www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Fr John's Letter to the editor

Since we share almost identical ritual practices, I think this letter by Fr John Matusiak regarding the assunmption that Orthodox & Roman Catholics are not considered as 'bible believing Christians' is excellent. I applaud this answer.
Perhaps a letter from the Roman Catholic side should be sent also?

Bob

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Subject: Fr John's letter to editor of Citizen Magazine
Date: Sat, Aug 11, 2001 12:42 AM
From: T254
Message-id: <20010811004213.21455.00001901@mb-mr.aol.com>


Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 19:08:53 -0500
To: citizeneditor@family.org
From: John Matusiak <tocmed@gateway.net>
Subject: Letter to the Editor of Citizen Magazine

BY E-MAIL

Mr. Tom Hess, Editor
Citizen Magazine
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-10151

Dear Mr. Hess,

It has been brought to our attention by numerous Orthodox Christians
across North America that in the September 2001 issue of Focus on the
Family's Citizen Magazine [Volume 5, Number 9] there appears an editorial
titled "Face to Face with the Persecuted Church" which details the difficult
situation experienced by Christians in Jordan. The editorial accurately
states that, while the majority of Jordan's citizens are Muslim, the nation
also possesses sizeable Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities.
Having shared this information, the author goes on to state that some 3,000
Jordanians are "Bible-believing Christians."

Given the fact that there are some 200,000 Orthodox Christians alone in
Jordan -- unfortunately I do not know the number of Roman Catholics in
that nation -- the author clearly implies that neither Orthodox Christianity,
nor Roman Catholicism, are "Bible-believing."

While I cannot speak for Roman Catholicism, I can state that Orthodox
Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired and revealed word of God,
and that Orthodox Christians make extensive use of Scripture in worship
and prayer and private study. For example, the Eucharistic Liturgy of the
Orthodox Church contains hundreds of Scripture passages. Entire psalms
are sung, as are portions of the Old and New Testaments. At least two
readings from the Gospels and the Epistles -- often four or six readings are
prescribed -- are proclaimed at every Liturgy. The Liturgy also features a
homily, during which the preacher urges the faithful to put into practice
the appointed Scripture readings in their daily lives. The other services
of the Orthodox Church -- Vespers, Matins, the Hours, Compline, etc. --
are filled with the chanting of psalms, readings from the Old and New
Testaments, and the like. Several Scriptural readings are appointed for
every day of the year. Orthodox Christian monastics chant the entire Book
of Psalms weekly, in addition to proclaiming the daily readings during
communal worship. On Good Friday, the entire Acts of the Apostles is
commonly read as the faithful often spend the entire night keeping vigil in
anticipation of the Resurrection of Christ. The following morning, in
addition to the usual psalms and Scripture readings, the Liturgy also
includes 15 Old Testament readings. Even at the time of an Orthodox
Christian's death, the ancient practice of reading Acts and other entire
books of the Bible continuously during the days and hours leading up to
the funeral service is still observed in many places, even in North America.

Scripture is also at the heart of Orthodox Christian spirituality and life.
In addition to the observance of the Ten Commandments, Orthodox
Christian spirituality revolves around putting the Great Commandments of
Jesus Christ -- to love God, love others, and love oneself, "upon which
hinge all of the prophets and the Law" -- into action at all times. The
Beatitudes -- the very words of Christ Himself -- are among the countless
Biblical precepts by which Orthodox Christians strive to live. Our
understanding of salvation, Christology, eschatology, ecclesiology,
fasting, almsgiving, discipleship, stewardship, ministry, evangelism,
prayer, and countless other facets of Christian life are, in every
instance, Bible-based. Every aspect of Orthodox Christian Tradition has
been, and continues to be, touched by Scripture. Scripture is taught in
our Sunday Schools and
Vacation Bible Schools, in our adult education programs, and in our youth
programs and ministries. The Biblical commentaries and Scripture-based
homilies of the early Orthodox Christian writers -- John Chrysostom, Basil
the Great, Gregory the Theologian, to mention a few -- continue to help
Orthodox Christians understand the inspired and divinely revealed word of
God. And I dare say that, hundreds of years before Protestantism made
its appearance, it was precisely Orthodox Christianity which was
responsible for determining the Canon of Scripture and which defended
Scriptural teachings concerning Jesus Christ, the Trinity, and other crucial,
Bible-based doctrines in the face of Gnosticism, Montanism, and a host of
heresies much too long to list. It was also Orthodox Christianity which
battled valiantly to expose uninspired "Scripture," such as the so-called
"Gospel of Saint Thomas," and other less-than-orthodox writings which had
enjoyed wide circulation in the early Christian communities.

