Truth or a viewpoint?
Let's talk about whether priests and the Church need to adjust to the changing life conditions and if not, why not?
Very often we see that there are opposite opinions on various issues in the Church. Some say that we should do and think this way while others say otherwise. Opponents call each other schismatics, traitors, chameleons and other crazy words. But the worst thing is that in such disputes, people completely forget about the Gospel when they start from absolutely worldly arguments from the field of geopolitics, economics and state interests. And if they remember, they distort it beyond recognition, using it to draw completely false conclusions.
In this connection, I would like to talk about whether priests and the Church need to adjust to the changing life conditions and if not, why not?
To please everyone to... what?
The category of priests who try to adapt to the tastes of the audience or the historical situation are, in most cases, people who do not quite understand correctly the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, "to the weak I became weak, to win the weak", and further: "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9: 22).
Rejecting this statement of the Apostle, some priests who fancy themselves "great missionaries" do everything to be "their fellows" in any company. They are ready to make vulgar jokes with young people, discuss politics with officials, drink vodka with businessmen, and tell liberals that Christ "was a democrat and a revolutionary". In many cases, such people make numerous concessions to moral and religious principles, justifying themselves either by "benefit for their neighbour" or "benefit for the Church". Often, they are the ones ready to adapt to changing life conditions, willing to justify any crimes of the authorities or sins of those who hold that power, as long as they and their "church" are doing well.
We won't reveal a secret if we say that when a priest acts in this way, he won't be able to teach his flock anything good. Moreover, not only will he fail to gain the respect of those before whom he is willing to cast off his cassock and "forget" about his priesthood, but he will also lose those who respect that priesthood.
The problem, let's repeat once again, is that the Apostle Paul’s words "I have become all things to all people" are misunderstood. Indeed, it may seem that the saint in this case gives specific advice to "adapt to the changing world". But is it really so?
To answer this question, let's turn to the holy Fathers of our Church.
How to "become all things to all people"
Scholars and Fathers of the Church never interpreted the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians as a hint that Christians are allowed to abandon their principles to "benefit" others through such abandonment.
St. Augustine, for instance, saw in the quoted phrase of the apostle an indication that he directed people to God "not by deceit but by love and compassion". Additionally, as noted by St Ambrose of Milan, "Paul lived as if he were outside the law while remaining under it." It is worth mentioning that here, the reference is to the Jewish law, which prescribed a vast number of external actions and rituals, the neglect of which made salvation seem unattainable. This "law" often led to ostentation and hypocrisy, which the Apostle Paul avoided.
St John Chrysostom, explaining 1 Corinthians 9:22, speaks of a sower who sows everywhere, even, apparently, in barren lands, hoping that at least a small part of what is sown will yield fruit. The labour of a preacher is seen in the same light: to speak always and everywhere about Christ, hoping that someone will hear this word.
St Cyril of Jerusalem, interpreting the Apostle Paul’s statement for a proper understanding, points to the Exemplar – Christ, who became bread for the hungry, water for the thirsty, a physician for the sick, redemption for sinners, and resurrection for the dead.
According to the saint, our preaching of the Gospel should be built on this foundation. The Church's task is to unite a person with Christ. The apostle's task is to bring a person into the Church.
In line with St John Chrysostom, Archbishop Nicanor (Kamensky) says that the words of the Apostle Paul should be understood exclusively in a homiletic sense. In other words, a preacher should always take into account who makes the audience. The Archbishop writes that the preacher's task is to learn to speak with his listeners as a doctor speaks with a patient, as a father speaks with a son, or as a teacher speaks with a student.
This does not imply that a doctor, father, or teacher abandons any truths. It is about always adapting to the intellectual abilities and moral condition of the listeners. For example, a teacher may tell a student that the earth is flat if the student does not know that it is round. The teacher must find words that, in a comprehensible language, explain to the student the correct understanding of how our planet is structured.
