The "Theotokos of Vladimir" icon (12th century)

Look up orthodox in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The word orthodox, from Greek orthos ("right", "correct", "true", "straight") + doxia (from "doxa", meaning "glory").^[1] In English, this term is often mistranslated to mean "right opinion", as "doxia" is mistaken to come from "dokein" (meaning, "to think"). 'Orthodox', in the English sense, is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion.[2] It usually refers to "conventions". However: "Orthodox", in it's original sense, refers to those who keep the Faith of the Original Church: the Orthodox Church. "Orthodox" then refers to the people of the First Church, who "give correct (straight) glory to God." This is why, the Orthodox Churches in Slavic-language countries (Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc.) use a word derived from Old Church Slavonic, Правосла́виѥ (pravosláviye) to mean Orthodoxy. The word derives from the Slavonic roots "право" (právo, true, right) and "славить" (slávit, to praise, to glorify), in effect meaning "the right way to praise God".

The term did not exist in the English-sense in which it is now used prior to the advent of the State church of the Roman Empire.^[2] Orthodoxy is opposed to heterodoxy ("other teaching"), heresy and schism. People who deviate from orthodoxy by professing a doctrine considered to be false are most often called heretics or radicals, while those who deviate from orthodoxy by removing themselves from the perceived body of believers are called schismatics. The distinction in terminology pertains to the subject matter; if one is addressing corporate unity, the emphasis may be on schism; if one is addressing doctrinal coherence, the emphasis may be on heresy.

Apostasy, for example, is a violation of orthodoxy that takes the form of abandonment of the faith, a concept largely unknown before the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Rome on February 27, 380 by Theodosius I, see also First seven Ecumenical Councils and State church of the Roman Empire. A lighter deviation from orthodoxy than heresy is commonly called error, in the sense of not being grave enough to cause total estrangement, while yet seriously affecting communion. Sometimes error is also used to cover both full heresies and minor errors.

The concept of orthodoxy is the most prevalent in many forms of organized monotheism, but orthodox belief is not usually overly emphasized in polytheistic or animist religions. Often there is little to no concept of dogma, and varied interpretation of doctrine and theology is tolerated and sometimes even encouraged within certain contexts. Syncretism, for example, plays a much wider role in non-monotheistic (and particularly, non-scriptural) religion. The prevailing governing idea within polytheism is most often orthopraxy ("right practice") rather than "right belief".

Groups[link]

The term "Orthodox" originated in the Orthodox Church, and was later used also by the Oriental Orthodox. Protestant denominations like the Orthodox Presbyterian Church use this term in it's English sense, to differentiate from those they deem heretic. Orthodox Judaism focuses on a strict adherence to what it sees as the correct interpretation of the Oral Torah, but the Greek-based word "Orthodox" was not applied to Jews until the 19th century, long after it was applied to Christians, and some traditional Jewish groups still prefer not to use it.

Christianity [link]

In classical Christian usage, the term orthodox refers to a set of doctrines which gained prominence in the 4th century AD. The Roman Emperor Constantine I initiated a series of Ecumenical Councils, also known as the First seven Ecumenical Councils, to try to standardize the then diverse thought found among Early Christians. The most significant of these early debates was that between the Homoousian doctrine of Athanasius and Eustathius (which became Trinitarianism) and the Heteroousian doctrine of Arius and Eusebius (called Arianism). The Homoousian doctrine, which eventually defined Jesus as both god and man with the Hypostatic union of the 451 Council of Chalcedon, gradually won out in the Byzantine Church and came to be referred to as orthodoxy in most Christian contexts, since this became the viewpoint of the majority. (The minority Non-Trinitarian Christians object to this terminology).

Following the 1054 Great Schism, both the Western and Eastern churches continued to consider themselves uniquely orthodox and catholic. Over time the Western church gradually identified with the "Catholic" label and people of Western Europe gradually associated the "Orthodox" label with the Eastern church (in some languages the "Catholic" label is not necessarily identified with the Western church). In addition, there is a separate Oriental Orthodox communion, as well as other smaller communions that are commonly classified as "Orthodox."

