Yes, yes. I will confess my (possible) sin.
Several years ago some friends of mine in Bible Belt Orthodox churches said that there were times when they wished America could be ruled by the late Queen Elizabeth II, as opposed to the last couple of guys who have occupied the White House. We were discussing our frustration with America’s two-party binary political system.
I laughed and agreed.
Does this mean that I am a potential Russian spy and enemy of the state? That was one of the topics discussed during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (CLICK HERE to tune that in). We were discussing two mainstream news stories that seem to be connected in the minds of some mainstream journalists.
First, consider this Religion News Service feature: “Riding a wave of converts, one group aims to fuse Orthodoxy with Southern values.” Then read this Newsweek story: “Russia's Trying to Recruit Spies From U.S.” It may also help to check out this earlier GetReligion post: “Concerning the new converts to Eastern Orthodoxy — Are they MAGA clones or worse?”
But back to Queen Elizabeth II. We will get to the FBI in a moment or two.
The RNS feature focuses on a meeting of the small group of Orthodox converts — the Philip Ludwell III Orthodox Fellowship — down in the countercultural Bible Belt. I confess that I have never heard of this group, primarily since my East Tennessee parish is part of the Orthodox Church in America (which does have historic missionary ties to Russia), as opposed to the smaller Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (which formed in response to the birth of the Soviet Union).
The RNS feature notes: “Orthodox Christianity in the United States is a kaleidoscope of languages and cultures as diverse as Russia, Greece, Ethiopia, Syria, Bulgaria and, increasingly, the American South.”
That’s accurate. It’s hard to describe how complex Eastern Orthodoxy is in this country and that includes the growing number of Americans (like me) who have converted to the faith during the past four decades (a trend that began long before Orange Man Bad).
Now, concerning the inspiration for this small Orthodox network:
Philip Ludwell III, the fellowship’s namesake, became one of America’s earliest converts to Orthodoxy in 1738 and then translated Russian Orthodox texts into English. His family held government positions in the Carolinas and Virginia and shared ancestry with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, born nearly a century later.
Obviously, we are talking about folks who are fundamentalist Confederate clones or worse:
Many of the conference attendees and speakers call themselves traditionalists, advocating for young marriages, home schooling, and trade schools over universities. Many also believe monarchy is the best form of government but begrudgingly accept liberal democracy. They’re unhappy with both political parties, but for most, Donald Trump is the favored option for president.
While many jurisdictions were represented, including Antiochian, Serbian, Greek and Orthodox Church of America, the majority of attendees appeared to represent the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (commonly called ROCOR), a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.
Remember, we are talking about a small network of converts at one gathering.
I know Orthodox converts who fit this stereotype, in one or two ways. I know many, many more — in this region — who do not. It is true that converts, as a rule, are strong supporters of Orthodox doctrine and traditions and, thus, are moral and cultural conservatives in the context of modern America (especially as defined in blue zip codes).
Thus, Orthodox converts are growing army of dangerous traitors and potential spies?
This brings us back to that Newsweek feature, which is based on allegations in a Foreign Affairs essay with this headline: “Putin’s Useful Priests” (behind paywall). Here is the Newsweek lede:
Russian intelligence agents have tried to recruit sources from churches in the United States, leading to an intervention by the FBI, according to a recent story.
The September 14 story in Foreign Affairs detailed how the FBI warned Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christian parishes about possible efforts of Russian spies to use their churches for recruitment. One suspected Russian agent was allegedly willing to blackmail church members.
Let’s keep reading:
"The FBI's warning suggests that the church may be even more closely linked to the Putin regime than many observers assume, with potentially significant implications for the Kremlin's overseas influence," they wrote.
"The documents identify and highlight the activities of a senior member of the Russian Orthodox Church's foreign relations department whom the FBI suspects of having ties to Russian intelligence."
Newsweek could not verify the contents of the FBI documents, and the agency did not directly address the warning when contacted for comment.
