Posts by Christian Worker

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…

Recently, Eastern Orthodox theology has attracted renewed attention in modern religious discussions. Many people are drawn to a religion like this because of its age, its traditions, and its historical emphasis, yet when examining a religious order like this we must ask: Are religious practices authoritative because they are ancient or because they are authorized by the Word of God? And should tradition establish religious doctrine alongside of Scripture? The Greek Orthodox Church openly recognizes both the Bible and “Sacred…

One of the strongest appeals of Eastern Orthodoxy is its sense of antiquity. The icons, candles, incense, relics, chanting, and elaborate worship can give the impression that one has stepped directly into ancient Christianity. For those dissatisfied with shallow or casual religion, that sense of reverence can be powerful. Yet the fundamental question is not whether a practice feels ancient, beautiful, or spiritual. The question is whether it is apostolic. Scripture commands us to “test all things; hold fast what…

Baptism now saves us. The language of 1 Peter 3:21, though often misinterpreted, could not be clearer about God’s teaching on New Testament water baptism. If you want salvation from sin, you must be immersed in water. Our Eastern Orthodox friends agree, only they say we don’t go far enough in our defense of baptism. They would argue that baptism is not simply for those who can respond, but for those who cannot. The argument often is posed this way:…

Over the past year, I have engaged in several public discussions concerning whether the Eastern Orthodox Church is the true church established by Jesus Christ. While we share many beliefs in common with Eastern Orthodoxy, we also have disagreements on important doctrinal topics. One of those is the organization and qualifications of church leadership. The New Testament identifies church leaders using three main terms: presbyteros (elder), episkopos (bishop/overseer), and poimēn (shepherd/pastor). These terms do not describe different offices, but different…

One of the central claims of Eastern Orthodoxy is that it represents original or authentic Christianity, in harmony with the faith taught by Jesus and the apostles. Many groups make such claims, but to evaluate this assertion requires us to identify the continuity, or lack of, with the faith in its nascent stage as described in the Scriptures. Even any claims to legitimate doctrinal developments would need to align with the teachings of the Bible in a way permitting such…

“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet…” (Isa. 3:16). Goals, priorities, and norms are often reflected in the women who make up the various strata within a given society. In Isaiah’s day, the daughters of Zion were proud, immodest, covetous, seductive, shameless, immoral, and presumptuous. Isaiah’s condemnation was only of those wanton women; instead, he showed how they highlighted…

Fish don’t bite the hook because they want the hook; they bite because they want what hides the hook. That is temptation. Like the fisherman, Satan doesn’t drop his line without bait, advertising the hook; otherwise, temptation wouldn’t work. Instead, our adversary advertises the bait: pleasure, not consequence; desire, not death. We have a level of discernment which is not matched by the fish. We can, if we choose, identify the hook hidden within the bait. James writes to us,…

In a society obsessed with the next miracle pill or quick-fix shot, we have lost the ability to focus and build healthy habits for longer-term, beneficial growth. Our current habits have caused our society to become chronically diseased and sick. People constantly look for the next health kick because they know something is wrong, but they don’t know how to fix it, or they don’t want to work to fix it. Ezra found a community just like this, except they…

A preacher once said that when a Christian comes to him for counsel, he would always ask them the same two questions, “How often do you read your Bible,” and “How often do you pray?” Typically, the answer to one of those would begin to identify some deficiency of a struggling Christian. Our growth and maturity as a Christian is directly linked to our prayer life. Therefore, if we want to grow and mature, we must make deepening our prayers…

Teaching our children to love God is not so much a formulaic process that guarantees their faithfulness, as much as it is a way of life that we ourselves embody. They must see God reflected in our lives, hear His truth taught consistently from our mouths, see us worship Him outside the building, hear us attribute our blessings to Him, and see us turning to Him in prayer. Our children need to see that our faith is not confined to…