Saturday, April 13, 2013

Eastern Orthodoxy

While I dislike some aspects of Eatern Orthodoxy, especially in regards to the unchanging traditions and the attitudes towards women, I have found much of the theology of the east to be very enlightening. Christians would do well to look east for some new insights into old issues. I like their views on atonement, for one.

In the west atonement theology has tended to be very juridical, that is, tended to use the language of trial. Punishment, payment, prosecution and defense are the vocabulary of atonement. It is all about sin as a human moral problem, and guilt. Jesus is punished for our sins, etc. In the east they tended to use the language of combat. The devil, not sin, was the primary problem. Jesus rescues us from darkness. The suffering is the consequence of battle and of God sort of turning the world upside down. As my readers can easily deduce, this view has had a deep affect on me.

Eastern Orthodoxy has tended to focus more on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is an active, personified member of the Trinity, helping us to become more like Christ. Theosis, that is conforming manto the image of God, is a central idea in the east in a way it never has been in the west.

Relatedly, Orthodoxy values mysticism in a way the west never has. Mystics contribute to the life of the church, even in worship. The goal is mystical union with God, people who have led the way on that journey are honored and imitated.

I theorize in the future Pentecostalism and Orthodoxy will merge. My reasoning behind this theory will make a good future post. Right here let me simply suggest that the east's basic theological outlook has a vitality I think will long endure. Truth has a way of doing that.

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