AJALAT on AFR: Toward an American Orthodox Church

Ancient Faith Radio Will Discuss Orthodox Unity in North America with Charles Ajalat on this Week’s Illumined Heart …

Chesterton, IN—The Illumined Heart—a program of Ancient Faith Radio—invites listeners to tune in this weekend for a compelling discussion with attorney Charles Ajalat entitled Toward an American Orthodox Church: questions of unity.

In this interview Mr. Ajalat will share his insights into the unique conundrum of Orthodoxy in America—that is, multiple jurisdictions who share the same doctrine, worship, canons, and spiritual life, but who are administratively separate. Mr. Ajalat will show how such division of resources and multiplication of leadership run counter to historical precedent, canon law, and—most importantly—present a flawed and confusing picture of Orthodoxy to those around us. Possible scenarios for what jurisdictional unity might look like and how to achieve it will be discussed, as well as the role of SCOBA. The interview will also explore the idea of “diaspora,” and whether or not this is a helpful, or indeed valid, characterization of Orthodox Christians in America.

Mr. Ajalat is a powerful voice for Orthodox unity with a great deal of pan-Orthodox leadership experience. Currently chancellor and board member of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America, he was also the architect of the historic Ligonier Meeting of Orthodox bishops in 1994—the first meeting of all twenty-nine bishops in North America. He also founded the highly effective pan-Orthodox charitable organization International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), where he also served as chairman. An attorney by profession, Mr. Ajalat is founder of a Los Angeles law firm specializing in tax and litigation matters, and a graduate of Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles.

This interview will be available as a podcast on the Ancient Faith Radio website on Saturday, January 19, 2008. To listen, visit Ancient Faith Radio and follow the link to The Illumined Heart under Podcasts. This program will also air three separate times this weekend on streaming radio. Visit the website for schedule details.