THE OTHERED SELF AND THE INFALLIBLE INDIVIDUAL

The Church Stands as a Light in the Darkness, a Darkness that is a Reflection of Our Alienated and Darkened Nouses, Not a Reflection of the Blindness of the Outside World 

The following is the record of a conversation two weeks ago between Bp. Joseph and Cbp. Philip, Bishops in the Ancient Church of the West, and edited by Bp. Joseph for clarity.

"It is not enough to believe in Him; faith must also be demonstrated by works. For even the demons believe and tremble, yet that does not help them." - St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on James, Homily 2

"Theology without action is the theology of demons." - St. Maximos Confessor, Centuries on Charity, Fourth Century, 64

Introduction 

Converts often argue from a conceptual, dogmatic basis for faith, rather than a historically informed one. This sprouts from the same attitude that previously drove them as Protestants to say they understood everything about God from an easily understood and completely comprehensible biblical text. Desiring absolute certainty and authority as the basis of their faith is a very strong cultural marker inherited from Evangelicalism. In this thinking, anything less than absolute knowledge and clarity is akin to sin, evidenced in the profound discomfort such a perspective has with human weakness, uncertainty and doubt. But, in maintaining this approach, they must embrace an idealized narrative, a fairytale that the Orthodox Church has remained unchanged and relatively untroubled since the first centuries. Yet, just a cursory glance at Christian history reveals a far more complex and turbulent reality. Innovations, schisms, and fierce debates have shaped the Church over centuries. As St. Gregory of Nazianzus observed, "We were disputing about terms as though they were actual things, and through our own folly we were dividing the indivisible." There is nothing utopian about Church history; it is the story of divine truth incarnating in a flawed and often conflicted human reality. The Church on Earth struggling is a characteristic of its temporal, militant, transforming role - it can not and should not mistake itself for the Church Triumphant in Heaven! The narrative of an unbroken, perfect continuity is, therefore, an unfalsifiable argument, devoid of historical substantiation.

The Non-Existent Golden Age

Converts envision a Platonic ideal of the Church, a heavenly archetype to which the earthly Church must conform without deviation. They assert that the Orthodox Church on earth, despite her notable historical struggles and contradictions, is the singular entity in perfect consonance with the celestial assembly - “As Above, So Below.” While the aspiration for such an idealism is understandable, this perspective creates an impossible standard: any change in Orthodoxy - be it in liturgy, vestments, or theological terminology - would disqualify it from being the “One, True Church.” This argument is self-defeating, for history incontrovertibly demonstrates that the Church has evolved in response to theological, cultural, and practical challenges. These changes are sometimes good and necessary, and sometimes bad or indifferent. We must struggle with all of them and constantly approach our Tradition with repentance, love, humility, and a constant putting of ourselves down while lifting others up. As St. John Chrysostom reminded his flock, “It is not possible to establish rules in everything, nor are the same rules suitable for all time.” The Church, while striving to reflect heavenly truth, is inevitably shaped by its temporal journey, and this is not a bad thing or a great weakness. This is the truth of Christ’s literal, historical, actual incarnation. Everything in this temporal world struggles and shifts, but we must be ready and able at every time to return to the “Faith Once Delivered” and ground ourselves in the ontological reality of God’s changeless Truth! 

From Icon to Idol 

The danger of this view lies in transforming Orthodoxy from a dynamic, living faith into a static icon of Heaven. The icon, in Orthodox theology, is meant to point beyond itself to divine realities, partaking in those realities by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, when the analogy of the Church as the heavenly kingdom is taken literally, it risks becoming an idol - a conceptual endpoint that stifles spiritual growth and understanding. It is like a living person trying to look like a Byzantine icon through plastic surgery. As St. Maximos the Confessor taught, "The one who clings to the letter takes the shadow for the truth and misunderstands the things he sees." When Orthodoxy becomes a rigid ideal, it ceases to be a bridge to divine mystery and becomes a barrier to genuine engagement with the living God. This is always a danger, and the tendency towards idolatry is just as strong within Orthodoxy as outside of it, because this is the brokenness of the human condition. 

Orthodoxy as an “Otherized Self”

This false idealization leads to a psychological phenomenon where Orthodoxy becomes an "other" onto which the novice projects their personal identity. This projection shields the individual from critique or self-examination. By conflating themselves with Orthodoxy, they achieve a sense of invulnerability: they no longer stand as fallible individuals but as representatives of an infallible tradition. This dynamic is dangerous because it resists correction and isolates the individual from genuine community. It enables, more than the most strident and errant Protestantism, the individual to be convinced on their own rightness and stand in schism with the vast majority of Christian experience. As St. Anthony the Great warned, “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’” The novice's identity becomes so intertwined with their idealized version of Orthodoxy that any critique of the Church feels like a personal attack, and conversely, any personal attacks can be misattributed to attacks upon Orthodoxy. 

Rebellion of the Pharisees 

This defensive posture often leads to the rejection of hierarchical authority in order to preserve the imagined purity of history, particularly in the rejection of more central political figures like the Ecumenical Patriarch. If Orthodoxy is equated with one's own understanding, then no external authority can be allowed to represent the faith in any meaningful way without challenging this central personal identity. Yet this stance is historically and theologically untenable. The Church Fathers consistently affirmed the necessity of ecclesial hierarchy and conciliarity, not just administratively, but also personally, since our human brokenness makes self-reflection difficult and spiritual accountability difficult. St. Ignatius of Antioch, for instance, exhorted believers to "follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father." The rejection of such authority undermines the very synodality and catholicity of the Church, two important means whereby broken humans receive direction and accountability, reducing it to a fragmented collection of self-referential individuals.

Pride as the Root of Fundamentalism 

Ultimately, the heart of this issue is pride - a rebellion against the simple humility and childlikeness required to submit to God. This rebellion can manifest in various ways: either as overt atheism or as a more subtle spiritual pride that assumes infallibility in one's beliefs. As St. Evagrius of Pontus wisely stated, “A theologian is one who prays.” Theology divorced from prayer and repentance is mere intellectual posturing. True knowledge of God is not an abstract exercise but a relational one, grounded in the transformative encounter with Christ. As St. Basil the Great wrote, “The human mind is too feeble to behold the ineffable glory of the divine nature.”

Love and the Limits of Knowledge 

In the end, knowing God in the fullest sense is impossible. Yet, through prayer and repentance, we can enter into a relationship with Christ, who reveals the incomprehensible and ultimately unknowable God. Mastery of theology, doctrine, and debate may serve a purpose, but without humility and love, they are empty pursuits. As St. Paul reminds us, “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). It is in love, humility, and continual repentance that we find the true essence of Orthodoxy - not in an unattainable ideal, but in the living, breathing Body of Christ.

A Collect for Humility and True Knowledge

Almighty God, who resisteth the proud and givest grace unto the humble: Grant us, we beseech Thee, the spirit of true repentance and holy love, that we may neither idolize our own understanding nor cling to a rigid image of Thy Church, but may ever seek Thy living presence in prayer, humility, and faithful obedience. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.