We need to write about the Orthodox Church because it has a membership of over 200 million people worldwide and because it claims to be the only true Church on earth. When any such claim is made involving so many people, it is necessary to research and write about such a group and compare it to scripture.
If you are a member of the Orthodox Church, please understand that our intention is not to offend. Instead, it is to compare all things to Scripture. “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so,” (Acts 17:11). I know that members of the Orthodox Church will probably say that I’m only offering my opinion which is, ultimately, invalid since I do not have the authority or the right to be able to make such judgments about such an ancient church that claims to be descended from the original apostles. In response, I would say that my analysis is only accurate if it properly represents the Orthodox position and accurately compares against God’s Word – to this end I recommend you compare everything written on this site to the Bible. But, here’s the catch. If you claim you don’t have the authority to interpret God’s Word, you will never be able to know if your church is biblical or not.
Nevertheless, what gives me the right or the authority to examine the Orthodox Church and compare to Scripture? It is not an issue of authority. It simply an issue of reading and looking into God’s word, the Bible. Anyone can do that. There isn’t some “mystical” authority that falls upon people by the hand of God that allows only them to accurately understand God’s Word. See Do we have the authority to examine the Orthodox Church with Scripture?
If you are a Protestant, then you will feel far more comfortable reading these articles particularly if you are dedicated to believing the Bible. We Protestants do not place such high regard in tradition, customs, the church fathers, and authoritative overarching church structures as do the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Instead, we look to the word of God as the primary source of theological truth and seek to compare all things to it. In light of that, CARM seeks to bring glory to God (Isaiah 43:7) by examining everything carefully (1 Thess. 5:21) and not exceeding what is written in the Scriptures (1 Cor. 4:6).
