The Church - Protector and Shepherd

Before ascending to His Throne, Jesus commanded the Apostles to remain in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. Before departing for his trial, Saint Paul warned the Church that wolves would come to attack the Church, some even from within. Ever since, we have been waiting for the return of Christ, comforted and shepherded by the Holy Spirit, while protected by His Church. But we cannot be shepherded if we insist on ignoring the Church and wandering away from her wings. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, protects us from the wolves while leading us to heaven. We must be vigilant against the attack of the wolves, and learn to recognize when someone is teaching against the Church. At those moments we must run to the Church for protection.

The Irony of Osteen

In past couple of weeks Christians have been “jumping on the bandwagon” (including yours truly) and condemning recent remarks from Victoria Osteen about what’s “really” going on when we worship God. Major bloggers and Christian media outlets have included scathing remarks from fellow Christians calling the Osteens heretics and warning well intentioned Christians from following their ministry. But I find it more than a bit ironic that Protestants are warning ANYBODY about following another Protestant. I’m actually not surprised, THUS the title for today’s blog.

Several months ago I was having a discussion with a Lutheran Pastor (and friend) about a trend I found disconcerting. We were acknowledging that many Christians hop from Church to Church until they “finally find a Church” with which they agree. At the extreme pinnacle of this trend exists entire parishes that, if they find themselves at odds with the Pastor, whom THEY hired in the first place, they either fire the Pastor, OR leave to start their own Church. This was called, “The inherited sin of the Reformation,” by my friend, the Lutheran Pastor. My response to her was, “If you really believe what you are saying, that means you have to return to the Orthodox Church. You know that, right?” Of course she, a bit caught off guard by my boldness, did not agree with my conclusion.

The IRONY....

The inherited sin of the Reformation, a statement with which I can agree, carried to its logical conclusion is: Every Christian has the ultimate right to determine for themselves the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and Faith of the Christian Church. This practice is what gives “legitimacy” to as estimated 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide. Take away the individual right to “your own” interpretation, and all you are left with, is the Orthodox Church. No surprise there.....

This is why I find it dripping with irony that ANY Protestant would dare suggest that the Osteens are heretics. By what authority does this condemnation rest? With their OWN private interpretation; thus the vicious cycle repeats itself with the number of denominations growing every day.

I have been asked why I am so worried about Joel Osteen and other like him. In short, my immediate concern is for those Orthodox Christians in my parish who “follow” Osteen and others, which allows the heresy to trickle into their own faith practice and ideals. It isn’t uncommon to find Orthodox Christians defending Osteen with comments such as, “His messages are GREAT! I follow him every day,” or “His is a great motivational speaker. God wants us to stay motivated, doesn’t he?” Well....yes and no. The sort of motivation God has in mind is for us to be motivated to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than building up riches. The Gospel is replete with references to sin in regard to focusing on the self. If motivation is focused on the self, it is not heavenly motivation.

So where do we go from here? We are called by God to test all spirits to determine if they are from God. How should we test them? Just like Saint Paul, the ancient Church, and every council since Pentecost. If a teaching is not totally consistent with the teachings of the Holy Apostles, it should be disregarded and avoided. As I like to say, if Saint Paul was required to verify his teachings with the Holy Apostles, and alter them where necessary, then so should we be required.

So where does that leave Osteen? It is obvious his teachings are not Orthodox. At the very least, Orthodox Christians should avoid paying ANY attention to him and his false teachings. At the most, we should help our friends, if we indeed love them, to step away from his incorrect teaching of the Gospel of Christ. In the end, we will all be accountable to God for our teachings and beliefs. Otherwise, God is going to cal to us, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3.16 – more irony......the opposite result of John 3.16) 

No Thanks Hollywood, You Can Keep Your son of god

The new movie The Son of God opens in theaters today…

I make no secrets about my dislike for “the Hollywood agenda” when it comes to the moral direction our society continues to engage. But when it comes to movies about Jesus and His Church, I can no longer sit quietly under the guise of, “at least they’re talking about Jesus,” without offering a serious warning.

The Orthodox Church throughout history has fought courageously to maintain the truth about who we know Jesus Christ to be, as that truth was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Holy Apostles. We have defended the truth of Orthodoxy down to single letters when the meaning of who Jesus was and is might be misunderstood by the faithful. We have maintained this truth, “once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1.3) through the holy and sacred tradition of the Church.

