Particularly in pockets of Christianity in the third world region, Christianity needs to be taught while also understanding the culture of the region. Perhaps the ways one would sermonize to a group of Americans is different than the way a sermon would be given in a culture which was predominantly Muslim for example.
Page 300-312
The greatest tragedy that Philip Saliba sees is the inability of the Orthodox Church to overcome issues within the church. He believed that since the Church had such abundant resources, there was no excuse for disharmony or disagreement amongst themselves. It would be unlikely to overcome issues outside their religion if they would not be able to work cooperatively within the system. There is still a degree of infighting that occurs within religious orders, be it because of external issues of the community putting pressure or individual disharmonies amongst members of the Church. Regardless of cause, these petty squabbles must be done away with if the church is to flourish and expand.
Pages 373-384
People of the modern age tend to misinterpret the writing of the Bible and the teachings of the church. Some do this deliberately and some do so subconsciously or accidentally, rewriting texts in order to fit their view of the world and their desires. More than this, they take the teachings and apply them to situations where they do...
For example, using the word of God in order to justify hatred against other people, which is something Saliba categorically states is wrong. God, he says, loves all his children regardless of gender or race and the division of people according to categories beyond their control and the resulting hatred that exists between people who belong to different categories is not approved of by God. Rather, he looks upon it with sadness, particularly if those propagating hate use His name in order to support their prejudices. Although we like to think we are in an age where people are more enlightened and understanding, all that a person needs to do is turn on the news to realize that this is not the case. There are people in every country of the world who use God and religion to harm others and it is likely that there always will be. It has come to the point where a lot of people mock religion outright because they see it as being the cause for violence rather than an excuse for violence. Within the church, leaders must be understanding, be patient, and try to make people see the truth that religion is there to give strength and to promote peace, not to cause harm.
Works Cited
Allen, Joseph J. And He Leads Them: The Mind and Heart of Philip Saliba: The Thirty-fifth
Anniversary of the Episcopate of Metropolitan Philip. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar, 2001. Print.
