From the East: A Russian Orthodox Priest Explains His Spiritual Views

In countries such as Russia, it’s almost impossible to ignore the Orthodox Church’s influence. While living in Russia with my American missionary parents, I was exposed to facets of Orthodoxy almost every week. We drove past exquisite cathedrals on the way to my parents’ bilingual Charismatic church, which was held in a movie theater. While playing childhood games outside, I would talk with my Russian neighborhood friends, who had been raised Orthodox. I regularly saw colorful iconic art—paintings, sculptures, crosses—for sale on the streets and in shops.

Orthodox Christianity is made up of two main branches: Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy. The two branches split in the year 451, when at the Council of Chalcedon, there was a disagreement over the nature of Christ.

The Eastern Orthodox Church includes groups such as the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and about a dozen other self-governing churches throughout the world.

Oriental Orthodoxy is comprised of six groups, the main one being Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The other five churches are based in India, Armenia, Syria, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

In recent years, leaders from Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy have sought to find commonality between their beliefs. Some of the churches, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, have even agreed to recognize baptisms and marriages that were performed by the other group.

Some Evangelicals believe that Orthodoxy keeps its focus on icons and rituals rather than on having faith in God. I grew up with a clear delineation between “our church” and “their church.” However as an adult, I wanted to see what Orthodox spirituality represented beyond the icons and rituals. I wanted to truly understand how the Orthodox people viewed God.

In order to learn more about the Eastern Orthodox perspective, I contacted Father Andrew Louth, a Russian Orthodox Priest in Durham, England. Until retiring recently, he was also the Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at Durham University. And before that, he taught early Christian theology at Oxford University. Father Andrew graciously agreed to answer my questions for the following interview.

Rachel Mock: I read on the Durham University website that you teach a course on the understanding of what it is to be human in early Christian theology. Could you tell me about some of the key concepts that you teach in that course?

Father Andrew: I used to teach such a course (I am retired now).  It was an MA course, with texts, the texts being Gregory of Nyssa’s On the Making of Human kind and Nemesios of Emesa’s On the Nature of Human kind.  Central concepts were: the human in the image of God, as bond of creation, as microcosm of the cosmos; quite a lot about psychology, a good deal about providence.

Rachel Mock: You also mentioned on the website that “theology is not separated from prayer and spirituality: the God whom we seek to understand is the God to whom we pray.” Could you explain more about prayer and spirituality within Eastern Orthodoxy?

Father Andrew: Both private prayer and liturgical prayer are important within Eastern Orthodoxy, and I would argue that they form the touchstone of theology: see my book, Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology (2013).

Rachel Mock: I noticed that you have also researched the notion of love in Eastern and Western Christian traditions. What have you discovered about the notion of love within Eastern and Western Christianity?

Father Andrew: It is long term project, not much advanced.  Love is, of course, a central notion in Christianity, but is interpreted in diverse ways. Rachel Mock: What influenced your decision to become an Orthodox priest?

Father Andrew: The parish in Durham needed a priest, and I was thought appropriate.

Rachel Mock: How have your religious beliefs influenced your life?

Father Andrew: I hope extensively.

Rachel Mock: What are the main differences among the various branches of Orthodoxy?

Rachel Mock: How is Orthodox theology different from that of other Christian traditions?

Father Andrew: First of all, it is important to realize that the different Christian traditions share far more in common than what separates them.  In my view the explicit differences (the procession of the Holy Spirit, the use of leavened bread in the Eucharist, and other liturgical differences) have a largely cultural explanation.  The major difference between Orthodoxy and Roman catholicism is the role of the papacy. Rachel Mock: What do you believe about the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Father Andrew: The gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential for the life of the Church: the essence of the Church lies in her invoking the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Rachel Mock: Do you believe that there are misconceptions about Orthodoxy that people of other Christian traditions have?

Father Andrew: Yes, lots, of course: mostly due to ignorance.  Only with the emigration from Russia, Greece and other countries over the Twentieth century, has Orthodoxy become at all well known in the West, and such knowledge is very patchy and often superficial.

Rachel Mock: What can people of other Christian traditions learn from Orthodoxy?

Father Andrew: I would say that we all need to learn from each other, by listening and praying together.

PR