Saturday, May 11, 2013


On Evidence of the evil spirit and of the Holy Spirit

When the spirit of evil is in us, then, together with oppression of heart and disturbance, we generally feel a difficulty in drawing near to God in our heart, because the evil spirit binds our soul, and will not let it raise itself to God. The evil spirit is a spirit of doubt, unbelief – of passions, oppression, grief, and disturbance; whilst the spirit of good is one of undoubting faith, of virtue, of spiritual freedom and breadth - a spirit of peace and joy. 

Know by these tokens when the Spirit of God is with you, and when the spirit of evil, and, as often as possible, raise your grateful heart to the most Holy Spirit that gives you life and light, and flee with all your power from doubt, unbelief, and the passions through which the evil serpent, the thief and destroyer of our souls, creeps in.

Saint John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, E. E. Goulaeff (tr), Holy Trinity Monastery,
Jordanville NY, p. 37.

Why Orthodox Christians Don’t Participate in Joint Worship and Prayer Services with Various Denominations or Religious Bodies


Introduction
Christians from the various denominations cannot understand why Orthodox Christians do not participate in joint worship or prayer services such as Easter sunrise services, Thanksgiving Day services, National Day of prayer or any other worship/prayer services.  The very idea that some would consider it wrong to participate in joint worship and prayer with others is a concept that is totally foreign and baffling to most in American Christianity.  

For the purposes of this paper, the groups who find the Orthodox view on this subject to be strange or even offensive will be grouped together and referred to simply as American Christianity.  American Christianity in this context includes most denominations and those who call themselves non or inter-denominational.   All of these groups hold a form of the Christian Faith that developed in and grew out of the Western/American experience and is unique to Western/American Christianity.   
American Christianity stands in sharp contrast to the Orthodox Christian Faith, and herein lies the problem. Most in American Christianity cannot understand why joint worship is a problem precisely because they do not understand the great difference and divide between them and the Orthodox Faith.   Some may perceive Orthodoxy, if they know of it at all, as just one more denomination among many that shares a common understanding on the basics but exists as a separate denomination because of differences that really don’t matter.  From an Orthodox perspective nothing could be further from the truth.  American Christianity and Orthodoxy are two very different understandings and expressions of the Christian Faith; not just in a few externals and customs but in the very essence of what is confessed and believed about the Christian Faith. 

If a Christian who lived, let’s say in Antioch, Jerusalem or Alexandria in the 3rd, 4th or 5th centuries could suddenly appear in America today he could enter any Orthodox Church for a Sunday service and apart from a language barrier he would be right at home.  He would recognize the worship with all its forms and parts and the Faith confessed as the same he had known back then.   But if he entered a typical church of American Christianity, he would encounter a form of worship and an understanding of the Christian Faith that would be unrecognizable to him.   To be sure, most in American Christianity don’t see why this is a problem.  They contend the Church has to adapt to the culture and that’s why American Christianity is so different from something out of the past.   But this is simply one more indication of the great difference and divide that exists between the Orthodox Faith and American Christianity, as we shall see. 

What is it about the Orthodox Faith that is so different and unknown to American Christianity?   How is it more than just a difference in a few non-essential externals?  Why does Orthodoxy refuse to change with times, fads and movements?  And why do these differences pose a problem for joint worship and prayer from the Orthodox perspective? 

The essential differences between the Orthodox Christian Faith and American Christianity can be grouped under three broad headings:
  • Different foundations 
  • Different content
  • Different conclusions 

Different Foundations
Foundation has to do with what we stand on, the source of our authority and that on which we base our existence.  Our understanding of how we came to be – the foundation we are built upon, ultimately determines our beliefs and our practices.

The Foundation of American Christianity
American Christianity claims the Christian Faith as their foundation, to be sure, but it is as each one or each group understands that Faith according to their interpretation of the Bible.  Everything goes back to the Bible and everything is drawn from the Bible.  The Bible is claimed as the manual, the source and guide for all that is believed and followed in American Christianity.  This is the heritage of the Reformation in Europe in the 16th century and of the Restoration Movement and the Great Awakening in the 19th century in America.  A description or explanation of these movements is beyond the scope of this paper.  Suffice it to say, American Christianity is the product of these movements that based the Christian Faith and the various churches on Scripture alone.   These movements soundly rejected any source as authoritative for determining their faith and practice except the Bible.  All the teachings of the early Church Fathers, the Church Councils through the centuries and the consensus of the early Church were rejected as sources for determining the beliefs and practices of the Christian Faith.   Nothing could be taught or believed as essential to the Christian Faith unless it was taught in the Bible.  American Christianity claims the Bible to be its sole foundation – that from which all of its beliefs and practices are drawn or based upon.  This is called sola scriptura, from the Latin for scripture alone.

