Three Views On Eastern Orthodoxy And Evangelicalism

Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism Copyright © 2004 by James J. Stamoolis Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Three views on Eastern Orthodoxy and evangelicalism / James J. Stamoolis, general editor ; contributors, Bradley Nassif . . . [et al.].-1st ed. p. cm.- (Counterpoints) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-310-23539-1 1. Evangelicalism-Relations-Orthodox Eastern Church. 2. Orthodox Eastern Church-Relations-Evangelicalism. I. Stamoolis, James J. II. Nassif, Bradley. III. Counterpoints (Grand Rapids, Mich.) BX324.5.T48 2004 280'.042-dc22 2004007130 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from The New King James Bible Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /? DC/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Chapter One ARE EASTERN ORTHODOXY AND EVANGELICALISM COMPATIBLE? YES The Evangelical Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church Bradley Nassif ARE EASTERN ORTHODOXY AND EVANGELICALISM COMPATIBLE? YES The Evangelical Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church Bradley Nassif SETTING THE STAGE: A PERSONAL WORD If postmodernism has taught us anything, it has made us aware that we always interpret reality through the eyes of our own history-our family upbringing, educational background, cultural context, and religious community. My background is deeply rooted in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. I am a Lebanese Christian who grew up in America in the Antiochian Orthodox Church (formally named the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, whose patriarch resides in Damascus, Syria). It is among the most ancient and revered patriarchates in the Orthodox world, dating back to the great christological controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries-and even back to the first century, where the New Testament reports in Acts 11:26 that "the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." The late Father John Meyendorff was my doctoral mentor with whom I specialized in Greek patristic theology and exegesis. I am also deeply indebted to evangelical Christians who helped bring me into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ during my high school years. Over the past decade I have been a visiting or adjunct professor of Orthodox studies at leading evangelical schools such as Fuller Theological Seminary, Regent College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Much of my work has been devoted to introducing evangelical students and faculty to the riches of the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and many of these evangelicals have become friends and colleagues. In the early 1990s I founded a Pan-Orthodox, Pan-Evangelical organization named the Society for the Study of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. For the past decade we've held annual meetings to explore the areas of convergence and divergence between our two traditions. I share these brief biographical excerpts because readers may appreciate knowing that I have not just thought about Orthodox and evangelical compatibility, but I've lived it mosStamoolis, James J. is the author of 'Three Views On Eastern Orthodoxy And Evangelicalism', published 2004 under ISBN 9780310235392 and ISBN 0310235391.