologian,” adding that, “Almost everyone has respect for him [Williams] on either side.”

The lecture was bookended by remarks from seminary Chancellor, the Very Rev. Chad Hatfield and Metropolitan Jonah Paffhausen, leader of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and president of the St. Vladimir’s Board of Trustees, on the history and value of Anglican-Orthodox dialogue.

“Your vision for your church is something of the utmost value,” said Paffhausen in an address to close the academic convocation.  “Let us strive together to find the commonality in our mission.”

In comments made after the archbishop’s visit, Hatfield referred to his recent trip, along with Behr, to Russia to receive an award on behalf of the seminary from the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations (IFUOCN).  He said that the award, coupled with Saturday’s visit by Williams, “underscores the significance that St. Vladimir’s as an institution enjoys.”

Hatfield, who serves as co-chair of the OCA-ACNA Dialogue, expressed his hope that the archbishop’s lecture will be one of many meaningful interactions with the Anglican community.  “We’re resurrecting what was one of the most fruitful of ecumenical dialogues [which] died in the 1970s,” Hatfield said.  “St. Vladimir’s will continue to be a key player in the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue.”