The altar area of an Orthodox church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the original form of the Nicene Creed developed at the First Council of Constantinople in 381, referred to as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. In contrast, the Roman Catholic church and later Protestant churches of western Christianity, use a form of the Nicene Creed that includes the phrase 'and the Son' (see Filioque clause). It was (along with the Papal supremacy and some other questions) one of the causes for the Great Schism formalized in 1054 by simultaneous proclamations of "Anathema" by the Bishop of Rome (Pope) in the West and the leadership of the Orthodox Churches (Patriarch) in the East. Today all Eastern Orthodox Christians continue to use the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Late 14th-early 15th century icon illustrating the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" under the Byzantine empress Theodora over iconoclasm. Patriarch Methodios I of Constantinople is on the top right, close to the Virgin.

Aphoristically said, "The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It’s orthodox, but not Jewish. It’s catholic, but not Roman. It isn’t non-denominational – it’s pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the day of Pentecost 2000 years ago." ^[3][4]

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), changes in the Roman Catholic Church have led to a gradual "rapprochement" between Catholic Rome and Orthodoxy at the official level. The institutions' simultaneous revocations of the anathemas of 1054 were a gesture toward "restoring mutual trust" and a recognition that there is "a vast area of common ground that the two sides share." Regarding dogma, Orthodox often believe that

"Latin scholastic theology makes too much use of legal concepts, and relies too heavily on rational categories and syllogistic argumentation, while the Catholics for their part have frequently found the more mystical approach of Orthodoxy too vague and ill-defined." There are also "psychological barriers [in Eastern Europe] that need to be overcome."^[5]

The legalism and political power that has shaped Catholicism, as well as the total authority of the Pope, contrasts the Orthodox Church, who keep the doctrine that their Faith is "not of this world."

The Orthodox believe that among the original five Patriarchs and ancient Patriarchates (i.e., Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem), a "primacy of honor" waits for Rome, not of supremacy.^[8] To use an Orthodox apostolic term, if the Pope were to return to the Church, he would become "first among equals". To disassociate the "See of Rome" from this "equalisation," Pope Benedict XVI recently dropped the title "Patriarch of the West," as he considered the designation as an attempt to Orientalize Western ecclesiology (or adopt Orthodox terms).^[9] Benedict still considers the five Sees, dating back to the first millennium, to be "Sister Churches within a certain ecumenical context.^[10]

The Roman Catholic Church believes that Papal Supremacy was set forth by Jesus, in Matthew 16:13-19:

'Who do men say that the Son of man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptists, others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' and Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father Who is in Heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'

In contrast, the Orthodox understand Christ's words as referring to all apostles, and His promise as an inheritance to all who confess the same belief. More specifically, they understand Jesus to be addressing Peter's faith (his confession of belief) as being the Rock upon which His Church would be built. This is allegedly shown by the fact that the original Greek uses the feminine demonstrative pronoun when he says "upon this rock" (ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ); whereas, grammatically, if Jesus had been referring to Peter, he would allegedly have used the masculine.^[11] Therefore, in the Orthodox Church, Papal Supremacy and infallibility is not a declaration by Christ.

Some Greek Catholics in Ukraine, Romania, Lebanon, and Syria, worship according to the Byzantine rite but follow the primacy of the Pope. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, changes such as nationalism and threats of attack forced many of these Eastern Catholic Churches to accept being led by the politically-strong Roman Catholic Church, who promised them aid if they would only convert. Similarly, national rulers sympathetic to Catholicism often led this change. Most such churches follow liturgical practices identical to those of the Orthodox Church.

Today, the term "Western Orthodox" is applied to groups of Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom, the United States and such western European countries as Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands. With the consent of their bishops, they use a Western rite, and often a Western calendar. This movement is similar to that of Eastern Catholicism, though it is smaller and more recent, and not organized along national lines.^{[citation needed]}

The term Oriental Orthodoxy is used to refer to non-Chalcedonian eastern Christians. This is in contrast to members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, who accept the Council of Chalcedon (See Ecumenical Councils) and generally worship according to the Byzantine Rite. Those identified as Oriental Orthodox have traditionally been referred to as Monophysites. They are found in Egypt, Ethiopia, some parts of Syria, Iraq and Iran, Armenia, and southern India in Kerala State. They accept only the first three of the ecumenical councils.

