A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
Nestorians, notably the Assyrian Church in the Middle
East. The Council of Chalcedon denounced Nestorianism
for emphasizing too greatly the distinction between the
divine and human in Christ and for refusing to call Mary
the mother of God.
Apart from these deviations, the theology and liturgy
of these churches are similar to the other Eastern
churches. The Egyptian Copts and the Assyrian Church
are minority faiths, since their lands are dominated by
Muslims.
Overall, Eastern Orthodoxy is traditional, conservative,
and hierarchical. Where it is the majority faith, it
closely aligns itself with the state and the culture. In these
countries, the church benefits from special legal status
and promotion, and for people to deny the faith is to deny
their culture.
Under communism, the Russian Orthodox Church
and the Orthodox churches in other communist countries
cooperated closely with the state. Their leaders were
appointed with the approval of the Communist Party.
Orthodoxy lost much credibility in these countries
because of its accommodation and collaboration. Since
the fall of communism, Orthodoxy has sought to reestablish
political power and exclude or limit other religious
faiths and denominations, especially Evangelicals and
Pentecostals.
The Greek Orthodox Church takes a similar position.
In Greece, it is against the law to proselyte (seek to convert)
someone from Greek Orthodoxy. Occasionally
Evangelical ministers and members are persecuted and
charged with illegal activity because of their evangelistic
efforts.
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