Recently, a well know Orthodox writer, Frank Schaeffer, wrote an opinion blog on the invasion of Georgia by Russia. It was answered by a rather strong column by another blogger (warning, strong language used). In the article, Frank Schaeffer says:
“As Russia sees it, Bill Clinton turned the American Air Force into air support for an Islamic revolution against the Orthodox world. The attack against the Serbian homeland was an exercise of naiveté equivalent to bombing Vatican City then wondering why Roman Catholics might be upset and stay upset. Then George Bush decided it would be a good idea to place a missile defense system in Poland, disregard Russia’s advice and invade Iraq and further insult and encircle the heart of the Eastern Orthodox world.”
As I read the blog, I sadly read the blog of a man who has gone from one extreme to another. As he, himself, comments, he was the son of evangelical royalty, Francis Schaeffer. He claims to be one of the founders of the religious right, who then lived to take most of it back. But, as I read this particular blog, I found myself thinking that he still continues to interpret events through a hyper-religious lens. It is not that he is wrong in interpreting events through a “God-lens.” That is appropriate. In fact, the biggest failing of the news media is their inability to find people who can report on all the religious motivations that are present in many a news story. Rather, it is that his methodology has not changed one whit, only his theological orientation. And I fear that his methodology is one of pressing events into a religious mold, whether or not those events bear an only-religious interpretation.
My particular sadness in this is that it was his father, Francis Schaeffer, whose books led me into the love of philosophy and theology that I have. And, while I think that Francis never realized the logical conclusion to which his books were leading, I think that many of his readers eventually did. It should be no surprise that many of the leaders of the, then, Evangelical Orthodox Church had read Francis (or even met him and visited him in Switzerland) and discussed his writings. It was Francis’ books that forced me to consider concepts like culture and worldview and made my wife and I better missionaries when we were overseas for many years. And, eventually, it was his books that opened up the path that eventually led me to Orthodoxy.
But, unlike Frank, I did not come to Orthodoxy rejecting what had come before. I came to Orthodoxy with a loving appreciation of all that my background had taught me. Like the Law, there is much in evangelicalism that is sound and is good. But, like the Law, evangelicalism was merely a schoolteacher designed, even in its failures or maybe especially because of its failures, to give me a love for Truth and for the Holy Scriptures. That has stood me well through my life, ever since I gave my life to the Lord at a discipleship center. I have a desire to find Truth that has stood me in good stead, even when I have been forced to change my mind as I have continued to study the Scriptures.
As to Russia, I feel that too much of the American news media have ignored the story before the invasion. Now and again you catch hints of it when you read words like “break-away province” cropping up. Like the Yugoslavia situation, Georgia is not homogeneous. Moreover, apparently there was a certain pressure on those who are Russian-descended to either move out or keep politically quiet. In fact, some news media now admit that it may have been going towards a Yugoslavia-type of situation. Frank was right in pointing out that the West is being a little hypocritical given our massive and forcible intervention in Yugoslavia. But, he is wrong in attributing it to Orthodox payback. There is simply little, if any, evidence that it was done for Orthodox reasons, but much evidence that it was done for ethnic reasons. If only the USA government would be more aware of those ethnic reasons before they spoke.
There is another interesting element – the Huffington Post. Generally, that is a left-winging world. I was surprised to see – at all – that a Rignt Wing writer would be there.
But Arriana Huffington seems, mostly, to hate America: so left or right, a criticism is always welcomed – even if they conflict.
Frankie may be there exactly because (for example) his book about his son and the military came as critical of the USA but supportive of his son.
“I came to Orthodoxy with a loving appreciation of all that my background had taught me.”
Me too Father! But that is hard for those of one’s family that did not come along. It is seen as a rejection of all things in the past which is sad because it is not true.
Huw, I caught the anti-Western drift by Frank in the post, but I did not mention it because I thought that I might be imagining it. Notice that I did not call it a drift to the left, but a drift against the West.
Unfortunately that drift to an anti-West position is all to common among some of us converts. We seem to forget that both the West and the East were part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We also seem to forget such great saints as St. Leo the Great and St. Gregory the Dialoguist, who are honored by the East precisely for their theological acumen and their defense of the faith.
Philippa, it is precisely this attitude that sometime leaves our friends and family feeling as though we are rejecting our background with them. All we can do is try to reassure them that we do not reject our life with them. We have simply come to a better understanding of the Scriptures, history (Tradition), and the Church.
Sort of drifting into Holy Orthodox Russia as the Third Rome?
“Two Romes have fallen,
A third — Moscow — stands;
Never shall there be a Fourth!”
As long as you don’t get the double-headed eagle tattooed on you hide somewhere!