Since the early twentieth century, some rapproachment has taken place between these and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, particularly in Syria. Dialogue among the group's representatives have resulted in statements that their longstanding differences have been of phraseology all along, and a simple misunderstanding by each side of what each church represents. Eastern Orthodox leaders do not find this entirely satisfactory; in addition, they hold that it is not within each church's competence to use a General Holy Synod to bring about communion. Such Eastern Orthodox Christians hold that it would take another Great and Holy Council of every Eastern Orthodox Bishop together to reverse the Anathema, a considerable obstacle.^{[citation needed]}

The longstanding Christian institutions described above consider developments in Christianity since the nineteenth century to be unorthodox (or cults). They include within that category Unitarians, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, and some of the more radical forms of Liberal Christianity.

Each of the major ecclesiastical communities continue to evaluate and grapple with issues that they believe are an estrangement or refinements of perceived orthodoxy. For example, the Roman See often issues recommendations as to what worship practices it considers orthodox so as to curb excesses or deficiencies by its prelates. Some evangelicals are pursuing innovations that more conservative evangelicals consider unorthodox. The latter refer to the changes as "neo-evangelical", "neo-pentecostal," or "fringe Charismatic."

See also[link]

• Belief in Jesus
• Heresy
• Neo-orthodoxy
• Orthodox Church
• Paleo-orthodoxy
• Proto-orthodox Christianity
• Theology

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Dr. Anthony "Tony" Campolo (born February 25, 1935) is an American pastor, sociologist, author, and speaker. He had been a major proponent for progressive thought and reform in the evangelical community. He has become a leader of the Red-Letter Christian movement, which aims to put emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. (The words of Jesus are often in red type in some editions of the Bible, hence the name.)^[1][2] He is also a former spiritual advisor to President Bill Clinton.^[3]

Career[link]

Campolo is an alumnus and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St David's, Pennsylvania. He is a 1956 graduate of Eastern College, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) and earned a Ph.D. from Temple University. He is an ordained Baptist minister and evangelist, presently serving as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, which is affiliated with both the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the American Baptist Churches USA.^[4] For ten years, he was a professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Campolo founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), which works to help "at-risk" youth in the US and Canada, and has helped to establish several schools and universities. His best known work is a sermon entitled It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!; recordings of which have been widely circulated in evangelical circles, and based on a sermon by a black minister at Mount Carmel Baptist Church. He is a frequent speaker at Christian conferences. He was also one of several spiritual advisers to President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal where he met with President Clinton at the White House.

Although he has associated himself with the Democratic Party and several "left wing" groups and causes, he has publicly stated his opposition to abortion and to same-sex marriage. Campolo's left leaning political beliefs have put him at odds with several leaders of the Christian right, such as Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell. Many of his views are in keeping with Ron Sider's "completely pro-life" stance, standing in opposition to any human situation that leads to the termination of life. Thus, he is against warfare, abortion, poverty/starvation (as caused by extreme wealth inequalities), capital punishment, and euthanasia. These views as a set put him at odds with many established political groups.

Campolo was the subject of an informal heresy hearing in 1985 brought about by several assertions in his 1983 book A Reasonable Faith, particularly his claim that, "Jesus is actually present in each other person." The book became a hot button issue, and the controversy caused Campus Crusade for Christ and Youth for Christ to block a planned speaking engagement by Campolo. The Christian Legal Society empowered a "reconciliation panel", led by noted theologian J. I. Packer, to examine the issue and resolve the controversy. The panel examined the book and questioned Campolo. The panel later issued a statement saying that although it found Campolo's statements "methodologically naïve and verbally incautious," it did not find them to be heretical.

After September 11, in a Wheaton College debate Campolo engaged with conservative activist Gary Bauer. Bauer responded, “I know this is hard for you to believe, but the enemy is not John Ashcroft, the enemy is Osama bin Laden.” “I’m not sure about that,” said Campolo, drawing gasps and not a few boos from the audience. “When you start taking away the rights of the American citizens, when you undercut the Bill of Rights in order to pursue security, I think you become more dangerous than bin Laden. I think that if this country goes down, it will not be because of the enemies that are outside this country. I think that if this country goes down, it’s because those within the country undercut our basic rights, undercut the principles that gave birth to this institution”

Despite his criticisms of the evangelical community, Campolo has also criticized the more liberal mainline Christian denominations because "they fail to emphasize a personal, transforming relationship with Jesus Christ."

