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As I sit down to write this, I must confess that I have
grown weary of Polemics. I have no desire to continue comparing
Orthodoxy to Protestantism. On the other hand, I have a little too much desire to defend
Orthodoxy against Protestantism. We're all reading mostly the same
Bible and coming to different conclusions based on preconceived
ideas about the nature and purpose of the Christian life. In
Orthodoxy, we call those preconceived ideas 'Tradition'. Everyone has
a tradition. Everyone has dogma. So, what makes me feel that
Orthodoxy has the correct Tradition? What gives it the weight to
remain, in my opinion at least, the proper and authentic
understanding of Christianity in the face of so many different ideas?
There is a great deal of diverse
opinion in the world. In fact, there are as many worldviews as there
are people. Particularly in America, perhaps as a result of our
entrepreneurial spirit and value of individuality, we have come to a
point where often we, as Christians, accept others on the grounds
that they also assume the label of 'Christian'. In such a way, we
have created an atmosphere in which it was possible to develop over
23,000 Protestant denominations (by some estimates). If that number
is disturbing, you might be in agreement with a rapidly growing
number of Christians who describe themselves as 'non-denominational'.
When one confesses a particular
doctrine, we may reasonably infer that they actually believe it and
that they believe it to the exclusion of all others. When I say the
Nicene Creed, it may be reasonably inferred that my Christianity fits
within the context of that confession. What the Baptist, the
Methodist, the Pentecostal, etc. are saying when they confess their
particular creeds is that they believe what they are stating.
No one objects to this. If the Baptist thought that their set of
beliefs were wrong, they simply wouldn't be Baptist. But the Baptist
that thinks that their set of beliefs is correct is doing so to the
exclusion of all others. Often in religious conversation, we hear the
words “I don't believe [Doctrine A], because I believe [Doctrine
B]”.
What any denomination is doing in
reality is stating that they are the “Ark of Salvation”. They are
marking a line in the sand and stating, “On this side you are
correct and on that side you are wrong.” The logical conclusion is
that they are also stating that no one was correct before they worked
out their theology. For the Calvinist, no one had it before Calvin.
The same applies for Luther. Even Roman Catholicism, with the advent
of Papal Infallibility, is in some sense stating that Roman
Catholicism was missing something before the doctrine was introduced.
Even the non-denominational, although they may lean toward certain
Protestant ideals, also takes the really strong stance that no one
denomination has got it completely right.
Furthermore, we are often faced with
an utter lack of humility when working out our personal theological
views. We will read, listen, and reason until we work out our own
theological collage of doctrines and then search for the denomination
that best fits us. Imagine that. We want a Christianity that fits us,
rather than wanting to adjust ourselves to Christianity.
The truth of the matter is that any
Christian would likely give a limb to walk about the hills of Galilee
with Jesus, or travel the Roman world with Paul, in order to get back
to the 1st century Church. We all want the most authentic
faith that is possible. Despite whatever pitfall we happen to have
fallen into, we really just want the truth. For most of us, if Jesus
appeared as He did with Paul, and pointed at a particular
denomination, we would abandon our own immediately. Just as Paul
abandoned the Pharisees, we would completely readjust our theology to
the religious view that Jesus pointed to.
In lieu of such a holy and miraculous
event, I can suggest this defense of Orthodoxy. It and it alone can
claim lineage from the Church of the first four centuries. All of
Christianity was once a unified body of believers who did not refer
to themselves as any denominational name but simply as the One, Holy,
Catholic(universal), and Apostolic Church. The West split away and
has been splintering since(Matt 7:15-20). With so many new
denominational names coming into existence, the Church needed a way
to set itself apart and took the name 'Orthodox'. Orthodoxy is
pre-denominational.
What is significant about that defense
is that it shows precedence. Whereas the Adventist is stating that
Christ taught but no one really “got it” until the Adventists,
the Orthodox Christian has been stating the same message for 2000
years. In fact, the Adventist isn't stating much of anything that
goes past 500 years, except when they quote scripture. But they quote
scripture and understand it from the Adventist tradition, which is
less than 100 years old in its current form.
This is why someone can voice some
protest against Orthodox doctrine and theology and it falls on deaf
ears most of the time. Scripture has been studied and discerned. It
has been worked through and the meaning understood by men who devoted
their entire lives to prayer and communion with God. While our
understanding can reach new depths and provide new insights, it
cannot be negated and replaced by a different version. To negate
Orthodox Theology is to negate the words of Jesus when He said, “the
Gates of Hades will not prevail against” His Church (Matt 16:18).
To take the position that only the Pentecostals got it right is to
say that there was no true Christianity between Nicea and the
Holiness Movement of the mid-19th century.
Thus, when seeking the most authentic
understanding of Christianity, I saw no recourse except to come to
Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church is the Ark of Salvation. That is not
to insinuate that those outside of the Church do not have Salvation.
It does not mean that many if not most other denominations are not,
in some sense, Christians. It does mean that they are in danger of
misunderstanding, confusing, minimizing, and dismissing the authentic
Christian life that they could have. Depending on the doctrine of
their denomination, they could even miss the mark altogether on what
it means to “work out your salvation”(Phil 2:12).
