Eastern Orthodoxy I: Why I am Attracted To It (This is a long one)

Orthodoxy is attractive because it is so holistic, and Eucharistic, and they preserve the mystery of God.

As you learn and grow in the tradition of your faith, and realize your protestant tradition goes back 100, maybe a few hundred years at the most, you find yourself trapped in modernity. You might find your communities limited by modern, inward, psychological, western, rationalistic faith. One should not have to work hard to make their "faith" relevant to the business of the 'real world'; of eating and drinking, art, music, sex, economics, work, architecture, bodies, cities, politics, and creation.

There are general, popular generic-protestant axioms like "worship is with your whole life", and "love God 24-7". These most often fail to draw upon 2000 years of disciples doing this very thing, and handing these practices down to the next generations. (So far, I have not said anything to exclude Roman Catholicism, which is also cool). (Also, most protestant culture and art sucks. We have the lamest music, creativity is rare, and yet we worship the Creator?)

The very idea of 'religion' as a universal, interior, human impulse was not created until the 16 century, and only at first in the west. Before that, 'religio' (the Latin word) referred to communaly embedded bodily practices and disciplines of Christians directing their lives toward God in every day life. ("religions", in the plural did not exist until the so-called "religious wars" - I will write a future post on this).

Western philosophy - with its roots in Neo-Platonism, Augustine and others (not ALL bad) - developed the idea of "individuals". The individual person became the locus of authority. Rene Descartes championed modern thought when he decided to fight don't with doubt, and concluded that at least he was doubting. His conclusion was "I think, therefore I am". He also was a dualist: the human souls and body were a "Ghost in a machine". (Individuals are a myth, anyway)

Confidence was in human reason, that is INDIVIDUAL human reason. Individuals began to interpret the Bible, and were the final authority on faith matters.

You have this supreme confidence in human rationality, explaining away Christian history (resurrection, miracles, powers and principalities), societies becoming fragmented, and the rise of the sovereign nation-state. Science and technology were deemed saviors, along with nation-states who guarantee individuals their "rights". With all of these individuals out there as the final authority on everything, the Church split umpteen different ways.

Western Christendom reacted by evacuating the realms of art, music, sex, economics, work, architecture, bodies, cities, politics; retreating to some inward 'spiritual space'. The idea of 'secular' was created, not discovered. For example: The western church's failure to recognize sexuality as a good gift, left it to pagans. 'Secularism' invested heavily in sex, politics, art, etc. It is no wonder that secularism looks attractive. If Christians have not joy, as Nietzche said, we will look elsewhere.

Without community passing on the virtues and practices of holistic Christianity, you have whakos who come up with interpretations and abuses of the Bible. They came up with the idea of the "rapture" (this idea has been around less than 100 years), and the idea that our souls are going to some place called heaven (as opposed to it COMING to us, like in Revelation) allowed people to think of the earth and its resources as disposable. This makes no sense if there is a resurrection of the BODY. If bodies don't matter, then why was Jesus' body raised, and why does scripture speak of new creation? The Spirit will makes all things new, not all new things.

And so we have this popular idea that Christianity is a religion, in which I believe in 'my heart' that Jesus died, and went through suffering so I don't have to, and I will go to heaven someday. Our churches are chaplains to our towns and cities. The Church governs souls, while we hand bodies over to the state, or the market, or 'the secular'. What I believe does not have to affect the rest of the world, unless I am really, really passionate, and then I might ask how to "integrate my faith into my life."

This is wrong!

For the Orthodox sin is thinking of God religiously; the problem is not preferring the world over God, but making it into mere material, instead of gift/blessing for communion purpose. Previously the life was full of spirit. God sent Jesus not to rescue, but to show humans what humans hunger for, to show them what God is really like. In him humans are restored to their priestly, Eucharistic role.

The Church is the continuation of the incarnation, but is also so much more. Our Orthodox friends help us by pointing to Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. The Church is the new epiphany of God; the most recent move in the economy of God. The Church must be wrapped up in the outgoing life of the Trinity; otherwise we have an unbaptized God -– a God who is not identified with humanity. The Spirit incarnated d the Son in the Virgin Mary, and "‘Christened"’ Jesus life and ministry. Jesus then died to "give up the Ghost"’ to all, even to the depths of hell. In this Spirit-Christology we see that Jesus came to give the Spirit, and at Pentecost the Spirit is given to continue this incarnation.

This incarnation is the real Body and Blood of Jesus, to be broken and given for the life of the world. Christ, the New Adam, instituted not a new religion, but new life. This new life is the restoration of the Eucharistic function of humanity. This function is the assumption of all creation – all of life is taken up, "judged, redeemed, transformed", and used for the kingdom. This happen in the Eucharist. They teach that when the invoking of the Spirit (the epiclesis) happens, the bread and wine are not the only materials turned into the Body of Christ, but WE TOO then become the Body. it is almost like double-transubstantiation. (it is ironic that protestants will think we are the body of Christ, but some bread can't be it????)

There is no dualism between souls and bodies, material and spiritual. Secularism is the illegitimate stepchild of Christianity, but is not real for Christians. There is no secular, God creates all, and all is to be redeemed by God. There is no realm outside the mission of the Church - the Orthodox realize this. They also have been living it. They offer a whole life, a culture. That is why I am attracted to it...