TV Show[link]

Beginning in March 2011, Tony began hosting the TV show "Red Letter Christians" aired on JC-TV. This weekly half hour talk show features interviews with leaders in the Red-Letter Christian movement.

LGBT sexuality debates[link]

Tony Campolo and his wife Peggy have participated in very public debates and discussions about the place of lesbians and gays within church and society. Tony Campolo contends that homosexuality is a sin in practice, though not in orientation. His wife, Peggy Campolo, disagrees, holding that committed, monogamous homosexual practice is not a sin; she supports full equality for homosexual, bisexual and transsexual persons.^[5]

Tony has been accused by some of going too far in GBLT issues in regards to those living in same-sex relationships. He proposes, regarding same sex marriage, that all couples should have the right to a civil union with all the legal rights that are associated with such a contract; social security benefits, auto insurance recognition, ability to jointly own homes and file joint tax return etc.

“I propose that the government should get out of the business of marrying people and, instead, only give legal status to civil unions. The government should do this for both gay couples and straight couples and, leave marriage in the hands of the Church and other religious entities. That’s the way it works in Holland….^[6]”

Family[link]

Campolo's wife is Peggy Campolo. Together they have two children: a daughter, Lisa Goodheart (born 1960); an environmental, real estate and general business litigation attorney and partner at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak and Cohen, P.C. in Boston, and a son Bart Campolo (born 1963); an evangelical author and social-justice activist. Adopted daughter, Loretta Jane Kier (born 1944); a children's author, humorist, and philanthropist.

Quotes[link]

This section is a candidate to be copied to Wikiquote using the Transwiki process.

Campolo talking to an audience member after a speaking engagement in 2003.

"I think that Christianity has two emphases. One is a social emphasis to impart the values of the kingdom of God in society - to relieve the sufferings of the poor, to stand up for the oppressed, to be a voice for those who have no voice. The other emphasis is to bring people into a personal, transforming relationship with Christ, where they feel the joy and the love of God in their lives. That they manifest what the fifth chapter of Galatians calls 'the fruit of the Spirit'. Fundamentalism has emphasized the latter, mainline churches have emphasized the former. We cannot neglect one for the other." (Source: www.beliefnet.com)

"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."^[7]

"There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed... There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor."

"A person is as young as their dreams and as old as their cynicism."—Sept. 28, 2005

"Jesus transcends partisan politics. That's what's wrong with the religious right... they have made Jesus into a Republican, and he's not!" on The Colbert Report, February 27, 2006^[8]

"I have serious problems with fundamentalist Christians and their creationist theories. Although I believe that scripture is divinely inspired and infallible, I have a hard time going along with the belief that the whole creation process occurred in six twenty-four hour days. My skepticism is due, in part, to the fact that the Bible says that the sun wasn’t created until the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:16-19). I have a hard time figuring how twenty-four hour days could have been measured before that."

" Those in favor of Darwin’s theory usually act as though his explanation of evolution has empirical validation. It doesn't! It’s just a theory. A very reasonable theory, to be sure, but still a theory. The highly-touted biologist, Kenneth R. Miller, supports evolution and not ID. But even he claims that rabid Darwinists go 'well beyond any reasonable scientific conclusions that might emerge from evolutionary theory.' To prevent discussion of any other explanations of human origins is hardly what I would expect from open-minded educators."

"Evangelicals shouldn't be afraid of science. There are many ways Einstein's theory of relativity can be applied to the Cross."

"I've always been skeptical of those television healers who are bald. I mean, if I had that gift, that would be the first thing I'd fix."—June 16, 2007

"When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this: When you die, will YOU be happy when everybody else is crying?"