The Orthodox Christian Faith rejects the teaching of sola scriptura as false and misleading, believing it results in an understanding of the Christian Faith that is very different from the historical Faith, both as to its content and its practices.  

Before explaining the contrasting foundation of the Orthodox Faith, it would be helpful to understand some of the problems the Orthodox Church has with sola scriptura and why we believe it has produced a form of the Christian Faith that is erroneous in many of its parts and therefore unacceptable.    

The first problem is that the concept of sola scriptura is a late development.  This doctrine was taught by certain reformers who created their own church some 1500 years after the Church began.  In fact, the Church existed almost 400 years before there was anything close to the New Testament as we have it today.  For almost twice as long as America has been a nation, the Church existed without knowing which books that now comprise the New Testament were authentic and which were not. There was no clearly defined New Testament until the 4th century.  Even then people did not have copies of the Bible until hundreds of years later with the invention of the printing press.  People did not carry Bibles to church in the first century and Saint Paul did not preach from a Bible.  From this it should be clear that the Church did not grow out of the Bible and was not based on the Bible.  The Bible grew out of and was based on what the Church already believed and practiced.  The Bible did not give us the Church.  The Church gave us the Bible.  The Bible does not interpret the Church. The Church interprets the Bible.  These are crucial distinctions that result in very different Faiths.

The second problem with sola scriptura is that there is no such thing.  It is a false construct.  The Bible begs interpretation.  It does not interpret itself.  It is open to many different meanings and understandings.  This is why there are thousands of denominations all claiming to be based on the Bible.   The fact that the Bible needs interpretation is why there are preachers preaching, teachers teaching, Bible studies studying and authors writing thousands of books and commentaries to explain the meaning of the Bible.  If it were self-interpreting, there would be no need for all the attempts to interpret it and there would not be numerous interpretations and explanations. 

The fact is that all of American Christianity is built, not on the Bible alone, but on someone’s interpretation of the Bible.  Every denomination or group has its own tradition that determines its interpretation of the Bible. Each denomination or group is based on a preacher’s interpretation or that of the denominational founder or leaders. If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517. If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry. If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560. If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582. If you are Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England, founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century. If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1606. If you are of the Dutch Reformed Church, you recognize Michelis Jones as founder because he originated your religion in New York in 1628. If you are a Methodist, your religion was founded by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1774. If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, New York, in 1829. If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865. If you are Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mary Baker Eddy as its founder. 

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as Church of the Nazarene, Free Will Baptist, Pentecostal Holiness, or Jehovah's Witnesses, your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past 150 or so years. 
If you belong to a non or inter-denominational group, your religion was founded in the last 50 years and your interpretation of the Bible is determined by your founding pastor or left up to each individual to interpret as they like.

All of this sounds like what St. Paul condemned in his letter to the Corinthians because one faction was saying, “I am of Paul,” i.e., follower of Paul, and another faction said, “I am of Peter”, and another, “I am of Apollo”.   St. Paul told them the Church cannot be divided into factions based on certain persons, groups or personalities.  Today people are doing the same thing saying, “I follow Luther, Joseph Smith, the Baptists, the Charismatics, Joel Osteen, or this preacher or that group or denomination.  St. Paul taught there is only one Church and all such divisions are incompatible with the one Church that Christ established. 

Another problem with sola scriptura is that it contradicts itself.  The teaching of sola scriptura is not found in the Bible, which it would have to be if your beliefs are based on the Bible alone.   

There are numerous other problems with the idea that the Church is based on the Bible alone but I will mention only one more.  With sola scriptura you end up with confusing and contradictory versions of the Christian Faith all claiming the Bible as their support.

Each denomination, group or individual in American Christianity can quote Bible verses to support their beliefs and show the other beliefs to be wrong.  Each group claims to follow only the Bible, to be led by the one and same Holy Spirit and to be a true expression of the Christian Faith.  Yet, there are numerous interpretations and different versions of the Faith.  American Christianity may resemble the confusion of Babel more than the unity of Pentecost.
The Foundation of the Orthodox Christian Faith
For the Orthodox, the foundation of Scripture alone is a foundation of shifting sand that cannot be trusted and results in confusion.  It is an introduction of new and innovative teachings that creates understandings and practices that are very different from the historic Christian Faith.   

