The respect of Scripture?

Question

Pastor Billy's recent question about why Protestants think Roman Catholics don't respect Scripture got me to thinking. We Orthodox have the same problem but here's what we do:

We read two passages (a couple of chapters) out of both the Gospels and epistles minimum every Sunday morning our service (matins and the Liturgy). Our hymns are often, a single Scripture or several Scriptures together. For example, we sing Psalm 50/51 every service and in most devotionals. We sing St. Symeon's prayer every service. The services pepper almost everything with Scripture readings and go through it all (save Revelation). So great is our respect for God's Word, that every matins, we file out and kiss the Bible to show our affection and love of the Bible.

I used to be Evangelical. We never used as much Scripture even as we do in just the readings.

In light of that, which Church really respects the Scripture more manifestly, Evangelicalism or Orthodoxy? Why criticize us as if we didn't love the Word?

I also forgot to add: those Greek texts that your Bibles are based on come from us, and you wouldn't have them if we hadn't preserved them with nearly fanatical zeal. We did this against the odds, despite pressure from Romans, heretics, and Muslims, and it has cost us a great many lives. Our love is manifest in the New Testament translations from Greek that people have.

cordsoforion, yes I was a member of another church before Orthodoxy, or more specifically churches. I've been an active member of non-denom, Penteocostal, and Baptist churches. When I converted, I had completed a path in the university to be a Baptist member. I grew tired of the denominations and realized that no "Just be unified" or "Just read the Bible" approach would work and became convinced that the Orthodox Church is the Church Christ founded, and thus, converted. So, yes, I do have background in other churches.

PaulCyp, the Orthodox Church regards the Scripture in a very similar way. We don't force it to be the sole authority, so we really don't have that much difference there. I was stressing the practical side of devotion to the Word. Yes, I know why the Evangelicals say that, but most of them have no idea how or what is done in Orthodox (or Catholic) services or how much the Scripture is respected.

Well, I do have to add that the Roman Catholic Mass actually descends from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Pope St. Gregory the Great went to Constantinople and found the Liturgy so spectacular, that he brought it back and recreated the Latin Mass off of it. The Liturgy of Chrysostom, though, remains our Liturgy.

Answer 1

And of course the Orthodox service is based upon the Catholic Mass, which is the same in all respects as you described. Kind of silly though to say that the Church which compiled the Bible for its own use, through whose inspired discernment the world knows which texts are scriptural and which are not, doesn't "respect" its own book. What the evangelicals really mean of course is that the Catholic Church doesn't try to force the book it compiled to be its sole authority, for that would be unbiblical, and would result in the Catholic Church fragmenting into thousands of conflicting denominations just as Protestantism has done. So no, the Catholic Church doesn't try to use the Bible in a way God never intended it to be used. But the Catholic Church most certainly does use the Bible in its proper context, authoritatively and accurately interpreting it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit , thereby maintaining the unity of God's Church, without which the fullness of truth is not possible.

Answer 2

I do not think that either is correct. First you have to realize that both evangelism and orthodoxy both came essentially from Paul. That makes you ask how did he come up with it? Jesus never had Orthodoxy, it was all things that his disciples came up with and they did not even agree on it. All Jesus spoke about was how to live your life so that you may have a fulfilling life here on earth.

The bible also has to be questioned as to what exactly it is saying, just take a look at when the people had communion, one says it was the day of the sabbath one says it was before, there are two lineages of Jesus in both Matthew and Luke.

Once you get a grasp on EVERYTHING the bible has to say you then have to turn to the words of Jesus which really does not say a whole lot about anything in terms of orthodoxy or what that even is. All Jesus spoke of was an egaltairan society and creating social equality and acceptance of others and how they pays homage to God.

I think once you have an understand or if that is your understanding from there you have to think that just living your life if being evangelical and you will cross people along the way who will want to discuss that with you and that orthodoxy comes from however you decipher the message. Even Roman Catholics such and St. Augustine pointed people down that road.

Answer 3

I'm not going to push division, instead we need to be unified.

I don't think it's about which church...more importantly, choose a church that reads from the Bible.

You can't get any better than God's Word...no matter which church you choose.

Peace be with you!

Answer 4

Are you saying you had a different denomination prior to G.O.

Answer 5

Still interpreted by man's words and reinterpreted by another and another and another... how many other till this generations? Nothing man-made? LOL!

Its even printed by man-made product!

Answer 6

couldn't read it all.
I'm a bible believing christians.

Answer 7

I think that the purple hamster people of nebulon 5 respect the scripture more.