As we can see, the holy Fathers and church writers believe that the Apostle Paul's desire to "become all things to all people" should not be understood as a rejection of principles and doctrinal truths to please someone or "for the benefit of the Church". There will be no benefit for the Church in this case. On the contrary, there will only be harm. Because, without preaching Christ, without speaking about the Gospel, without exposing sin, and without pointing out errors, one cannot be a Christian.
Because compliance, seeking personal gain and following one's interests are not Christianity but opportunism.
But can Christianity and opportunism be reconciled?
Can one be a Christian opportunist?
We won't provide a vast number of testimonials and quotes from the lives of saints pointing out that very often Christians sacrificed their lives but refused to back down from God or the principles of the Gospel. Let's continue our discussion in the light of the words of the Apostle Paul in the letter to the Corinthians.
For this, let's use an extensive quote from the work of the 19th-century renowned Russian biblical scholar Lopukhin. He writes:
"Some contemporary theologians, seeing that society finds it difficult to believe in the wonders described in the Bible, try to present faith in wonders as entirely unnecessary for true piety: they say the essence of the Gospel is not in wonders! Clearly, such a concession to the spirit of the time cannot be justified because it changes the very concept of Christianity as a religion that manifested itself through signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:4). Sometimes, preachers of Christian morality exclude from their program all stricter requirements of the Gospel to attract people from educated society, and sometimes they sacrifice the dogma of Christianity and church discipline, considering them obligatory only for the common people. Such opportunism causes substantial harm to true Christianity because it encourages unbelief, moral turpitude and attachment to sensual pleasures. Christianity in such cases becomes a half-truth, only an imaginary force, and at best, only a roundabout way to the Kingdom of Heaven. But there is opportunism of an entirely different kind. Another preacher of the Gospel possesses the ability to deeply penetrate the mysteries of another's soul. With a loving eye, he sees everything that troubles and disturbs another’s soul, and when he has to address such a soul with words of admonition, he makes concessions, softening the severity of his rebukes, although he does not sacrifice the essential requirements of the Gospel and dogma in doing so."
Such is the tolerance and opportunism of the Apostle Paul. It is nothing but a manifestation of his high humility and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. The tolerance of this opportunism is not boundless: it does not allow everyone to be saved in their way (Frederick the Great's maxim). This was fully proved by the Apostle Paul when he sharply rebuked Apostle Peter, who, with his concessions to Judaizers in Antioch, could completely ruin the work that the Apostle Paul had managed to accomplish there with long efforts.”
Opportunism and Truth
As we can see, Lopukhin believes that opportunists who yield to the "spirit of the time" or "sacrifice Christian doctrine" to "attract people" cause "serious harm to Christianity" because they transform it into a "half-truth".
It seems to us that this is precisely what a vast number of people in the Church suffer from – when, in the words of St. Theophan the Recluse, they "place their tastes and their understanding of laws above others". Generally, if one carefully analyzes everything said by the Fathers of the Church, it becomes clear that they did not back down from the Truth, nor did they call something black and white just because the historical situation demanded it. They did not try to please other people, did not flirt with them but spoke the truth even when it was dangerous for their lives.
Moreover, given that in the text about the Apostle Paul, the word "all" (in Greek – πάντως) can be translated as "in any circumstances", it becomes clear that the task of a Christian is always and everywhere to speak about the One who is the Path, the Truth, and the Life.
Yes, it can be difficult, and many may not understand us. Because to some, it may seem that "in this situation", the most important thing is to be a patriot. Others will assert that the main thing is to "follow the canons". Some will say that "traditional values" should occupy a central place while others are sure that one should simply be "modern and progressive, keeping pace with the times" by accepting gays and transgender individuals.
But a true Christian will say that the most important, central and vital thing can only be Christ. Everything else compared to Him is chaff that will be blown away by the winds of change. And only Christ will always remain the same because He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Path and the Life.
And we have no other path, no other life.