The Orthodox Church can trace its unbroken history directly back to the Church founded by Christ and the apostles on the day of Pentecost.  This is not arrogance but a statement of historical fact that anyone can discover with a little reading.  Read A History of the Jewish People by Josephus (a Jew and non-Christian), Ecclesiastical History by the 3rd century historian Eusebius or the writings of the Apostolic Fathers (some of whom lived during the lifetime of the apostles) and you will see this to be so.  The Orthodox Church of today is the same Church as described by these early writings.   Thus, the Orthodox Church existed before there was a New Testament.  For the first one thousand years there was one Faith and one Church in the entire world.  This is the Church that has the promise of Christ, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

The bishops of this Church gathered in council in the 4th century and decided which letters/books to include in the New Testament as authentic and which letters/books to exclude as unauthentic.  What were their criteria for determining this?  What was their measuring stick?  They made this decision based on something they called the Holy Tradition received from the apostles and handed down to them.  The foundation of the Orthodox Christian Faith is Holy Tradition.   It is interesting to note that American Christianity rejects Holy Tradition and most of the teachings of the very bishops who determined which books to include in the New Testament.  And they believe these bishops, whom they reject, were inspired by the Holy Spirit in determining the books of the New Testament but in error on almost everything else they taught.  

Holy Tradition includes the Bible but is not limited to the Bible.  The New Testament was not written as a comprehensive manual and was never intended to be so.  It was never intended to be interpreted apart from the mind of the Church.  The letters of the New Testament were written by the apostles addressing particular issues in different locations but were never intended or used as a comprehensive manual until the doctrine of sola scriptura was introduced some 1500 years later. 

By Holy Tradition, the Orthodox Church means the fullness of the Christian Faith, as established by the apostles, taught and guided by the Holy Spirit, and handed down as one Faith and one Church.   Holy Tradition is the Life and Truth of the Holy Spirit in the one undivided Church.  It is not limited to a few basic ideas.  Nothing of Holy Tradition as preserved in the Orthodox Church is considered optional, unimportant, unnecessary to our salvation or open for negotiations because it is the Life of the Holy Spirit in the Church.   As we go, we will see more of what this body of truth, Holy Tradition, includes.

Christ never wrote a book and never instructed anyone to do so.  He did, however, ordain apostles whose function and teachings were the foundation stones of the Church.  He then instructed them to make disciples by baptizing and teaching ALL that He had commanded them and by passing on the apostolic doctrine to faithful men who would be able to teach others also.  Once again, it is this Holy Tradition, the Life and Truth of the Holy Spirit in the Church as received from the apostles and passed down in its fullness and unity through each generation that is the foundation of the Orthodox Christian Faith.  It includes the Holy Scriptures, the teachings of the Fathers, Confessors, Martyrs and Saints of the Church, the canons of the Holy Councils and Synods of the Church, the Iconography, prayers and hymns of the worship services and the oral teachings that have been received and passed on from one generation to the next.  This is all in keeping with the words of St. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 that the Church is to hold fast to the apostolic traditions whether written or spoken.  So, Holy Tradition is the Way, Truth and Life of the Holy Spirit in the Church which began at Pentecost, was established and passed on by the apostles and continues to the present day in the one undivided Faith of Holy Orthodoxy.  This is the one, holy Catholic [possessing the fullness of the Faith] Church that holds the same Faith at all times and in all places from Pentecost to the end of time and into eternity.  Once again, this is the Church that Christ promised to build and to preserve.  It is His Body, His Bride.

The Church rests upon this foundation of Holy Tradition, preserving the fullness of the apostolic Christian Faith, undivided.  Only in the context of Holy Tradition can the Bible be properly interpreted with one unified understanding since the Bible grew out of and is a part of Holy Tradition.  Without the rule of Holy Tradition the interpretation of the Bible becomes a free for all and an instrument of error and confusion.   

Different Content
Different foundations lead to different content.  To be sure, there are some similarities in the content of what is believed by American Christianity and the Orthodox Church in regard to a few of the major doctrines but even here there are shades of differences which to the Orthodox are not unimportant and cannot be overlooked as though they don’t matter. 

Content of American Christianity
The content of the Faith of American Christianity is impossible to clearly define beyond a few basics, and even here there is not one united consensus even on the basics.  American Christianity as we have already seen, embraces numerous, conflicting and even contradictory versions, all of which are reckoned to be the Christian Faith as the following illustrates:

  The Calvinists (historically Presbyterians, Primitive and other Baptists) say that according to the Bible God has predestined certain ones to heaven and others to hell and man has no choice in the matter.  The Armenians (Methodists, Nazarenes, Free Will/General Baptists and others) say that is false since the Bible teaches that salvation is based on man’s free will.  The Church of Christ says the Bible teaches that man is saved by water baptism while Baptists and others say the Bible teaches no such thing.  Lutherans teach that baptism and Holy Communion are essential means of grace for salvation while others deny this to be so, based on the Bible.  Some baptize by sprinkling or pouring and can support it with scripture; others say this is contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible.  The Salvation Army doesn’t practice either water baptism or the Lord’s Supper, believing them to be of no importance, according to the Bible, of course.  Some say the Bible teaches that man is totally depraved and incapable of doing anything to save himself; others say the Bible teaches that man is able to cooperate with God and contribute to his salvation.  Some say that good works have nothing to do with our salvation, according to the Bible; others say man can’t be saved without good works, according to the Bible.  Some say the Bible teaches once saved, always saved or eternal security; others say this is false and contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible.  The Pentecostals believe speaking in tongues to be the sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the Bible.  Some say the tongues spoken of in the Bible ended at the end of the age of the apostles and that what is referred to as tongues today is just emotional gibberish, based on the Bible, of course.   Some believe in present day miracles.  The group known as the Church of Christ and some Baptists say miracles ceased at the end of the New Testament era, according to the Bible.   Some teach Christ will set up his kingdom on earth when he returns, others deny such a teaching.   Some teach that Christ’s death is a substitutionary atonement, others say differently.  Some say salvation is a legal declaration of forgiveness of all sins; others believe salvation is a process of transformation. Add to this all the odd and bizarre teachings and practices of Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Bill Hybles, Joel Osteen, Robert Schuller, Paula White, Prophetess Bynum, Rick Warner, Mike Murdock, the holy laughter and holy barking movements and the so-called emerging church, etc, etc. and we see there is not one clearly defined Christian Faith in American Christianity that is accepted by all as the one true Faith.  In fact, it may be that the two most commonly held beliefs in American Christianity are sola Scriptura and that there is NOT one clearly defined body of belief that can be called the one true and correct Christian Faith to the exclusion of those who disagree

Content of the Orthodox Christian Faith 
 And they that gladly received his word were baptized and added to the Church. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers.  Acts 2:41,42
  
The foundation of the Orthodox Faith, i.e., Holy Tradition, consists of specific content and may be likened to a three-legged stool.  Each leg is essential to holding up the seat. The first leg is what we call the doctrine, dogma or teachings of the Church (the apostles’ doctrine).

It is not within the scope of this paper to explain all the doctrines of the Orthodox Faith or to show how they differ from much of American Christianity.  Such an effort would require several volumes of books.   If anyone wants to understand these differences they can learn about them in numerous books and Internet articles.  Since American Christianity is not one unified body of truth, the extent and degree of differences will vary from one person or one group to another.  The point to be made here is that there are significant differences in many areas such as the following:
  • The meaning and significance of the doctrine of the Trinity and how it must be expressed in the life and worship of the Church
  • The doctrine of the nature of Christ and how the Incarnation relates to our salvation
  • Meaning of the fall in Eden and its consequences
  • The doctrine of sin
  • Meaning of the cross and how Christ accomplished our salvation
  • What is meant by salvation and how this is accomplished in man
  • What the Church is and its role in our salvation 
  • The significance and role of the Virgin Mary and the saints in the Church
  • The relationship between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven
  • The meaning and nature of worship
  • Meaning and nature of baptism, communion, repentance, confession, absolution, marriage, the priesthood and the forgiveness of sins
  • What is involved in living the Christian life
  • The purpose, nature and goal of the Christian life

In some of these areas there is hardly any agreement between Orthodoxy and American Christianity.  In some areas there are similarities here and there but total agreement is rare in any area.  The disagreements are significant enough to end up with two very different understandings of the Christian Faith.  This is why some in American Christianity question whether or not Orthodoxy is truly Christian.  Some question whether the Orthodox are even saved due to many Orthodox teachings they consider false, not the least of which is the rejection of the idea that people are saved or born again simply by saying a brief prayer and inviting Jesus into their hearts. (Where is this taught in the Bible?)  From the Orthodox perspective, this may be a good beginning but it is not the new birth or entrance into the Church.  

The second leg of this three-legged stool of Holy Tradition is the worship of the Church (the apostles’ breaking of bread and of prayers). Just as God revealed one true way of worship to the Church in the Old Testament, which preserved a true understanding and worship of the one true God, the Orthodox Christian Faith holds that God has done the same in the New Testament Church.  This understanding about worship is drawn from Holy Tradition.  In particular it is found in the writings of those who succeeded the apostles in which they tell us that this is the understanding passed on to them from the apostles, the apostolic form of worship.  This understanding is also taught and confirmed in the writings of the Fathers and Confessors of the Church and the voice of the Holy Spirit in the one united Faith of the Church from the beginning to the present.  The earliest recorded description of the Church’s worship at the end of the first century is a liturgical form based on the order of Temple worship and is identical to the order still followed in the Orthodox Church today.

The early Church continued the basic form or outline of worship God had given to Israel but substituted the reality or fulfillment of the law as fulfilled by Christ in place of the old shadows or symbols of the law under Moses.   For example, the animal sacrifices of the Temple worship are replaced by the communion of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Divine Liturgy.   The Old Testament Feast of Passover is fulfilled in the Death and Resurrection of Christ called Pascha in the Orthodox Faith and Easter in American Christianity.  The covenant of circumcision in the Old Testament is fulfilled in holy baptism in the Church.  The Sabbath of the Law is fulfilled in the Resurrection on Sunday, etc.     

