The inaugural webinar in St Vladimir’s Seminary’s new Light of the World Webinar Series took place on Tuesday, October 17, via Zoom live stream. Co-hosts His Grace Bishop John (Abdalah), Auxiliary of the Diocese of Worcester and New England (AOCANA), and Orthodox writer, Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green, spoke at length on the topic, Submission to the Church: How to Become Children of the Light.
His Grace Bishop John began his portion of the webinar by inviting listeners to come to a common agreement on the definition of the terms used in the title of the webinar. In defining “submission”, he referred to Ephesians 5.21, which established a vision of a Church where “everyone [is] submitting to everyone as unto the Lord–so that we can save each other, so that we can encounter Christ, in loving relationships that are based in truth, and that are for the good of both.”
Kh. Frederica opened her presentation by calling listeners' attention to the inherent resistance in American thinking to the idea of submission. We are taught we must all strive to stand out from the crowd, and always do only what we want to do, not what others tell us to do, she pointed out. Kh. Frederica laid out how we as Orthodox are to understand submission to the Church in practice as Orthodox Christians; first submitting to Orthodox theology and the lived experience of Church fathers and mothers, and then allowing oneself to be healed and sanctified by the sacraments, traditions, and practices of the Church.
Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, moderated the Q&A session following the speakers’ presentations. He thanked the speakers for their careful consideration of the topic, saying, “I think this topic couldn't be more timely–we are living in a time of enormous darkness, and yet, there is a new wave of seekers and inquirers pouring into our Orthodox Churches, looking for the Ark of Salvation. We were very pleased to hear from both Sayidna John and Kh. Frederica on this important topic.”
Chief Advancement Officer and webinar orchestrator, Sarah Werner, also thanked the speakers for their thoughtful and insightful talks, and encouraged listeners to support the students at St Vladimir’s Seminary by making a donation to the scholarship fund at svots.edu/give.
Next month’s webinar will be on the topic Gender--Enlightening our Minds with the Words of the Scripture, featuring co-hosts Dr Edith Humphrey (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) and Dr David Bradshaw (University of Kentucky), held on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
To watch the recording of the first session of the Light of the World Webinar Series, Submission to the Church: How to Become Children of the Light, click the link below.
Watch Webinar Recording
About the Light of the World Webinar Series
This monthly webinar series features speakers from among St Vladimir’s Seminary faculty, alumni, and friends, speaking on a variety of topics while answering a core question:
How are we Christians to be the light of the world?
Drawing inspiration from feedback received through a recent survey, these webinars aim to address a diverse range of themes that address real and pressing issues facing Orthodox faithful in modern society.
These online webinars are open to the public and free of cost. They are recorded and uploaded to the St Vladimir’s Seminary YouTube channel after the live Zoom event for easy access.
