Orthodox Theology Investigation
Shelley’s study of Eastern Orthodoxy has shed some light on the history of Christianity and its development to form the three major divisions of Christianity today. After reading Shelley’s study, my head is in a tailspin because of the early Eastern Orthodoxy practice and strong affiliation with iconic images. According to Shelley (2013), “The best starting point for understanding Orthodoxy, however, is probably not its basic doctrines but its holy images called icons” (p. 151). Right away my thinking projected the thought of idol worshiping. Especially after Shelley (2013) wrote, “The Orthodox believer enters his church to attend services, for example, goes first to the iconostasis, the wall of paintings…show more content… “Salvation, therefore, consists of perfection or completion of the full image. Christ, the incarnate God, came to earth to restore the icon of God in man” (Shelley, 2013, p. 152). I found it hard to believe the Orthodox believer did not believe a man’s sin violated the relationship between God and man. “He only reduces the divine likeness and inflicts a wound in the original image of God” (Shelley, 2013, p. 152). Nothing is said about the confession of sins, forgiveness of personal sins or that sin fractures the relationship with God causing separation from God. God is holy and cannot allow sin to go unpunished. There are consequences for sinning against God. Shelley also points out Orthodox believers practice a process called theosis as part of the major doctrines of Orthodoxy which includes rebirth, re-creation, and transformation. According to Fr. Philip LeMasters, his experience as a college level professor of religious studies has helped him to understand the difficulty many of his evangelical students had concerning theosis and other abusive practices of the Roman Catholic Church. In defense of the holy icons, he helped his students to understand that “St. John of Damascus was speaking to a church with a well-established understanding of theosis and had centuries of experience of understanding the difference between worship and…show more content… “Catholic priests, bishops, etc. must remain celibate and are not allowed to marry. Protestant ministers are allowed to marry. Sacramental differences are, for example, Catholics will conduct mass, or Eucharist every week while Protestants may conduct a Eucharist or communion once a month” (Carroll, 2018, p.
