pat loughery

I’m reading Orthodox Alaska by Michael Oleska for an upcoming class.  It’s the story of the Russian Orthodox church’s mission and evangelization into Alaska.

The book makes an interesting comparison between the types of schisms that happen in the East and the West.  Food for thought:

In the West, divisions often occur when a faction wants to strike out in a new direction and often finds the “establishment” too conservative and inflexible to allow their innovations.  In the East, schisms more often deveop because the recognized leaders break with the past, becoming “innovators.”

Oleska, p. 80

That’s certainly true for the West that I know.  Your thoughts on the matter?