Page 212 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Challenges and Priorities 213

and ethnicity. The Armenian Church from its
very inception has included only Armenians
in its membership; it has been exclusively the
church of Armenians. In the past, for the
survival of the nation this was imperative
and it did not cause any ecclesiological
concern for the Church, living, as it did, in
relatively closed environments. This is the
situation today in the Republic of Armenia.
However in the diaspora, the Armenian
communities and the Church are confronted
with this issue on a daily basis because of
their direct interaction with other cultures,
churches, and religions, and through their
involvement in the growing inter-church col-
laboration. The increasing presence of mixed
marriages has already exposed the Church to
the dilemma posed by the conflict between
ethnic considerations and ecclesiological prin-
ciples. Neither a nationalistic nor a dogmatic
approach will enable us to treat this complex
and sensitive problem effectively. How should
we reconcile this dilemma?
The second area is political. The total
identification of the Armenian Church with
the nation has made it a participatory com-
munity in its way of life and decision-
making, by giving a decisive role to the
laity. How can the Church both encourage
the active participation of laity, men and
women, in church affairs and, at the same
time, protect itself from attempts to make
the Church an arena of political influence