Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/95

Contributor - Charles Webster

Title - Two Sanctuaries -"Two Simmering Solitudes"

Topic - Church History

The first article in this series contrasted the simplicity of the Reformed Church nave with the grandeur and symbolism of the Orthodox. In the Reformed Church the Eucharist mysteries are placed on the Communion Table in middle of the people for all to see, while for the Orthodox the Eucharistic 'transfiguration' mystery is so holy that it is kept apart from the people. Their churches are not unlike the Old Testament Temple before the veil was rent on Good Friday. Therefore I will outline the origin of the differences.

Civilization

The Reformed Church is the product of western civilization. The renaissance, reformation, age of reason and enlightenment encouraged the western mind to examine faith and traditions. The objective of many Professors and Priests was to reform the church according to the Word of God. Teachings and traditions lacking biblical basis were eliminated. People were encouraged to read and study the Bible for themselves in their own language. They were also challenged to think, reason, and question for themselves. Since education was important, the Church established schools and universities. Biblically literate and educated people took control of leadership and decision making placing it in the hands of elders elected from the local congregation.

The Orthodox Church is a product of the Byzantine Empire (395-1453). Worship is the Prayer of the Church that has been sung, probably unchanged, for over a millennium. The leadership of the Orthodox Church is strongly hierarchical. The Authority rests with the Patriarch, Bishops, and Priest. The Priest therefore has a great deal of power and control over the people, and can think for them. Through the centuries of the Orthodox Church, convinced that they are the only 'true church', controlled the life of the people, effectively blocking out all the influences of western civilization, which is still not trusted. They were never encouraged to analyse their theology, liturgy and traditions according to scripture. Very simply, the Renaissance, reformation, age of reason and enlightenment did not cross the Carpathians and Transylvanian Alps.

Thought Process and Mind Set One word used to describe the Romanian mind set is Byzantine. This writer first heard the word used by a Magyar Reformatus Pastor, Geczi Istvdn, while travelling with him throughout Transylvania. One might say that it evokes ancient grandeur and splendour from which life and substance has departed. Only the image and myth created matters. The communists believed that work was important, talked about work, boasted jobs for everyone, but their Byzantine mind did not know how to work. The East German Praktika Camera Company, unmodernized, could not survive employing a thousand people to produce a thousand cameras a year. Quality and productivity are insignificant. The byzantine work ethic is a source of frustration.

The attitude towards the poor also differs between East and West. Almost everywhere you find people dressed in rags sitting on cardboard holding a picture of a Saint, mumbling barely audible words. Many of these people are amputees, deliberately maimed, orphans and widows. Since 'the poor are with you always,' the attitude of the national church is to do nothing but continue praying. While in the west Christians were motivated by the example and teachings of Christ to work for fundamental changes that would make society a more just place. The thought process behind these examples can be expanded to describe the whole of Romanian life such as Politics, economy, banking, teaching methods and salaries of professionals in relation to their perception of greatness in the world. All that matters is the image of grandeur!

Church and State

The Byzantine understanding of Church and State can best be illustrated by visiting Capitol Hill in Bucharest. The National Orthodox Cathedral is separated by a very narrow street from the Parliament Buildings on the Cathedral Square. The picture that one sees is the Church and State ruling together, the way they have ruled throughout the centuries. The Orthodox Church oversaw the spiritual domain and they used the Government to oversee the material. During Communism, the Communist party took the place of the Church. The Communist party controlled the government and ruled together. The method of rule was not at all unlike the pattern they learned from the Church, Byzantine totalitarianism, except atheist. From Orthodoxy they inherited the same distrust from the west, except they clothed it in Marx-Leninist language.

Orthodoxy finds its identity in the national identity of the people. Therefore a part of what it means to be ethnic Romanian is to be Orthodox. A part of what it means to be Orthodox is to be Romanian. Recent legislation links ethnic citizenship, nationality and Orthodoxy. The Church has used her position to foster nationalism, thereby stirring ethnic and religious tensions.

The Byzantine understanding of the relationship between government, church and state is quite unlike the evolution of Church and State in Western Christendom. The Transylvanian people had experienced democracy at work in both church and state for a couple centuries. The Transylvanian principality enacted statutes recognizing religious tolerance in 1560. The Unitarian Universalist Church was given equal recognition beside the Reformatus, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Church as early as 1566. Although there is supposedly religious freedom today, the Orthodox is the most equal.

Two Sanctuaries and Worship experiences, Orthodox and Reformed have been described. The difference between how the two peoples approach their faith is shaped by the radically different cultures that have conditioned them. Conflict is more than just two religions: eastern Christianity vs. Western Christianity, but rather two civilizations and world views. A British researcher living among the Magyar Chongos on both sides of the Carpathians described Romania as a balloon waiting to burst! Unfortunately while the tensions are simmering, the government and many of the Romanian people live in denial.

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