The Orthodox Faith holds that the worship of the Church is divinely revealed and cannot be changed anymore than the Bible can be changed.  The worship of the Church is another part of Holy Tradition just as is the Bible.  It is held that this divinely revealed worship is essential for preserving and participating in the true Christian Faith.  It is not merely symbolic but an other-worldly and mystical participation in the worship that continually takes place around the throne of God with the saints and angels of heaven as described in the letter to the Hebrews, chapters 8 and 9 and in The Revelation of St. John.  How could anything the Holy Spirit has revealed be optional, or how could we join in worship with those who seen to us to be rejecting what the Holy Spirit has revealed in favor of a man-made and man-centered worship?

The fact is that the way we worship reveals what we believe.  A different kind of worship created by man presents and creates a different understanding of God, Christ, Salvation and the Church compared to the Orthodox view.  The variety of beliefs of American Christianity results in a variety of worship forms and theologies of worship.  The total disconnect of American Christianity from the Holy Tradition of the Church results in the understanding that man is free to create his own personal forms of worship that reflect his own personal beliefs about God, Christ and the Church.  Christianity is individualized and customized.  When separated from the Church, worship inevitably takes on the worldly and secular characteristics of consumerism and entertainment.   A worldly, non-believer can go to such a church and enjoy this kind of service, be entertained and feel right at home, but definitely would not feel the same in an Orthodox service.  The two forms of worship grow out of and reflect two different spirits.  One is of this world; the other is not of this world.

These two understandings of worship reflect two different concepts of God and what is necessary to approach Him.  This is reflected even in the buildings used for worship.   The Orthodox Temple with its nave, sanctuary and holy place with holy furnishings and holy atmosphere is in sharp contrast to the theatre type of auditorium, stage, performances and entertainment venues of American Christianity.   

The third leg of the three-legged stool of Holy Tradition is the order, structure and government of the Church (the apostles fellowship).  Once again, in contrast to American Christianity that embraces a variety of forms, structures and governments, leaving it up to the people to decide, the Orthodox have received through Holy Tradition that all of this was established by the apostles and cannot be altered because it reflects the truth of the Church.  The Church was established under the authority and life of the Holy Spirit as conveyed through the apostles and is passed on through the succession of those who succeeded the apostles, namely, the bishops of the Church.  The bishops who remain in the Orthodox Faith are seen as the conduit of the Holy Spirit (as were the apostles) who pass on the apostolic Faith in the Church through each generation and preserve it as one Faith and one Church.  The laying on of hands in ordinations, baptisms, chrismations and blessings are not merely symbolic but the actual conduit and means of preserving and passing on the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church.  The worship and holy mysteries (sacraments) of the Church are filled with the saving grace that flows from the apostles through the bishops, to the priests to the people.   Thus, the Church believes there can be no true Church without a true bishop nor can there be any grace filled sacraments. 

Different Conclusions
Different foundations lead to different content, which leads to different conclusions.  Many of the different conclusions regarding the Christian Faith have been touched upon throughout this article and are fairly self-evident.  The different conclusions may be summarized under the following two questions:
1) Is there such a thing as one true Christian Faith and one true visible Church?
As we have seen already, American Christianity says no.  American Christianity is able to join in prayers and worship with those who hold different and conflicting beliefs because of two innovative or new ideas or teachings they have developed to help them live with the contradictions of denominations and conflicting beliefs.

The first new teaching, called reductionism, reduces the doctrine of the church to its least common denominator as the only parts that require agreement.  There is not one clearly defined body of truth (beyond a few basics) that can be identified as the Christian Faith to the exclusion of all others.   Many feel that anything beyond a few basics such as Jesus is Lord and Savior is not required or necessary and really cannot be known for certain. Most of the teachings of the Bible are open to individual or denominational interpretations. They refuse to admit it but this is pure and simple theological relativism and reductionism that has overtaken American Christianity.  Consequently, if people profess faith in Christ, this is good enough for united prayer and worship. It doesn’t matter if one believes in predestination and one in free will, or if one believes once saved always saved and one that a Christian can backslide and be lost, or that one believes baptism saves us and one doesn’t even practice baptism.

The problem is that the differences are not minor or unimportant.  The differences between various groups of American Christianity include doctrines of sin, salvation, the sacraments and the doctrine of the Church itself, i.e., what it is and what it isn’t.  These are all major issues that are crucial to the Christian Faith and our salvation.  Another issue for American Christianity is who decides what is minor and what is not.  It’s all left up to denominations, groups and individuals so there is not a consensus of the one Faith, once for all delivered to the saints as taught in the Bible, the very book they claim to stand on.   There is not even a consensus on what is minor and what is major.  

