“Lord Jesus Christ our God, You have bestowed Your peace on humankind, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be with us even in thus life as a perpetual inheritance to believers never to be taken away. On this day You have sent this grace upon Your disciples and Apostles in a way more manifest, giving utterance to their lips by means of fiery tongues, so that every human race, hearing in our own language received the knowledge of God, and, illumined by the light of the Spirit, emerged from error as from darkness.”*
Tradition, in an Orthodox context, is not a static set of dogmatic precepts or uniform practices of the liturgical ritual of the Church; rather, it is the continuous transfiguration (θέωσις) of the people of God through life in the Holy Spirit. The Orthodox Church differentiates Tradition with a capital “T,” which encompasses the unchanging doctrinal Truths (δόξης) of the Apostolic Faith; whereas, traditions with a small “t,” as being the written or unwritten mutable contextual practices (πράξεις) of extant Christian life.
The Church throughout the centuries has affirmed the doctrines embodied and expressed in the Gospel of Christ, the Nicene Creed and the Seven Ecumenical Councils as the integral and indispensable part of Holy Tradition necessary for salvation. St. John Chrysostom writes:
“Therefore we must consider the Tradition of the Church trustworthy. It is Tradition, seek no more” (Homily on Second Letter to Thessalonians).
In contrast, tradition embraces God’s evolving and unfolding progressive revelation to humanity of the cosmos, manifested in the Church’s prayer, guidelines, liturgical customs, and totality of the Christian way of life at a given point in history.
Considerable tension in present-day Orthodoxy often centers on the expressions of its current moral tradition. Many erroneously regard and vehemently defend an antiquated moral code as an uninterrupted and immutable apostolic “Tradition” of the Church, expounding a moral orthodoxy at the expense of rational scientific discovery and pastoral compassion (οικονόμια). This “orthodoxy-without-compassion” approach sets out staid moral demands, intolerant of any consideration for reform or deviation from antiquated ideals and flawed precepts. This fundamentalist approach contends that Orthodox believers who do not fully accept and follow antiquated moral codes have one of two choices: (1) repent and align one’s life to these irrelevant moral ideals; or, (2) leave the Church, i.e. “become Episcopalian.” This position is notable for its harshness, cold judgment, lack of empathy and is fundamentally flawed. It assumes the worst about human motivations and exhibits a basic lack of charity.
Reform of the Church’s moral tradition does not necessitate a full-swing to the other end of the spectrum, what one might call a “compassion-without-orthodoxy” approach. Orthodoxy and reform can be compatible! Authentic Orthodoxy offers a more coherent vision with its extensive experience in holding principles and situations, idealism and imperfection, orthodoxy and compassion together. While rejecting the “shape up or ship out” view, it does not necessitate an unqualified rejection of a moral code.
The example of Christ sets the tone for all compassionate ministry. In His teaching and ministry, Christ combined uncompromising moral requirements with great compassion and care for those who struggled. Jesus warned the law-givers of his time:
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Lk.11:46 NIV).
The Church that claims to authentically continue Christ’s ministry must act in the same manner. It both preaches the immutable gospel ideals embodied in its moral tradition, and offers love and support to those who for one reason or another do not measure up to the high ideals. The Orthodox moral theologian or pastor acts improperly when one’s teaching or preaching leads people to walk away from the Church feeling rejected, abandoned or defeated. A pastor must preach and teach in a manner that establishes genuine bonds of compassion and care.
The use of the word “reform” within an Orthodox ethos unnecessarily evokes a plethora of varied, and often, intense emotions. Authentic reform of Orthodox moral teaching affirms the theological dogmas of the Gospel and Nicene Creed in harmony with its original intent. Were compassion and orthodoxy held in complementary relationship in teaching, preaching and pastoral practice, the official moral tradition of the Church would be more credible and the faithful would have less difficulty living with it. There would be less polarization in faith communities and the world of Orthodox morality would be less painful, bitter, and divided, prioritizing love over law. Such an approach is committed to generous forgiveness, respect for individual situations and the need to include all sincere believers in the life of the Church.
In genuine Orthodox Christianity, tradition is not a dead collection of rules and practices of the past. It is, rather, the ever-evolving history of salvation of life in the Holy Spirit, who illumines all persons with the divine grace of the All-blessed Trinity. Both the “orthodoxy-without-compassion” and the “compassion-without-orthodoxy” approaches are inadequate expressions of the Church’s moral tradition.
*Kneeling Prayer of Pentecost
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