"While we have no comment on the specifics of your inquiry, the FBI regularly meets and interacts with members of the community," the FBI told Newsweek in a statement. "We do this to enhance public trust in the FBI, to enlist the cooperation of the public to fight criminal activity, to provide information in support of crime prevention efforts, and to open lines of communication to help make the FBI more responsive to community concerns."
Which church is linked to Putin? The Moscow Patriarchate itself or Orthodox bodies in America (all of which have condemned the invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms)?
Yes, the top leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church are, in the opinion of most Orthodox believers, scandalously tied to Putin’s policies (while there are signs of dissent for those with the eyes to see). Things get more complex — at the global level — when addressing the state of Orthodoxy inside Ukraine, where the U.S. government and other Western interests have backed the creation of a new (and many would say non-canonical) Orthodox church.
Are those who support the historic Ukrainian Orthodox Church automatically pro-Putin? No way. It also helps to know that UOC leaders have done everything they can, under Orthodox canon law, to cut ties to Moscow while condemning the invasion and supporting the Ukraine military.
One final byte from Newsweek:
Per Foreign Affairs, the FBI warning said there were reasons to suspect that a senior official in Russia's Department for External Church Relations who recently traveled to America was a "Russian Intelligence Officer operating under non-official cover."
"His objective in the United States, according to the warning, was to recruit the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox churches," Soldatov and Borogan wrote.
If you are looking for names, dates and other specific facts — you won’t find them. However, I do know clergy have been visited by U.S. government personnel about these matters
The bottom line: Nothing builds trust with the government like having government agents asking vague questions to priests about the moral and political beliefs of their church members, especially all those dangerous converts.
How solid is the FBI information? How would readers know, without seeing specifics and reading interviews with Orthodox leaders who are in a position to critique these reports?
Suffice it to say, Orthodox bishops here in North America are not amused (read statement here). Concerning the Foreign Affairs report:
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America hereby expresses its objection and concern with the inaccurate manner with which Orthodox Christians in the United States are stereotyped by the authors.
First, the article contains significant factual errors that are surprising for the renowned Foreign Affairs and disrespectful to a vital Christian community whose roots in America date over three centuries. Orthodox Christians in America — representing a plethora of ethnic and political backgrounds — number well in excess of one million people, vastly different from the misinformed number of 25,000 asserted by the authors.
Furthermore, the article’s vituperative and essentializing language can easily incite targeting and violence against America’s Orthodox Christians as a community. The reductionist characterization of Orthodox Christians in America as potential “fifth columns” is reminiscent of the worst episodes of nativism in the United States of America. Sadly, we have already witnessed the result of this type of fear mongering with the recent bomb threat made against Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York.
The clear message conveyed by this article is that Orthodox Christian parishes and monasteries in the United States are hotbeds of support for the current government and policies of the Russian Federation, a message with no empirical data to support this claim. Notwithstanding the diversity of viewpoints in our communities — a diversity that mirrors the United States as a whole — the lax and potentially dangerous projection to all Orthodox Christians in America is untrue and unwarranted.
Thus, the bishops have asked Foreign Affairs editors to retract the article. The bishops also noted this recent statement from Bishop Irenei of London, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia,: “We stand wholly against the war and we call for it to end. The war is an evil. It cannot be justified."
Finally, am I a potential spy?
Well, I am a convert, in the Bible Belt. I enthusiastically support the ancient doctrines of my church. I think the invasion of Ukraine was wrong in every possible way, as well as sinful and even demonic. Every night, I pray for “a ceasefire that leads to peace talks seeking a stable and independent Ukraine.”
My congregation includes a few believers from pieces of the Soviet Union — who tend to be anti-Putin, but also highly critical of US/EU policies in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in the past decade or so.
In every service, we pray for peace and the end of Russia’s actions against Ukraine. We pray for the Orthodox believers in Ukraine, especially those facing persecution — from Russia or from the current Ukrainian government. Our parking lot includes very, very few cars with political bumper stickers.
Guilty?
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FIRST IMAGE: Illustration from the Orthodox Church in America page at the Christianity Knowledge Base website.