4 ms·
From what I’ve read, of all the post-Reformation Christian denominations in the West, the Puritans seemed the closest to Orthodox Christianity, not necessarily
by rgrieselhuber 4y ago
From what I’ve read, of all the post-Reformation Christian denominations in the West, the Puritans seemed the closest to Orthodox Christianity, not necessarily in every dogmatic theological detail but in their approach to repentance as self-knowledge and taking an active role in improving the state of their soul. The sola fide notion that came out of the Reformation has resulted in a “set it and forget it” set of beliefs where it is hard to see much in the way of self-control or self-knowledge.
- _emacsomancer_ 4y ago> their approach to repentance as self-knowledge and taking an active role in improving the state of their soul I find this suggestion very hard to square with the prominence of Predestination in Puritan theology.
- rgrieselhuber 4y agoThere were / are many theological concepts in the West that diverge from what the early Church taught due to the Schism of Rome, so I view some of that as symptoms of working within a broken chain of knowledge to begin with, but I do agree that the idea of Predestination as rigidly defined within Calvinist tradition undermines the notions of free will both of humans and of the Creator Himself. That being said, of all the Western Churches, it was the Puritans (specifically John Winthrop) who had the intelligence and courage to secure the Massachusetts Charter from King Charles I, providing both the intellectual and legal basis for liberty from the Continental monarchies.
- rpmisms 4y agoI am Orthodox, but it isn't limited to Orthodox thought. A common way by which people come to Orthodoxy is through Buddhism or related easter mysticism, and then realize that Christian thinking combined with true mysticism is the way for them. Self-knowledge is really the core of a good life, and I'll happily die on that hill.
- rgrieselhuber 4y agoIndeed, Fr. Seraphim Rose is a great modern example of this exact process. His essay on Nihilism is like reading the last few centuries in reverse order.
- rpmisms 4y agoFr. Seraphim Rose is what happens when a gifted academic gets the mysticism bug, and I'm grateful for it. He provides a great bridge between the logic-centered ideology of Western thought and the fuzzy edged, concept-driven thought of the east.