THE YOUNG GAY MAN AND THE ELDER
I’ve heard that a young gay man made the long trip from the mainland of Greece to Mount Athos to meet with a wise Elder. He pleaded with one of the monk guides to take him to see this well-known hermit so that he could seek his divine wisdom. The Monk protested that it was getting late in the day and the Elder would be resting; the youth persisted. Finally, the monk agreed, but asked the young man what he wished to ask of the Elder. The young man hesitated and said: “I wish to ask the Elder if a homosexual can be a Christian.” The Monk shook his head: “I don’t know what he’ll say. Don’t set your hopes too high on a positive response….but I’ll take you to see him.”
After a long, arduous climb they reached the peak and the hermitage of the Elder.
The Elder rose to greet the young man and the monk-guide left to wait outside.
“Why have you come to see me, such an old man and hopeless sinner that I am?”
“Father, I wish to ask if it is possible for me, a gay man, to be a Christian?”
The Elder paused and lovingly clasped the hand of the nervous inquirer.
“What are the requirements to be a Christian, do you know?” The Elder continued, “Do you believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and all things visible and invisible, and His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?”
“Yes,” nodded the visitor.
“Are you baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?”
“Yes”
“Do you go to confession when you sin, and ask for forgiveness from the Lord?”
“Yes”
“Do you honor the Theotokos, Mother of God, and ask for her intercessory prayer?”
“Yes”
“Do you believe in the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church?”
“Yes”
“Do you look for the resurrection of the dead?”
“Yes”
“Do you believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in you?”
“Yes, I believe all these things with my whole heart.”
The Elder paused and remained silent for a moment.
“What other requirements are there? You are a Christian.”
The young gay man left the Elder feeling happy and grateful for the loving acceptance he received from the master. As he descended the mountain with the monk-guide he heard echoes of “Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison….” echoing from the surrounding monasteries.
COUNTERFEIT OR AUTHENTIC?
One of my very first jobs after graduation was working in retail. A challenging job that I’d recommend for everyone who needs to develop patience and help with encountering strangers and eccentric human behavior!!! As part of my initiation I had to learn how to distinguish counterfeit currency from the real thing. In those days, more people used cash and counterfeit money was a big issue. I remember being told that the chief way that FBI agents were taught how to identify the counterfeit was by studying and familiarizing themselves with the authentic.
Faith is identified in much the same way. By knowing the core foundational principles of faith handed down through history, one can easily spot the false interpretations and deceptive teachings of the counterfeit.
THE SYMBOL OF FAITH
In the very early centuries of the ancient church many false doctrines and heresies began to develop. Church councils were formed and the true doctrines were affirmed and heresies squashed. The Church had authority based on traditions handed down from the Apostles to their appointed Bishops and Deacons. This before the Bible was fully compiled; the Church produced the Bible and the Bible stood alongside the apostolic tradition as the final, full authority on matters of faith and belief.
After the Great Schism (1054A.D.) that divided the Eastern Church from the Roman Church, the authority of the Church still prevailed, even though the east and west offered varying perspectives on relatively minor matters, there was no question that there was no “new truth” or even a need for “personal interpretation.”
Before the Great Schism, the Nicene Creed, a product of the 3rd Century meeting of the Ecumenical Council of Bishops held in Nicea in present day Turkey, was the final word in defining the fundamental or foundational beliefs of the One Apostolic Church.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets.
In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
This is the authentic faith of the fathers. It is called the “Symbol” or “Creed,” because it states all that is believed by those who identify as Christians.
After the Schism came the “Reformation,” which, if truth be told, was NOT a Re-formation, but a new definition of Christianity. Intended by Luther as a protest against the secrecy and corruption he saw in the Roman Catholic Church during his time, he declared that the Church was no longer worthy of the authority it claimed and declared that scripture, with the support of the indwelling Holy Spirit, was the ONLY authority needed for a believer. This of course, viewed in light of the history of the beginnings of the Church was a false idea. “Sola Scriptura” is never affirmed by the early fathers because during their time there were no formal scriptures to refer to as authority. The scriptures were compiled by the authority of the Church.
SEARCHING FOR THE ORIGINAL
There are approximately 30,000 denominations of churches that gather throughout the world these days; all of them would probably proclaim that they formed around the principle of emulating the “original church” - as a reformed institution based on the original church of the Apostles. However, the problem is that, despite their sincerity of intention, the “original church” never went away!! It still exists as the Eastern Orthodox Church, under many guises as “Greek” Orthodox, or “Russian” Orthodox, or “Serbian” Orthodox etc. Despite their ethnicities, these are that same Apostolic Church that was founded by the Apostles. In fact, the first Church - The Church of Antioch, is still there in Antioch (present day Antakya in Turkey.) If you visited that Church you might find a scroll (written in Arabic) that lists all of the Bishops that have served in that very Church - all the way back to Simon Peter!!!
I USED TO BELIEVE….BUT NOW I KNOW
I used to believe that I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in 2006 after an exhaustive search for the “True Church.” Now I realize that I didn’t convert - I discovered that I was always Orthodox, I just didn’t know it.
Check it out for yourself…..you might be put off at first by how different it seems from all other Churches - but that’s the point isn’t it? It doesn’t come from this world - the Church is the embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth - Now and Forever.
About the Orthodox Church: (from “Our Life In Christ”
The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant.
It is orthodox, but not Jewish.
It is catholic, but not Roman.
It isn’t non-denominational – it is pre-denominational.
It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.