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Western and Eastern Christianity

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Disclaimer: I'm not a pastor and I don't have a theology degree. I'm a Christian man who loves learning and reading about Christianity from Bible, history, denomination, apologetics, and testimony

I and my friend seriously discussed Christianity on WhatsApp. He wasn't born to a Christian family, but he accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior at the age of 16. Hallelujah, I was super glad to listen to his testimony. God is so good! He criticized the church in the modern era, and we admitted that the Christian community in Indonesia is Western-oriented, especially in the United States. Therefore, we find it very rare in the Christian community that is Eastern-oriented, like Orthodox. You all know that America is so powerful and influencing Christianity across the world, including Indonesia. I don't count how many American missionaries and pastors serve Christ in the world, however, I believe it'll outnumber it because they have international missionary programs, like Moody Bible Institute, Deaf Missions, Appalachian Bible College, etc. So, I always meet American pastors and missionaries here and we get to be close friends. We know that America is the first nation to appear new denomination that we called Jehovah's Witnesses started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and LDS (Latter-day Saints) or Mormonism started in Fayette, New York but moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Utah's the state of the LDS population in the United States as LDS teens dream to go to Utah and get to BYU (Brigham Young University). JW and LDS are heretical in Christianity because they don't accept Jesus Christ, but JW and LDS have many followers and churches across the world and outside of the United States. I have met JW and LDS, but I never join with them although I attended their church, and even I read their Bible, titled The Book of Mormon. I believe Christianity and Jesus Christ in the only pathway to salvation. I still contact them because they are my friends meanwhile, we almost never meet. 

The charismatic church is from the United States and is dominated by teens, which I'm the one. I will not discuss what denomination is because it doesn't important, and I want to talk about whether we should believe which Christian-western-oriented or Christian-eastern-oriented. I think there is nothing wrong because it is all about how individualism is and how to know and get closer to Jesus Christ as what they feel as personally. Nevertheless, I would like to go to the Holy Land to learn Christian-eastern-oriented where Jesus Christ was alive and shared His words, where the twelve disciples of Christ were alive and ministered. It'll be interesting! That's my dream. 

I met a pastor who criticized the western-oriented. He was concerned about circumcision and hijab or head coverings for women. I know it does in the Old Testament and New Testament (Genesis 17: 9-14 addresses circumcision for men and 1 Corinthians 11: 3-16 addresses head coverings for women). "So, Christians are western-oriented, and it doesn't exist in the Bible. They just tried to change themselves. You know what kind of a western, the color skin of white and freedom." he said. I didn't respond to him because I didn't want to debate and respect his opinions. Back to addressing freedom that he criticized, I completely agree about freedom, but you shouldn't forget about self-freedom. Everyone has freedom in thinking, behaviors, opinions, and where beliefs in. We can't expect them to change as we want to. If a woman wants to wear a head covering because she believes in the Bible, it is okay, and I respect her. As it does to a man who wants to go to a doctor's appointment about circumcision due to health reasons, that's no problem. I don't care which is right about eastern or western because eastern and western are all good. I value freedom because freedom is owning to, by, and from people who God has given. I believe freedom will never die as long as people fight for freedom. Soldiers died for freedom, that's why I value freedom. 

So, I don't concern about western and eastern Christianity because eastern and western are on the same mission in the faith of Jesus Christ and to get the glory of Jesus Christ. God will understand the ways we pray and praise for. I believe it. Don't waste time debating which is right and keep praying to God in your ways and whatever your beliefs. 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave me himself for me." Galatians 2: 20.



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