The second innovation in American Christianity that allows for united prayer and worship in spite of all the different beliefs is the concept of an invisible Church.  This teaching developed as more and more denominations and groups came on the scene, all claiming to be the Church that Christ founded.  In the early years of denominations, each one did believe they possessed the one true Faith.  But eventually there was such a proliferation of contradictory beliefs that most ceased to believe in the idea of one true Faith.  Thus, the idea of the invisible Church became an essential dogma of American Christianity (a dogma, by the way, that is not found in the Bible).  This is the teaching that there is not one true visible Church on earth.  The Church exists invisibly only in the heart.  Thus, you can have all these conflicting denominations and still see them all as one because they all, in their hearts, confess faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  This is a new concept created by American Christianity to deal with the conflicting teachings and divisions of many “churches”.   The Church, as something visible and specific, has been replaced in American Christianity by something invisible and unspecific called Christianity.  The church has come to mean basically, a building or a voluntary association of people who get together because they like the same things.  It is a man-made organization and therefore can be made to fit people’s tastes in preaching and worship styles.  Thus, the church is more like a club than the Church.   The Christian Faith and the Church are seen as two different things.  You can get the Christian Faith sort of on your own and then it’s a good idea to join a church of your choice.   Christianity is what’s important.  The church, a man-made organization is secondary.

It is interesting to note that Christianity is not mentioned in the New Testament, but the Church is mentioned over 100 times. The Church is Divinely instituted according to God’s order and design.  In the Acts of the Apostles and all the other Epistles there is only the CHURCH.  Anyone who believed was united to the CHURCH through baptism.  People can’t create a new Church any more than someone can create a new United States of America.  If you want to become a citizen of the USA, you don’t try to create a new one but you humbly submit to the one that is and has existed in history and abide by its laws and life.  The same is true concerning the Church. 

In the Orthodox Faith the invisible Church is the Church triumphant – the saints in heaven.  The Church on earth is clearly visible and identifiable even as it was in the Book of Acts.  The Church is not a building but the visible Body of Christ, the New Nation or Israel of God.  And as in the Acts of the Apostles, this visible Church is still identified by those who continue in the apostles’ doctrine (one body of truth), fellowship (unity/agreement/submission to apostolic oversight), breaking of bread (celebrating one Holy Communion) and prayers (apostolic form of worship) – a unified body of truth, worship and practice.  
The theological relativism and reductionism and the newly created dogma of the invisible Church are considered by the Orthodox to be serious betrayals of the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit and held in the Church from the beginning.  For the Orthodox there can be only one true Christian Faith, a Faith that is denied and betrayed by a conglomeration of conflicting beliefs and practices.  What many in American Christianity never stop to consider is that their beliefs have arisen from the Western concept of democracy rather than from the history and Faith of the Church and thus reflect a secular world view rather than a view of the Church as the sacred and holy Bride of Christ that must be kept pure and faithful.

In the Old Testament God revealed to Israel – His Church, one Faith, one government and one way of worship.  Israel was forbidden to deviate from any of this because God had attached Himself and His grace to what He had revealed.  All else was false.  There was only one truth and one way that reflected one God.  The pagan Gentiles, on the other hand, held many different beliefs, ways and worships that reflected their belief in many different gods. The Samaritans, however, retained most of the Faith of Israel and changed only a few things here and there.  Yet, when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman He said, “You Samaritans know not what you worship for salvation is from the Jews”.   There was no room for joint worship or prayer even though the differences were what American Christianity would call minor.  In spite of what God revealed to His Church in the Old Testament, and in spite of the fact that the first Church in Jerusalem and all the apostles were Jews and would have known nothing else, and in spite of the fact that the New Testament Church is the New Israel of God, American Christianity still rejects the belief of one Faith and one Church that is visible, definable and historical from Pentecost to the present.   They view the Church more as a sprawling ranch style house with each generation laying its own foundation and adding additional endless rooms in all directions. The Orthodox views the Church more as a skyscraper with each generation adding a new floor to the one unchanging foundation.

2) Why is unity in what we believe and practice necessary for worship and prayer?  
For the Orthodox what we offer to God in worship and prayer must be pure and in the unity of the one Holy Spirit since we believe disunity and false teachings are contrary to the will of God and an offense to the Holy Spirit.   How can we ignore large parts of what God has revealed and established in the Church when our worship is intended to honor Him?  How can we say that much of the Bible is minor or not essential?  How can we completely ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit in the Church through history?  To pretend to be unified with one Faith and one Holy Spirit when we actually hold different faiths and different spirits is, for the Orthodox, lacking in honesty and truth, both of which are essential for approaching God.   To join in public worship and prayer with those who hold something other than or less than the fullness of Faith revealed by the Holy Spirit is to say it doesn’t matter that some have distorted, changed or modified what God has set in order in his Body, the Church.   For the Orthodox it matters not only from the point of integrity and authenticity but also for the sake of our salvation, as the following will show.

