by: GEORGE C. MICHALOPULOS Saturday, July 24, 2010
7/24/2010 7:31:53 AM

Recently, the Tulsa Interfaith Council sponsored an appearance by Frank
Schaeffer. I had the pleasure of attending one of Frank's lectures. As
a fellow Orthodox Christian it's always good to see Frank. Whether you
agree with him or not, you know you're in for a good and lively debate.

Personally, I've always considered him a friend and still do. (Regina
Orthodox Press, which is owned by Frank, published a book I wrote.)
Having said that, I was disheartened by much of what I heard. I fear
that some of his statements may have been injurious to many people; at
the very least some might think that because of his fame, as an author,
lecturer, and television commentator, he represents the views of the
Orthodox Church.

Like many prominent speakers and authors, Frank's journey has taken him
to some interesting places. Formerly a stalwart of the religious right,
Frank has now become a pillar of the secularist left. That is certainly
his right. Every man is entitled to his own opinions but not his own
facts.

Much of what he asserted was, to put it mildly, arguable. Possibly the
most egregious thing I heard Frank say was "that Evangelical Christians
were more sinister than the Taliban."

Quite simply, this is a gratuitous assertion, one having no basis in
reality. It was sheer bigotry, pure and simple. If anybody on the right
said that about a minority group, he'd be condemned, and rightly so. (I
for one have yet to find one instance of Evangelicals stoning
homosexuals or forcing women into burqas.)

In addition, Frank equivocated as to whether he was pro-life and
justified his ambivalence by questioning the bona fides of many
pro-life leaders.

Finally, he questioned the political acumen of those who are
traditional and culturally conservative.

My purpose here is to state clearly and without equivocation that Frank
does not speak for the Orthodox Church. Neither do I — only bishops
sitting in council can do that.

Nevertheless, in the interest of clearing up any misconceptions, it can
be stated that there are a few givens about Orthodoxy.

First of all, the Orthodox Church is evangelical. We are called to
fulfill the Great Commission. In addition, many of our bishops and
clergy have come to us from the Evangelical tradition. Our parishes
have been enriched with the presence of Evangelicals and their deep
commitment to the Gospel.

Secondly, the Orthodox Church is committed to the pro-life cause. It is
a pro-life church, period. Thirdly, Orthodox Christians are, broadly
speaking, culturally conservative. All are welcomed, regardless of
their condition or their past.

We are taught as part of our penitential journey to judge nobody but
ourselves. Our fidelity to the Gospel however prevents us from
conforming to the spirit of the age. While we cannot be pigeonholed
into any one political party, our concerns regarding cultural (not
political) issues are informed by the Christian tradition that has been
consistent to the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the very founding of the
Christian church itself.

In a free society we should welcome open and honest debate. I mean no
disrespect to Frank or those Christians who agree with him. But I just
wanted to set the record straight.

______________
George C. Michalopulos is a layman in the Orthodox Church and serves as
the Orthodox liaison to the annual Tulsa MarchforLife. He is a
contributing editor to the American Orthodox Institute
(www.aoiusa.org), the largest on-line Orthodox forum of matters
relating to Christianity and Culture. He is a member of Holy Apostles
Orthodox Christian Church in Bixby.

www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?...
100724_65_A21_Recent320461

I honestly don't know. I've read many of his books and watched his videos. When I read Crazy for God, particularly the last chapter, I became concerned that he was leaving the tracks as it were. He appears to need a cause... something about which to be passionate.

Jul 27, 2010 -- 4:41PM, Prajna wrote:

I have never heard of this person before.  So if I don't know him he can't be all that famous

I never did either, before I became Orthodox. But apparently his father, Francis, was a rock star in Evangelical circles.

Great analysis. I agree and hope as well that Frank can find his way back.

Sep 10, 2010 -- 10:13AM, Xapisma wrote:

Frances Shaeffer wrote a rebuttal to Spong's The Silence of God back in the 70s. The title, IIRC was He is Here, and He is not Silent .

BTW, I am Campbellite, re-incarnated. B'Net messed up my password access and the PTBs were stumped trying to fix it.

Welcome back!  Its good to see you again.

And you seem to have grown younger.