We would not sit quietly when Arius spoke falsely of Christ, and we cannot sit quietly when contemporary “theologians” under the guise of producing Hollywood blockbuster movies, as these movies are often times fictional representations of the Gospels and early history of the Church. This is nothing new, of course, as Hollywood has a long tradition of altering history for big screen for affect, while defending their actions in “the name of entertainment,” and warning viewers they are not responsible for educating our children.

I remember growing up being warned, “You can’t trust a movie with the facts. You have to read the book!” Teachers were, and probably still are, very good at forming questions that required knowledge of the book rather than just the movie. We can all think of movies where multiple characters from the book were blended into single portrayals on the big screen. So what makes us think this is not also happening when the Bible is produced on the big screen?

The reading of Scriptures is a crucial part of every Christian’s spiritual journey, but there are verses which don’t flow well, for the big screen. If movies were limited to just the written verses, the classic “Ten Commandments” would have been much shorter a movie and Charlton Heston would have been much less famous. I noticed the last time I watched the movie, (and I LOVE the movie) I had my Bible open. What was said in two verses in my bible was more than thirty minutes on the screen. How? Fiction and fantasy is the only way.

But it isn’t only the fictional additions that we must be concerned with. The Orthodox Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has been interpreting the Holy Scriptures since they were first written (speaking specifically of the New Testament) and the Sacred Tradition requires us to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (2 Thessalonians 2.15) We must be extremely careful anytime we hear the Holy Scriptures interpreted by anyone, including within the Church. Are the interpretations consistent with the Teachings of the Holy Apostles? Are they in line with the understanding of the Church Fathers, who themselves were loyal to the teachings of the Holy Apostles when they first sanctioned the Bible with Canonical Authority.

If you plan to watch this new movie about Jesus, or Noah opening March 28^th, then I caution you to sit with your spiritual father afterward about what the movie teaches. The visual impact of the movie will make it difficult for you to “forget” the incorrect teachings in favor of the Church, but prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will help as well.

I suppose, from my vantage point, these two movies might comprise a new attack on the Church, since they are being released during the Great Lenten journey while we are seeking a closer relationship with God. Many will flock to the movie theater “seeking a deeper relationship” rather than finding it in the Church. What they are likely to find is partial truth and fantasy about a god who is not the same as The God who revealed Himself to the Church.

A “New” American Heresy

I spend a good amount of time in the car, especially this time of year, going from home to home for house blessings, so I tend to listen to the radio. What I listen to tends to go in cycles, ranging from podcasts and liturgical music to local radio.

For months now I have been intrigued by a commercial for the “Biblical Money Code” and its assurance of guilt-free, God-endorsed, wealth building. The man who discovered this code, according to the radio commercials, used to be a Christian Pastor and “NOW DONATES MORE THAN 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR!” There is no hidden message; follow the code, and become filthy rich. And…..by the way, when you’re rich you can finally give a lot of money away.

I have so many difficulties with this premise; I’m not really sure where to start. We live in a society consumed with money; how to get it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how to get more of it. How any Christian Pastor can endorse a system of wealth building which is rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, seems counter-intuitive to the message of Christ.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6.9-10)

And yet, when a rich man confronted Jesus with the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” Jesus said,

"If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19.21-23)

Ultimately, what Jesus desires is our entire love and devotion. He asks us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. (see Mark 8.34) Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom.” (Matthew 6.33) If we seek wealth, we cannot seek Christ and His Kingdom.

So where is the heresy? The most dangerous heresies are those based upon partial truths. (Check out my post on "Partial Truth is More Dangerous") The so-called Prosperity Gospel contends that Jesus actually desires us to be wealthy, comfortable and “enjoy life,” which brings us true happiness. Many I have heard, base this heresy on a short passage in the Old Testament.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3.10)

It is perpetuated by New Testament quotes such as,

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9.6)

I suspect this is also why the radio commercial makes a point to proclaim how much the former pastor is now “able” to donate. His presumed guilty conscience is soothed by a charitable donation, just as a promised donation is rewarded by God.

But how is this reconciled with God’s commandment for us to be willing to die to the world, and lose everything, just for our love for God? It can’t be, but that is nothing new.