The scriptures that teach this truth are some of those that American Christianity seems to ignore even in their zeal for what is taught in the Bible.
Romans 16:17:  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them, which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine, which you have learned and avoid them. [Avoid in this context indicates the fellowship of worship and prayer.]
I John 4:1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
II John 9-11: Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God.  He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house [into the fellowship of prayer and worship, i.e. house churches at that time], neither bid him Godspeed: For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil.   [Here we see that abiding in the one true apostolic doctrine and rejecting false doctrine are essential for abiding in the Holy Trinity.]
Galatians 1:8-9: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be anathema [judged as outside of the kingdom of God].  As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto than that you have received, let him be anathema. [Incidentally, the Church never understood “gospel” to mean only “Jesus loves you and died for you” but rather the fullness of all that Christ taught and did.]
I Timothy 4:16: Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. [It is essential to our salvation that we continue in the body of truth that is the Christian Faith.]
Titus 1: 7-13: A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God…holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. [those who hold a contrary doctrine]
Titus 2:1: But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.
II Thessalonians 2:15: Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether spoken or written. [Here he refers to the Holy Tradition of the Church – the fullness of the Faith, not just a few essentials.  This is a verse you are not likely to hear a sermon on in American Christianity.]
II Timothy 4: 2-4: [St. Paul’s instructions to the presbyter Timothy] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they gather around teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth. 
Titus 3:10: A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject.  

There can be no concept of heresy in American Christianity, beyond a few “major” doctrines, because there is no concept of one Christian Faith.  St. Paul tells the presbyter Titus to remove from the Church anyone who holds to heresy if they refuse to repent when admonished.  The word heresy means to pick and choose, mixing truth with error, treating the Christian Faith like a smorgasbord from which you can take what you want and leave what you don’t like.  Since, in American Christianity, there is not one clearly defined body of truth or one true visible Church, the concepts of heresy and excommunication don’t exist.  All of American Christianity is, itself, a form of picking and choosing with the mixture of truth and error.  Consequently, Orthodoxy would consider it a violation of Scripture and all the Church has taught throughout the centuries to enter into a joint worship or prayer service with what the Church calls heresy.   

Summary
American Christianity’s understanding and approach to God, salvation, the Christian Faith, worship and the Church stand in sharp contrast to that of the Orthodox Church and lead to two different Christian Faiths and two different Churches.

American Christianity believes the Christian Faith is held in many different forms in many different groups and bodies.  The Orthodox Church believes there is one Faith that was taught by Christ to the apostles, established by the apostles in the Church and has been preserved in the Church by the Holy Spirit as one Faith, unchanged and indivisible.   For the Orthodox this Church must continue in the apostles’ doctrine, under a true bishop, with one divinely revealed way of worship and Church government.  These are the conduits through which the Holy Spirit is passed and preserved in the one Body of Christ.  While we understand that many in American Christianity hold parts of the Christian Faith and are sincerely seeking God this does not allow us to act as though the Church can be divided and the Christian Faith can consist of many conflicting parts.   We do not believe that unity can grow out of compromise or can somehow be achieved if we just pretend.  We believe that unity in the Faith is prerequisite for unity in public prayer and worship that honors God in Spirit and in Truth.

There really are only three choices.  One, there IS one true Christian Faith and Church and we can identify it and know it; or two, there is no such thing as one true Faith and Church, which is relativism; or three, there is, but no one can know or say for certain what it is, which is agnosticism.  
The Orthodox obviously believe the first choice and believe that only within the communion of the Orthodox Church can we know with certainty that we possess the fullness of the true Christian Faith.  Outside of Orthodoxy, there is no such certainty but only the uncertainties and contradictions of many voices and many opinions.  

Therefore, the Orthodox cannot be unified in worship and prayer and bid Godspeed to that which we see as an erroneous distortion of the ark of salvation?   We pray for unity and we seek unity among those willing to listen, but we cannot pretend unity where it doesn’t exist. 

