Protestants and Eastern Orthodoxy, part 3

The Plumb Line
Straight Answers to Honest Questions
by Arden C. Autry, Ph.D.

Question: Could you explain the difference between Protestantism and Orthodoxy?

Answer (part 3): While sharing the same faith in Christ, we have differences in emphasis and expression. Some differences are like those between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Differences in "style" of worship are obvious, but heirs of John Wesley can find substantial agreement with the Orthodox concerning salvation, especially regarding the goal of what we call "sanctification."

In contrast to some Protestants who focused on intellectual adherence to right beliefs, Wesley preached the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and God's will for the Christian's "entire sanctification" or holiness. Using different terminology, the Orthodox Church emphasizes the same goal, the total transformation of the Christian.  Their term for this process and its goal is "deification" or "theosis."

The Orthodox do not mean that humans become independent "gods" of their own worlds.  Rather, theosis describes the process and result of God's transforming presence in our lives.  We do not cease being human; nor do we take on God's essence as our own.  But when God's energies pervade our lives, we live differently--we think, feel, and act differently.  The ultimate goal of this process is for God to touch everything we touch, because he is so present in us.  For example, a piece of steel does not cease being steel when it is heated white-hot, but the heat is so present in the steel that whatever it touches, the heat touches. Supporting their teaching on "deification," the Orthodox point to such texts as 2 Peter 1:4 ("partakers of the divine nature") and Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 ("As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us").  And the Apostle Paul constantly emphasized that our life is now "in Christ" (e.g., Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:9-11; Col. 3:3).

Orthodox and Wesleyans agree that salvation is more than acquittal for past sins and permission to enter heaven in the future.  Salvation means forgiveness but also transformation.  The sanctifying effect of the Holy Spirit even changes our desires (instantaneously or over time), until God's purpose for creating us is finally realized.  Power for this transformation is what Wesleyans call "sanctifying grace"; the Orthodox call it "deification."  Both groups emphasize the progressive nature of these changes as the Christian is shaped by God's Word and Holy Spirit in prayer and worship. 

Compared with typical Methodists, the Orthodox put more emphasis on the shaping influence of the "Divine Liturgy" and more emphasis on the effect of Holy Communion (although Wesley himself stressed frequent communion far more than typical Methodists). An observer of Orthodox worship and Methodist worship would see, on the surface, rather different ways of going about it. But if the Object of worship is the same (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and the "objective" is the same (transformation according to God's will), then what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Submit your question to Dr. Arden Autry, ardenautry@fumctulsa.org

Protestants and Eastern Orthodoxy, part 2

The Plumb LineStraight Answers to Honest Questions

by Arden C. Autry, Ph.D.

Question: A family member has joined the Orthodox Church.  Could you explain the difference between Protestantism and Orthodoxy?

Answer (part 2): We share with the Orthodox the heart of Christian faith in Jesus Christ, but differences in emphasis and approach can be seen.  Some differences in worship are like those between Protestants and Roman Catholics, although (as noted in part 1) their rift with the Eastern Orthodox is almost 1000 years old.  On the other hand, heirs of John Wesley can find substantial agreement with Orthodox thinking about salvation.

Orthodox worship looks very "Catholic" to Protestant observers.  That is because key elements of the liturgy (in both churches) pre-date the Great Schism of 1054 A.D.  Orthodox liturgy was never in Latin (as it was in Roman Catholicism until Vatican II) but in the language of the worshipers.  But the Orthodox have always stressed preservation of the traditional form of "Divine Liturgy" (i.e., the Eucharist or Mass).  Like Roman Catholics, the Orthodox place great emphasis on participation in liturgy--the words, gestures, and sacraments.  Protestants do not totally lack the concept of corporate participation, but we are clearly more individualistic in faith and more innovative in worship expression.

Catholics and Orthodox emphasize correct liturgy and the vital connection to historic expressions of the faith (safeguarded by "apostolic succession," their bishops' historical link to the first apostles).  In contrast, Protestants have emphasized correct doctrine and the necessity of personal experience with God (especially in the Pietist, Wesleyan, and Pentecostal streams).  To oversimplify a bit, we can characterize the difference this way: Protestants stress believing; Catholics and Orthodox stress belonging.  Protestants might say that if you believe you belong (to the invisible church).  Catholics and Orthodox claim that you find the fullness of faith only by belonging and participating in the "true church."

John Wesley would start with believing; the Orthodox would start with belonging. Their paths converge, however, with regard to becoming. [Yes, Dr. James Buskirk's headings are quite useful here!]  In contrast to doctrinaire Protestantism (seemingly content with confessing right beliefs), Wesley preached the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and God's will for the "entire sanctification" of Christians.  "Salvation," for Wesleyans, is more than forgiveness of sins. God is changing us; salvation has holiness as its necessary goal. Transformation of character and behavior through the pervasive presence of Christ is an emphasis Wesley found in the New Testament and in the writings of early church fathers, which he read extensively.  This same emphasis on the transformed life is found in the Orthodox Church's language of "deification."  The term sounds strange to Protestant ears, but it refers to the goal for every Christian's life, just as when we speak of "Christlikeness" or "holiness."  (More on this topic in the next column.)

Submit your question to Dr. Arden Autry, ardenautry@fumctulsa.org