PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: info@armenianprelacy.org
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
Mid-Atlantic Regional Adult Seminar
Focuses on Current Ethical and Moral Issues
NEW YORK, NY – The bucolic St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, was the setting for a gathering of over 20 people who
attended the first of three regional seminars for adults sponsored
by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.
The seminar, entitled “Critical Issues of Life and Faith: An Armenian
Orthodox Perspective,” attracted participants from New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC, on the weekend of June 24-26,
2004, and included lectures, Bible studies, mini-group and panel
discussions, and worship services. The eminent Armenian Orthodox
ethicist and theologian, Professor Vigen Guroian, was the main speaker.
The weekend program began with a Bible study on Friday evening
presented by Deacon Shant Kazanjian, Executive Director of
AREC. Setting the tone for the program, Dn. Shant expounded on
St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 6, where the Apostle
underscores the reality that moral and ethical living is predicated
on one’s baptism into Jesus the Christ. Through a close study of the
text, Dn. Shant showed that while baptism in Christ confers new life,
which is a gift, it also imposes a great demand to live and behave
in a manner that corresponds to the Gospel, namely, to live under
the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Saturday’s program centered on current moral and ethical issues ranging
from abortion, reproductive technologies, homosexuality, suicide,
euthanasia, to gay marriage. The keynote speaker was Dr. Vigen Guroian,
Professor of Theology and Ethics at Loyola College in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Before delving into these topics, Dr. Guroian provided the necessary
background to Christian Ethics. He began by reflecting on a number of
scriptural passages, including Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 5:1-12, 2 Peter
1:1-11. Referring to the passage in Romans, Dr. Guroian said, based
on what God has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ, “Christian
ethics is born into the world. We don’t invent it. We don’t create
it. It is given to us, and then it becomes our responsibility, and
it becomes our calling to be in a certain way in the world. And that
certain way is incarnate, it is enfleshed in one man-representative
man-who was without sin, who was holy, who was perfect, just as he
called us to be perfect, ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.’ ”
He went on to discuss the Beatitudes as “the constitution of the
Kingdom,” the graces of God communicated to us through the sacraments,
the role and the place of ascetical effort, the link between ethical
living and deification. “We have to be conformed to Christ, we have
to be embossed by Him. Our minds must be remade and our whole nature
must be transformed, and this begins with baptism,” he said.
After receiving a bit of training and background, the group was divided
into five teams of four or five people charged with researching the
Bible passages and discussing modern issues relevant to the topics
of abortion, suicide, reproductive technologies, gay marriage and
cremation. The purpose of this exercise was to enable each group
to research the topic assigned, present its findings and identify
modern issues and discuss these with the larger group. The discussions
brought to light the scriptural teachings of each topic and how the
teachings of the Bible transcend time and guide us even through modern
technological advances.
These topics were further revisited in a lively panel discussion in
the afternoon, which broadened and enriched the perspectives. The
panelists were V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chifjian, Communications Officer
of the Catholicate of Cilicia, Dr. Carlo Bayrakdarian, and Dr. Meline
Karakashian.
The participants were pleased that the Prelacy sponsored this event,
and encouraged the leadership to present the church’s views on these
important topics to a wider audience. The general sentiment was that
more of these seminars should be held, with similar size groups to
promote free discussion, understanding and fellowship.
In order to critique the two-day seminar, evaluation forms were
provided to all of the participants. The evaluations could be signed
or be submitted anonymously. Some of the comments were:
“I really enjoyed the Adult Christian Education program. The lectures
were very insightful, thought provoking and even controversial. It
resembled a Datev post-graduate class with more mature discussions
and experienced perspectives on the critical issues of Armenian
faith. Dr. Guroian is an exceptional lecturer and I learned a lot
from him.”
“The weekend was fulfilling, nourishing, and enlightening. I would
return next year and encourage others to do the same.”
“I learned how to use the Bible, how to use its teachings in my daily
life. And I learned more about our Armenian Church teachings.”
Almost all of the participants suggested that similar seminars should
be organized more than once a year. One participant realized he or she
needed “to start getting serious about reading the Bible.” Some felt
the seminars should be longer and at least one participant suggested
that the topics should focus on issues that the Armenian Church needs
to face as a matter of survival.
Everyone felt that it was a blessing to have a prominent theologian
like Dr. Guroian lead the seminar. Dr. Guroian is the first Armenian
theologian ever elected to the American Theological Society and the
Orthodox Theological Society of America. He has served on the Board of
Directors of the Society of Christian Ethics, has been active in both
the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches,
and is a member of numerous editorial boards. His published works
include nearly 150 articles, and six books with three more scheduled
for publication later this year.
The Prelacy bookstore has most of Professor Guroian’s published books
for sale. For information go to the web page, ,
or telephone the bookstore manager at 212-689-7810.
# # #