Published works[link]

• The Success Fantasy (1980, Victory Press)
• The Power Delusion (1983, Victory Press)
• A Reasonable Faith (1983, Lightning Source Inc., ISBN 0-8499-3634-9)
• Ideas for Social Action: A Handbook on Mission and Service for Christian Young People (1984, Zondervan, ISBN 0-310-45251-1)
• You Can Make a Difference (1984, Word Publishing Group)
• It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin' (1984, Word Publishing Group)
• Partly Right: Christianity Responds to Its Critics (1985, Word)
• Seven Deadly Sins (1987)
• Who Switched the Price Tags (1987, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
• 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch (1988, Word Publishing)
• Growing up in America : A Sociology of Youth Ministry (1989, Zondervan Publishing House)
• Things We Wish We Had Said: Reflections of a Father and His Grown Son (co-written with Bart Campolo) (1989, W Publishing Group)
• Wake Up America!: Answering God's Radical Call While Living In the Real World (1991, Harpercollins)
• How to Be Pentecostal Without Speaking in Tongues (1991, Word Publishing)
• Sociology through the Eyes of Faith (1992)
• How to Rescue the Earth Without Worshiping Nature: a Christian's Call to Save Creation (1992, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
• Everything You've Heard Is Wrong (1992, Word Publishing)
• The Kingdom of God Is a Party: God's Radical Plan for His Family' (1992, Word Publishing Group)
• Stand Up and Be Counted (1993)
• Carpe Diem (1994, Word Publishing)
• Is Jesus a Republican or a Democrat?: And 14 Other Polarizing Issues (1995, Word Publishing Group) {published as Was Jesus a Moderate? outside the US}
• Can Mainline Denominations Make a Comeback? (1995)
• Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God (1997, Word Publishing Group)
• Let Me Tell You a Story: Life Lessons from Unexpected Places And Unlikely People (2000, Word Publishing)
• Revolution and Renewal: How Churches Are Saving Our Cities (2000, Westminster/John Knox)
• Which Jesus: Choosing Between Love and Power (Nashville TN: Word Publishing Group, 2002).
• The Survival Guide for Christians on Campus: How to be Students and Disciples at the Same Time (2002, Howard Publishing Co)
• Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel (co-written with Brian D. McLaren) (2003, Youth Specialties)
• Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid To Face (2004, Word Publishing)
• The Church Enslaved: A Spirituality For Racial Reconciliation (Co-written with Michael Battle) (2005, Augsburg Fortress Publishers)
• Letters to a Young Evangelical (2006, Basic Books)
• The God of Intimacy and Action (Co-written with Mary Darling) (2007, Jossey-Bass)
• Red Letter Christians: A Citizen's Guide to Faith and Politics (2008, Regal Books)

See also[link]

• Red-Letter Christian

References[link]

1. ↑ Price, Irie; Campolo, Tony (February 21, 2011). "Campolo talks about social justice [interview of Tony Campolo by Irie Price"]. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Lubbock, Texas): pp. B1, B8. http://lubbockonline.com/life/2011-02-20/campolo-talks-about-social-justice. Retrieved February 25, 2011. 
2. ↑ Campolo, Tony (November 5, 2010). "What's a 'Red-Letter Christian'? by Tony Campolo-religion right left politics Bush Jesus Christ church Bible". Beliefnet.com. http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2006/02/Whats-A-Red-Letter-Christian.aspx?p=2. Retrieved April 6, 2012. 
3. ↑ "An interview with Tony Campolo". Charlie Rose. January 24, 1997. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/5741. Retrieved April 6, 2012. 
4. ↑ MTCarmel-bc.org^{[dead link]}
5. ↑ "GayChristian.net". GayChristian.net. http://gaychristian.net/campolos.php. Retrieved April 6, 2012. 
6. ↑ Red Letter Christians by Tony Campolo, Chapter 7 Gay Rights
7. ↑ "Progressive.org". Progressive.org. http://www.progressive.org/?q=mag_camp0805. Retrieved April 6, 2012. 
8. ↑ "ColbertNation". ColbertNation. February 27, 2006. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/59604/february-27-2006/tony-campolo. Retrieved April 6, 2012. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Tony Campolo on Twitter
• Red Letter Christians Blog, by Tony Campolo and friends