What do we lose if we do not consider the Eastern roots of our Christianity? We first lose a correct interpretation of the   Scriptures. Instead of interpreting the Bible with the mind of the Early, Eastern Church, we end up seeing it from a 15th century European viewpoint. What many of us do not realize is that this Renaissance mind-set contradicts the Early Church’s understandings on several points.

To most people in America, even those who immigrated here some time ago, Christianity is a Western faith. We dress it in Western clothes, make it communicate in Western ways of thinking, and evaluate it with Western rules of logic. By doing so, we impose something strange upon it. Our cultural blindness forces it to labor under chains of bias and ignorance. This error makes it difficult for us either to accurately preach the Gospel or rightly teach the Scriptures.

One author suggests a shocking conclusion to this: If Christianity is Middle Eastern in nature, we must adopt a Middle Eastern world view to understand it. Or, put in the negative, Unless we embrace the decidedly Eastern disposition of Scriptures we will never be able to fully embrace its message. Now the problem is this: with all the chaos currently happening in the Middle East and the fear of the forces in the Middle East, it is hard for good Christians to think about our faith in this manner. Unfortunately what we are currently experiencing in the world is not a true reflection of Eastern thinking as the Early Church experienced it.

Christianity isn’t complicated. It’s our unconscious projection of Western philosophy on it that sometimes makes it hard for us to understand.

Why should we be concerned about the “Eastern-ness” of our Christianity? An Eastern perspective helps us rediscover the faith of the Early Church, and re-acquaints us as Christians with our common origin and history prior to the divisiveness of denominations. The Eastern perspective is important because through it we can better share our faith with a generation grown tired of Western apologetics. The Eastern   approach is significant because our   relationship with Christ and our Christian brethren will be broadened by it. And lastly, our Eastern ancestry is worthy of attention because in it we find sincere Christian unity without the compromise of either theological integrity or love.

Too often we forget that Our Church found Christianity through the Eastern Church. Therefore it is important that we understand Eastern Christianity.