Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17
I was listening to a podcast recently hosted by a non-denominational pastor, who had another non-denominational pastor as his guest. I listen to podcasts like this occasionally because many of them are about how to grow a church, or operate a church more efficiently. They were bantering about the need to constantly have a brand, or rebrand what they have in order to compete with the other non-denominational churches. One of them actually said “What we really need is a return to some kind of tradition, we need some kind of creed we can agree on.” And I thought “you are advertising for the Orthodox Church and you don’t even realize it.”
Things are constantly changing in this world. A new phone becomes obsolete after only a month or two. There is always something bigger, better and different. This is true in just about everything except what we have confessed in the Creed. The Holy Trinity has not changed, the salvific work of Christ has not changed, the grace of the Holy Spirit has not changed, the nature of the Trinity has not changed, the work of the church has not changed and the ultimate destination has not changed. The Creed, written in the fourth century, has not changed since the fourth century, and there is no need for it to change, because what we believe does not change.
Other denominations are changing basic beliefs, redefining the Trinity, constantly changing the ecclesiology and theology of the church. We don’t do any of that. There are a few changes in how we practice our faith—and we are not talking about the Divine Liturgy, the sacraments, fasting, and the canons of the church, these haven’t changed. But we use electronic media, the internet, and technology to spread the faith, and to share it. There are new resources for how to teach the faith, and new ways to get people engaged in the life of the church. What doesn’t change is the core purpose of the church (to make disciples), the core message of the Church (which is essentially John 3:16), or the core belief of the Church (the Creed).
If any change is needed in the Church, it is not from those who came before us and the theology they shared with us. The Bible, the Divine Liturgy, the Canons, and the Creed do not need improvement. What needs improvement is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Are the words of the Creed just words on a paper, or things we believe with all our hearts?
There is a fundamental difference between a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” and an “individual relationship with Jesus Christ.” Many Christian denominations are emphasizing a “personal relationship” when really what they are advocating is an “individual relationship.” There seems to be a lot of room for defining one’s relationship with Christ in a way that is comfortable to the individual. “Personal relationship with Jesus Christ” is not commonly heard in the Orthodox world. We tend to emphasize community and Tradition. The Creed, by virtue of being in the first person, calls us to a personal relationship. It is a personal confession. The Creed does not, however, call us to an individual relationship. We are guided by the Creed in what we believe, and it is a personal choice to believe what is stated in the Creed. Our belief in the tenets of the Creed is a personal choice, but what we believe is not subject to individual interpretation.
As for a brand, we have one—it is the Nicene Creed, the Holy Canons and the Traditions set down by the Ecumenical Council. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated the same way all over the world. Orthodoxy doesn’t need to compete against contemporary trends in theology. The saying “what you see (and read) is what you get.” The Church doesn’t change its theology and practice to accommodate the way the wind is blowing this year. One who wants to join the Orthodox Church conforms to the doctrine and practice of the Church, the Church does not conform to the “doctrine” of the day.
As a priest, it is a relief not to have to brand and rebrand my ministry, or to think of new and inventive ways to worship. Having served in over one hundred different parishes in my 28 years of ministry, there is a great level of comfort in the consistency one finds from parish to parish. I never have to ask “so how do you do services here?” because wherever I go, they are done the same (with the exception of how much Greek and English are done and when the sermon is offered).
All of this being said, we do need a lot of improvement, not change in what we believe, but rather improvement in how we express our faith, as well as our demeanor in worship. We Orthodox do not generally read the Bible enough. Oftentimes we don’t put in very much effort into worship.
We are often quick to judge other Christian denominations. No one has our theology, or history, our services, our canons or our original and unaltered Creed. No one. But what other have that we Orthodox do not have right is zeal and enthusiasm. If we could combine the theology and history of the Orthodox, the administration of the Roman Catholics (no one has more hospitals or schools, or colleges than the Catholics) and the zeal of the Protestants, we’d have one incredible church.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications! In Thy faithfulness answer me in Thy righteousness! Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for no man living is righteous before Thee. For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that Thou hast done; I muse on what Thy hands have wrought. I stretch out my hands to Thee; my soul thirsts for Thee like a parched land. Make haste to answer me, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in Thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to Thee I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I have fled to Thee for refuge! Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Let Thy good spirit lead me on a level path! For Thy name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In Thy righteousness bring me out of trouble! And in Thy steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am Thy servant. Psalm 143
Our Creed hasn’t changed and will not change. What needs some change is how we express the things we believe.
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