Ancient Faith Today - The Evangelical Life of Orthodoxy (w/ Dr. Bradley Nassif) 

I am thankful to God for Brad.

In the earlier days of AFR when I was still in a Protestant megachurch Dr. Nassif had his own podcast. It was among those I credit with helping me along to becoming an Orthodox Christian.

I like how he talks about the basics of the gospel. I have heard some say Orthodoxy is for intellectuals only.

Thoroughly Respect Dr. Nassif, but I must respectfully disagree. His four Evangelical principles, the underlying hermeneutic of which emphasizes An idolization of the scriptures as the capital W self-interpreting Word, Penal Substitutionary atonement, mental assent to the merits of Christ, and a burden of guilt to share this news to save people from hellfire is about as Un-Orthdoox as I can possibly imagine. Only through changing the underlying Interpretive frame can one baptize and christen those four categories that characterize evangelicalism. As he says it, Four principles of evangelicalism that Dr Nassif Identifies: 1) the Bible is the Word of God, 2) The Belief Jesus died on the cross for your sins, 3) you must be born again, 4) one should spread the good news. ACTUAL Orthodox understanding: 1) Jesus is the Word of God. The Scriptures testify of him. 2) Loyalty to the faithfulness of Christ, fully expressed through the manger, the cross, the descent into hell, and the resurrection, and our life patterned our life after this faithfulness, beginning with 3) our baptism in water and the spirit, which is the new birth, combined with the setting up Christ on the altar table of the heart as center of our life will lead to 4) the abundant life that bequeaths an natural burden to share with those who are perishing.