It
is reported that Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, has left Evangelicalism
and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church.
While
not following Hanegraaff very closely, in past years I’ve heard him give some
good, biblical answers on radio. On the
other hand, I am a Premillennialist, so I have disagreed with Hanegraaff’s
views on the Second Coming.
Hank
Hanegraaff has apparently been evolving for some time. I thought this might be a good time to point
out some differences between Baptists, Evangelicals in general, and the Eastern
Orthodox.
By
the way, some years ago I was teaching a Bible course at San Jacinto College,
Pasadena, Texas. I had an international
student in class who was Orthodox and wrote a research paper. In passing, he mentioned his belief in
Baptismal Regeneration. I gave him an A
for the paper. Though I disagreed with
his doctrine, he did a very good job researching and writing.
What
are some of those differences in beliefs?
Orthodox
believe their authority comes from the Bible and tradition. Baptists
believe the 66 books of the Bible are our final authority for faith and
practice (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16).
In
addition, the Orthodox have added another 10 books to the Bible. Along with the Bible, they also look to
Church Fathers, church leaders after the Bible was written, as
authoritative.
The
Orthodox believe baptism saves you. They
believe in baptizing infants, a practice not found in Scripture. Baptists believe in Believer’s Baptism by
Immersion, but do not believe it has a part in your salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Only faith in Christ saves you. See the article below on Baptismal Regeneration.
While
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a great, godly woman, Orthodox believe in her
perpetual virginity and venerate her a little too much. Baptists and most evangelicals believe after
the virgin birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had other children (Matthew 1:25; 12:46;
13:55-56; John 7:5).
We
also believe it is going a little too far to call Mary the mother of God. Jesus is God the Son and came from Heaven to
Earth to be born in human form. Jesus is
far older than His earthly mother (John 1:1, 14).
For
a summary of the Eastern Orthodox church, see the article by Bill Gordon and
Paul Negru at the North American Mission Board:
Be
praying for Hank Hanegraaff, and make sure you are lashed to the Word of God,
the Bible, for your faith and practice.
Note:
The word “orthodox” has also been used by Baptists to simply refer to someone
who is conservative and biblical in their doctrine. The word “Orthodox” in this article, however,
refers to the denominational groups by that name.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor,
April 12, AD 2017.
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