With this in mind, one should not be surprised that Orthodox Christians
might wonder whether the editorial's author, not to mention the staff of
Focus on the Family and Citizen Magazine, made an innocent mathematical,
typographical, or statistical error or whether, in fact, there was an
intentional desire to place Orthodox Christianity, as well as Roman
Catholicism, outside the boundaries of "Bible-believing" Christianity. If
the latter was indeed the author's intention, then it her duty to inform
the millions of Orthodox Christians in North America as to exactly what, if
not the divinely-inspired word of God and the Saviour and Living Word
revealed therein, they have been basing their faith on during these past
2000 years.

Respectfully yours,
The Reverend John Matusiak
Director, Orthodox Church in America Office of Communications
Managing Editor, The Orthodox Church newspaper

Excellent! I think that it would be great if someone with some clout from the Byzantine Catholic Tradition would respond as well. I can think of several on this Forum who might be just the one to make such a response.

Dan Lauffer

That was hot!

Indeed, excellent.
The broad evangelical world's thinking behind the phrase "Bible believing" indeed is "Bible-minus-Tradition" Christianity; until fundamentalists and biblical literalists can be disabused of the old "Bible VS. Tradition" dichotomy in their way of thinking, Catholics and Orthodox will continue to be dismissed as (non)Bible believers. Tragic.

Just an ordinary fool.


[This message has been edited by dyrak (edited 08-11-2001).]

Good letter. It's good to correct errors like this quickly, where they occur. Protestants are prone to misrepresenting other traditions. I've also seen some pretty bad characterizations by Latins as well. Speaking of that, I'm on the mailing list of Christian History magazine, a segment of Christianity Today. The Protestant editor wrote an article this month titled Divided By Communion, of which I received an e-mail notification. An excerpt -

Orthodox churches administer Communion in bread and wine, and in a unique manner. The bread rests on a round plate and the wine in a chalice, but communicants receive the elements on a liturgical spoon. One piece of consecrated bread is put into the chalice with a cup of hot water, symbolizing the reunification of body and spirit in the risen Christ. After Communion, sometimes members of the congregation are allowed to take some of the bread and wine, a practice that would be forbidden in Catholic churches and frowned upon in most Protestant churches as well.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2001/aug10.html

No kidding???

I sent back an e-mail right away explaining how his (her?) statements are misleading at best, if not downright wrong. He (she) responded and said it would be noted in the print edition.

Loukas

Dear Friends,

I know Fr. John Matusiak and he is ALWAYS excellent!

A Bible-believing Christian friend of mine once told me that "Sola Scriptura" is taught by the Bible.

When I asked him where it says that, he couldn't respond.

I then pounced, er, gently responded by saying that obviously this doctrine is based on a nonscriptural tradition.

Then we got on to the topic of how the books of the Bible were developed . . .

A nun who is a convert from Protestantism once told me that, "Protestants know what the Bible says. Catholics/Orthodox know what the Bible means."

Alex

Contained below is a copy of a letter received and forwarded by an Orthodox friend of mine. It contains the reaction of the editor of Citizens magazine to a request for a retraction of the implication that both Orthodox and Roman Catholics are not 'Bible believing christians'. Perhaps it's time for us all ( Roman Catholics included) to start a letter writing campaign. Especially since he claims he will print all letters.

Bob

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three Hierarchs Church
Rev. George J. Pyle, Presbyter
2010 Three Hierarchs Court ~ Champaign, IL 61820
Phone 217 352-3452 ~ Fax 217 352-7289 ~ Email geopyle@aol.com

To: Orthodox Christians
From: Fr. George Pyle, Presbyter
August 10, 2001
Subject: Janet Parshall� �s editorial in Focus on the Family� �s, Citizen
Magazine.
Volume 5, Number 9, September 2001, page 31.

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

I am sorry to have to write this letter, and to communicate it to you in this
form, but time is of the essence. My wife alerted me to a paragraph in the
above mentioned editorial (noted above) that I feel is offensive to the
Orthodox Christian Church. I called my concern to Tom Hess, the editor of
the Magazine, and while he did offer his apologies for my being offended, he
did not feel he had offended the Orthodox Church, nor would he agree to print
a retraction.

