What Kinds of Churches?

The poet is taking a break, and the theology nerd is taking his place. 

This post, like the last, is intended to introduce readers to the Arab Christian church, specifically by answering the question, “What kinds of churches?”

While there are Arab Christians throughout the Middle East who identify as Protestant and Evangelical, these are the minority. In Palestine, for example, Christians comprise a couple percentage points of the population, and self-identifying Evangelicals comprise just a couple percentage points of that.  

The vast majority of Arab believers, then, are members of either the Orthodox or the Catholic Christian traditions. Historically, both of these traditions have very deep roots here -- preceding the foundation of Protestantism, in fact. 

This isn’t the place for a lecture on non-Protestant Christianity (...which is good, because I’m not qualified to give it anyways), but I’ll do a little explaining along the way. 

Eastern Orthodoxy (often called “Greek Orthodoxy” in the Arab World) is a Christian tradition that traces its origins to the Apostles. Centuries-long arguments between the East and the West culminated in the Great Schism in the 11th century. While Eastern Orthodox believers accept the proclamations of the early church’s seven main ecumenical councils (Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon... and three others that I forget but choose not to look up), they are distinct in both belief and practice. Two examples of distinctly Orthodox beliefs, the first of which played a significant role in the schism: 1) When speaking about the Trinity, Protestants and Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and from the Son,” whereas Orthodox believers believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. 2) Orthodox believers think about justification (sinners becoming righteous) differently than most Protestants and Catholics do: theosis (deification or divinization) is the Orthodox notion that believers will eventually become a part of the divine life -- while remaining distinct from God. 

There are approximately half a million Eastern Orthodox Christians in the Arab world. The church’s Patriarchates (the highest-ranking bishops) in this region reside in Jerusalem, Damascus, Alexandria, and Istanbul. 

Now, here’s where it gets tricky: there are other “Orthodox” believers who are not “Eastern Orthodox” believers. The term “Oriental Orthodoxy” is often used to describe this category of Christianity, which includes Coptic Orthodoxy, Armenian Orthodoxy, Syriac Orthodoxy. Oriental Orthodox believers are distinguished from Eastern Orthodox believers in that they have not traditionally accepted the proclamations of the ecumenical council at Chalcedon (CE 451), which means that they do not accept the notion that Jesus has two distinct natures -- one divine, one human. Rather, they believe that Jesus was endowed with a blended constitution, if you will. 

Regardless of how exactly Oriental Orthodox believers conceive of and articulate Jesus’ nature, they get it right where it counts: the God-man Jesus offers salvation to all by atoning for the sins of the world. 

(Did I just summarize the Christian creed in a way that excludes certain Protestants? Better drop that L like it’s hot, Mr. Tulip!)

Concerning Oriental Orthodoxy on the ground, there are approximately eight million Coptic Orthodox believers, almost entirely located in Egypt. They are by far the largest Christian community in the region. In addition, there are approximately 300,000 Armenian Orthodox believers and 100,000 Syrian Orthodox believers. 

Okay, enough of Orthodoxy...what about the Catholic Church? Surprisingly, this tradition is nearly as complex as the Orthodox tradition, as there are two major tides here: Roman rite and Eastern rite. The latter comprises churches that were originally Orthodox (either Eastern or Oriental), but for historical and doctrinal reasons decided to sever that membership and affiliate with Rome while maintaining Orthodox-esque liturgies and practices. The largest church in Lebanon, the Maronite church, is one example. 

...This really isn’t the place for a lecture on Catholicism, but I’ll just briefly mention my firm conviction that I have many Catholic sisters and brothers in Christ, here and elsewhere, and I am commanded to honor that familial connection, regardless of existing disagreements. 

Two final notes:

First, there are ancient churches here that do not identify with Orthodoxy, Catholicism, or Protestantism! One example is the Assyrian Church of the East, which originated in east Syria, exists primarily in Iraq and Iran today, and is currently led by a Patriarch who lives in Chicago! This church only accepts the proclamations of the first two main ecumenical Councils (affirming that the Son is equal to and of the same substance as the Father). 

Second, regarding Protestantism in the Middle East: early 19th century missionaries from the United States and Britain are responsible for today’s Arab Protestants. Anglicans are the largest Protestant presence, probably followed by Lutherans. Historically, these western Christian movements have not been particularly welcomed -- by Muslims, Jews, or even traditional Arab churches. They are not native; they were imported. Slowly but surely, however, ecumenical cooperation and strong social justice endeavors are repairing relationships and carving out cultural space in which Arab Protestants can be at home. 

In the next post, I hope to provide country profiles regarding the Christian populations of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and other countries in the region. 

...And after that, the theology nerd will take a break for awhile. The poet gets antsy. 

Blessings.