Understanding and Defending the Orthodox Faith

I grew up cradle Orthodox in an active family. We attended Divine Liturgy, kept the fasts (mostly), served at the altar, and kept a nightly prayer rule. Mornings occasionally as well, but that was a much more hit or miss proposition. One thing we did not do much of was Bible reading. We would sometimes read from the lives of the saints, but typically the only Bible I heard was during divine services or catechism classes.

There was no particular reason we didn’t read the Bible. The verses for the day were right there on the church calendar we kept on the fridge. We just never made it a daily habit. Like many cradles, I took what the priest and catechism teachers told me at face value and went on with my life. It was a serene existence that did nothing to prepare me for coming face-to-face with Protestantism.

My first real exposure was joining a Christian club in high school. As a Gen Xer, I am old enough to remember when those existed. Part of the club’s activities was a weekly “Bible Study”. Kids would share a Bible verse, and then explain what that verse meant to them personally. As the year wore on, often the verses were targeted at me and the one Catholic kid who belonged. All the typical anti-Orthodox / Catholic “proof texts” made their appearance sooner or later – justification by faith, call no man “father”, don’t “worship” graven images….

The fact that my fellow students were using the Bible to denigrate the Church was shocking to me. What was even more shocking was my realization that I didn’t know how to respond. Up to that point, no one had equipped me to successfully explain and defend the Orthodox Faith. It shook me up so badly, that I wondered if the kids who seemed to know so much more about the Bible than me might be right. Maybe the Orthodox Church was wrong after all.

I started reading the Bible for myself, and most importantly, Orthodox commentaries on the scriptures. I dove into Church history as well. Once I immersed myself in the proper understanding of the scriptures, and the true history of the Church, all doubts and uncertainties dissipated. Starting from that period in high school, I have continued to study the scriptures daily with the guidance of the Church. That task was made immensely easier after the publication of the Orthodox Study Bible with its articles and footnotes. Though I still read Orthodox commentaries, because sometimes more explanation is needed.

A few decades and a few kids later, I feel very confident in my ability to both explain and defend Orthodoxy to Protestants and Roman Catholics. Most adult converts to Orthodoxy are also able to do so, but this ability is still less common among cradle Orthodox. Understanding your faith well enough to articulate it is important for all Orthodox Christians. If you can’t do so, then you or your kids could find yourselves vulnerable to doubts and even to proselytization to other faiths.

So let me encourage you all to learn as much as you can. Read the Bible properly in accordance with the tradition of the Church. Read the lives of saints. Read books on Orthodox topics written by reliable authors. Watch the videos of the many good priests who explain topics. For those who might want to get started learning more, I highly recommend the video below from Fr. Mark Hodges. This is a shorter excerpt of a longer video. For Orthodox Christians, or even non-Orthodox who are interested in the Faith, the excerpt covers the most important challenges to Orthodoxy from Evangelicals.

In about 15 minutes, Fr. Mark explains that there is no personal interpretation of scriptures. The Bible can only be interpreted by the Church through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Church Fathers revered the scriptures, but never made them “idols” that could replace a relationship with God. The scriptures themselves refute Protestant claims of the “all sufficiency” of the Bible (without the Church) or sola scriptura as the teaching is called. Personal Biblical interpretation leads to complete and utter chaos, a fact that even atheists have noticed. Removed from the context of the Church, the Bible becomes whatever any reader wants it to be.

Fr. Mark also explains the Orthodox teaching on salvation in a way that is easy to understand and easy to repeat. In addition, Fr. Mark does a great job addressing the common Protestant objection to Orthodox practices / worship that only “what is in the Bible” is allowed.

The best section is towards the end, where Fr. Mark addresses the common Protestant insistence that we are saved by faith alone, and not by works. This Protestant claim is often used to teach against the sacramental life of the Church. Fr. Mark does a great job of explaining that Apostle Paul was writing against Judaizers who were trying to make Christians follow Jewish laws. His treatment of “works” was specific to a time, place, and set of circumstance. James, in his book that came later, defends “works” against those who had misunderstood Paul. The two books are not in contention, but rather complement each other for a full understanding of how to live as a Christian. Please take the time to listen to Fr. Mark’s explanation.

Historical context matters in interpreting the Bible. That context is preserved by the Orthodox Church. Those kids in my high school, all those years ago, meant well but were misleading themselves and others. Today, they are full grown Protestants who are probably still doing the same thing. We Orthodox must first learn our own faith, and then we need to help those around us embrace the love and truth of the Gospel.

Nikita is cradle Orthodox Christian, a native born American of Russian descent, and currently lectures in history for an American University. 

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