In her editorial, � �Face to Face with the persecuted Church,� Janet describes
the plight of Christians in Jordan. She says in her description, and I quote:
� �The majority of Jordan� �s population is Muslim. and each citizen has an
identification card that includes a mark after his name: � �M� for Muslim
and � �C� for Christian. The � �C� almost always represents members of
the Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches, who are considered
Christian because they were born into non-Muslim families. But about
3,000 Jordanians are Bible-believing Christians.�

Ms. Parshall� �s implication is clear, Orthodox Christians, and for that matter
Roman Catholic Christians are not � �Bible-believing.� When I confronted the
Editor of Citizen with this point of offensive error, he blatantly told me he
would never issue a retraction. I told him that the Gospel teaches us that
when we have been wronged to first go to our brother in private; then if he
does not repent to go to the Church. I told him that I was going to the
church. In a smug, and condescending response he said, � �Go for it.� And so
I am. Please take this opportunity to communicate with him and express your
reaction to this. Mr. Hess said that he would gladly print
all letters that are sent.

You may contact him at
Mr. Tom Hess, Editor Citizen Magazine
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-10151
or you may email him at citizeneditor@family.org, or you can call him at
(719) 531-3400.

He needs to hear the truth about the Orthodox Christian Church, please
contact him today.

Sincerely,
Fr. George

I finally figured out that Catholics/Orthodox are not Bible-based Churches, but that the Bible is a Catholic/Orthodox-based book.

Dear Philothea,

Excellent point!

There are numerous quotes in the New Testament referring to unwritten Old Testament Hebrew traditions that were accepted as valid by Christ and the Apostles (e.g. the Seat of Moses, the taking of the body of Moses by St Michael etc.)

Christ and the Apostles believed in unwritten Tradition. To be a "Bible-believing Christian" is to do the same.

Alex

SUCCESS!

The following email was received by one of those who sent a letter of complaint to the editor. Wonder why he didn't reply to mine? Oh well!
Looks like both Orthodox and Roman Catholics wrote in. Good!
Even though it's hard for me to believe that out of 200,000 Orthodox and probably the same amount of Roman Catholics only a combined total of 3,000 are practicing Bible believing Christians. That's amost as insulting as the first slur!

Bob

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>From: "Citizen Editor" <Citizeneditor@fotf.org>
>To: <johnailakis@hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: Editorial comment
>Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 16:41:20 -0600
>
>Dear Mr. Ailakis:
>
>I write in place of Citizen editor Tom Hess, who is travelling on business
>but felt it important to address your concerns (and those expressed by many
>others who've written to us) before he returns. You should know that he has
>read and approved the following comments.
>
>We believe we owe Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic readers an apology.
>Although neither Citizen nor Janet Parshall intended to imply that they are
>not Christians, upon reflection and discussion we can see why many readers
>took it that way.
>
>Mrs. Parshall wrote that the Jordanian government identified people as
>either Muslims or Christians based on their birth into families, regardless
>of whether or not they were practicing Christians. In referring to
>"Bible-believing Christians," she meant (and we on the editorial staff read
>it the same way) to distinguish between those who were actively,
>religiously observant (despite governmental harassment) and those who were
>simply born into families officially labeled Christian.
>
>We asked Mrs. Parshall her source for the number 3,000 and she told us that
>she'd heard it from several Christian ministries, as well as from a
>reporter knowledgeable about the area. She assured us that number included
>Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic believers, and spoke to us of being
>impressed with their vibrant faith communities.
>
>We intend to print a clarification of our position in our November issue
>(cover date; the first copies will land in mailboxes in early to
>mid-October).
>
>God's blessings to you,
>
>Matt Kaufman
>Associate Editor
>Citizen

Dear Friends,

Might I take this thread a little further?

What is the best way to read the Bible in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions?

I'm wondering about a liturgical context, an interpretative framework and how one would apply what one reads in one's daily life.

A Desert Father once wrote that if we practice inner purity, the words of the Bible will become understandable and obvious, without the need for commentaries.

Your thoughts and suggestions?

Alex

Robert,

Congratulations on the success. You have provided another way in which Eastern and Western Catholics and Orthodox Catholics could (and did) work to share the Faith with those who apparently do not know that we are Christians who treasure the Bible.

I truly believe that these "little steps" place us firmly on the road to the unity prayed for by the Master of us all.

Thank you!

JOY!