FINDING THE WILL OF GOD

Many in contemporary Christianity express a desire to "live in the center of God's will" and talk much about "finding God's will for your life" but often have not really considered what that means.  Too often, I fear, we confuse our will with God's will. If we really want to live in the center of God's will the saints teach us what it means.
St. Silouan tells us: "When the soul has given herself up to the will of God, the mind contains nothing but God, and the souls stands before God with a pure mind."
We might ask ourselves, "What is the will of God?" This is a good question, especially considering that several times each day, in the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
The following excerpt from St. Cyprian of Carthage answers the question of God's will, and gives us instruction on how to truly live "in Christ."
"After that, we add: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" – not so that God may do what He wants, but that we may be able to do what He wants. For who could hinder God from doing whatever He wishes? But because the devil keeps us from always obeying God in thought and act, we plead that God's will be done in us. For this, we need His good will – in other words, His help and protection; for no one is strong enough of himself, but is secure through divine grace and mercy…
Now the will of God is precisely what Christ both did and taught. It entails being humble in our life-style, steadfast in our faith, modest in our words, just in our actions, merciful in our dealings, disciplined in our conduct, incapable of inflicting a wrong but able of bearing one inflicted on us; keeping peace with our brothers; loving God with all our heart; cherishing Him as Father while fearing Him as God; putting absolutely nothing before Christ, since He put nothing before us; clinging tenaciously to His love; standing, brave and confident, by His cross; and whenever His name and honor are involved, displaying in our speech the constancy to confess Him, under torture the courage to fight for Him, and in death the patience for which we shall be crowned. This is what it means to want to be co-heirs with Christ; this is what it means to carry out the commands of God; this is what it means to do the Father's will…
And therefore, we pray daily – or, rather, continually – that God's will for us be done, both in heaven and on earth, because this is His will: that earthly things should give way to heavenly ones and that spiritual and divine realities should prevail."
Let us heed St. Cyprian's teaching. We can follow them closely by using the above each evening as a help to review our day, remembering our sinful actions and thoughts. Then, let us beg our merciful Lord forgiveness and strength to continue. Our measure toward holiness is our repentance.

Fr. Sergius


On the Need for Discernment in
Our Spiritual Struggles

by Father Seraphim Johnson of blessed memory

Originally published in The Faithful
Steward, Issue 6, Spring 1999

There are basically two approaches we can use in developing our spiritual life. One method is to draw closer and closer to the Lord through prayer and true obedience to Him; in time more and more of our actions and words will be transformed and we will become new creatures in Him. Our old, sinful actions will fall away as we are transfigured into His image. The other method is to work hard to obey the rules for Christian behavior, to deny ourselves, and in general to force ourselves to speak and act as Christians should. Over time these behaviors may become habits, and we will see our actions and words changed into those befitting a Christian.

Now, if one more closely examines these two approaches from the basis of Holy Scripture, one can see that the first approach is the way our Lord Jesus Christ set out for us and is also the only way that really works. The second approach is basically that of the Pharisees and of human religious systems, and it does not work. In the first method, we are being transformed by God’s love for us and our love for Him into what He wants us to be—the image of His beloved Son Who obeyed His Father in everything even unto death. This, and only this, is humility. In the second method, we are using our own willpower to act like Christians (or Jews or Moslems or whatever religion we are following); but the end result is not to produce a person who obeys God, but rather one who has strengthened his own self-will. And this, of course, is pride. So the results of the two methods are diametrically opposed.

The Church gives us times of self denial, like Great Lent, not so much that we might develop our willpower, but so that we will shift our focus away from the distractions of the world and think more about our God and His love for us. We aren’t called to give up secular things “because it’s good for us” or ”because they’re bad,” but so we can concentrate more on God. If we are to develop the love for Him which transfigures us and eventually burns out the desire to sin because sin cuts us off from the One we love, we must think about Him and talk to Him all the time, not just for a few minutes in the morning and again in the evening. Consider the great Saints like Papa Nicholas Planas, Elder Joseph of Optina, Elder Ieronymos of Aegina, and others. They tried to talk to God in prayer all the time. They also practiced great asceticism, but not because it would earn them standing with God, or bring them merit, or because things in the world were “evil.” Rather, they denied themselves things so as to avoid entanglements in the world which might keep them from prayer and from thinking about God. And the more they prayed and drew closer to God, the less they were interested in the worldly things which might distract them from Him.

If we have made a valiant effort to keep the fasting and other rules, by the time Pascha comes we may be tired of working so hard and ready for a break. And if we over relax our self-control, we will see our hard-earned “virtues” disappear, since it is beyond our fallen human ability to change ourselves by our own efforts. But if we have taken advantage of the reduced distractions Great Lent offers—less focus on food, lighter bodies from avoiding heavy foods and alcohol, fewer passionate and secular distractions, more services and more focus on compunction in the services—to come to love God more and so to become a little more like Him, then we may even find that we don’t want to go back to all the secular activities, and other things that we had before, since they might tend to distract us from our beloved Saviour. And if we have come to love God more, that won’t be taken away from us after Pascha. In fact, thinking about the events of Pascha should even add to our love for Him.