Eastern Orthodoxy has recently attracted a growing number of people in the USA. While some are leaving man-made denominations, there are examples of Christians (even among our own alumni) who have abandoned the once-for-all delivered faith for the so-called Orthodox religion. While those individuals will have their own reasons and will stand accountable to God for those decisions, I do notice a pattern among converts to Eastern Orthodoxy: a displeasure with the casualness of American churches. Eastern Orthodoxy often misplaces man-made reverence for true Biblical reverence (cf. Matt. 23:5; Col. 2:20-23); but the observation that many “churches” in the US are casual or irreverent is not entirely off-base. Worship services are smoke and mirrors, sermons are fluff and puff, and emphasis is placed on image, convenience, and preference. Neither the portrayal of reverence as found in Orthodoxy nor the flippancy of many churches reflects the Biblical pattern for worship, practice, preaching, or life.
What can the church learn from these observations:
- There are well-intentioned people seeking to reject modern forms of Christianity.
- There are well-intentioned people seeking to reverently serve the holy God.
- There are well-intentioned people who are turning to antiquity in their search for truth.
As we see Eastern Orthodoxy grow, let us approach our neighbors with conviction in the Scriptures. Let us approach them with answers to their man-made traditions that rest on various “church Fathers” and unbiblical reasoning. Let us assume that they are well-intentioned in their desire to serve God with reverence and respect. Let us not bring to them modern Christianity or American Christianity or any other watered-down, wayward form of Christianity. Let us approach them with the simplicity of the gospel, the unaltered message of Jesus of Nazareth.
-Trent Kennedy