There are questions at the bottom. If you want to skip to the questions, go ahead. This one is a big one for me personally. There are two issues when we talk to Protestants: first, we try to prove that we are right. And Protestants look at us and say that we are holier-than-thou bigots. The sad truth is: Many of us are, and I can be the worst of them. Even when I talk to those I love, I go into battle mode over theology. But that isnt what dialogue is about. It isnt about proving by logic or force that Orthodoxy is right. Its about finding where we agree, and working from that common ground to find the common truth, with the center of it all being the divine love that brought us to that Truth! Secondly, even when we arent trying to prove something, we tend to talk about things that the common man doesnt really understand. Sure, some of us on here can talk capably about the hypostasis of Christs divine nature and will with the human nature and will, but we lost many people when we said hypostasis. When we flood our conversation with these technical terms, we bog down our conversations and make our faith seem esoteric and elite. Our faith is a faith that was built and understood by a Carpenter, taught to fishermen and tax collectors, and received in full understanding by barbarians with no written language! (Irenaeus; Against Heresies 4.2-5). But we armchair theologians take so much time discussing the validities of Arminian Pre-Tribulational Rapture theories in comparison to the toll houses and pergatory that we forgot ourselves in the insanity of researching things. If you cannot explain the faith to a 5 year old, then you need to go back and learn it over again as if you were a five year old. QUESTION TIME! 1. What are some good ways that we can communicate the faith to the uninitiated? The Liturgy is a great tool, but it is a text that is very densely packed! How can we explain this in terms that everyone who is willing to learn can learn? 2. What are some times you caught yourself arguing with someone instead of loving them? Have you ever put someone off of Orthodoxy by this? 3. If one of the Patriarchal Bishops were to ask you what ministry would be most useful for teaching the faith to people in America, what would you say? (me personally, I would be picking up the pieces of my mind after it exploded from shock) Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comments section below!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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