The Orthodox Church -- Updating Tradition?

"'Tradition is not only a protective, conservative principle; it is, primarily, the principle of growth and regeneration ... Tradition is the constant abiding of the Spirit and not only the memory of words.'"

"'When the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth.'"  ~ Jesus in John 16:13

And after saying this, Timothy Ware, in The Orthodox Church states :  "It is this divine promise that forms the basis of the Orthodox devotion to Tradition."

If you are like me the word "tradition" conjures up images of rules and customs and "we've always done it this way" conversations that leave people doing things the same ol' way all.the.time. despite progress happenin' all around them.

Don't hold me back!

Maybe it's my American revolutionary heritage mixed in with a healthy dose of Southern rebelliousness, but it makes me think of being chained down, being given a bag full of rocks and then told "Go now...be on your way."  As if I will make a lot of progress with all that stuff weighing me down!

So reading these words -- growth, regeneration -- in regards to Tradition was somehow strange...yet refreshing!

Hey, isn't this what many of those progressive Muslims want when they say the Quran laid down basic principles for treating people justly, but we must apply them to our times and not think we must do the exact same things in the 21st century that they did during Muhammad's time?  We don't have to brush our teeth with miswaks just because the Prophet did.

Miswak used for cleaning teeth

We can ... *drumroll*  use electric toothbrushes if we please!  We don't have to ride camels.  Cars are legit!  And then there are of course all those other little tidbits we can feel free to update as well. Like demolish slavery completely and greatly curb the practice of polygyny since most men don't seem to practice it like Muhammad declared they should anyway.

But I digress.  This is a post about the Orthodox Church.

So, see how I felt about tradition. Well, this is Tradition and it sounds open to change.  In fact Ware writes, "It is absolutely essential to question the past." 


Granted this doesn't mean you have a free for all and can change things to suit your individual wants.  You want robbing banks to be legitimate because it's fast and easy money for you? Probably notta gonna happen.

The author explains it like this when talking of creative fidelity:

Loyalty to Tradition, properly understood, is not something mechanical, a passive and automatic process of transmitting the accepted wisdom of an era in the distant past.  An Orthodox thinker must see Tradition from within, he must enter into its inner spirit, he must re-experience the meaning of Tradition in a manner that is exploratory, courageous, and full of imaginative creativity.  .. It is not enough simply to give intellectual assent to a system of doctrine; for Tradition is far more than a set of abstract propositions -- it is a life, a personal encounter with Christ in the Holy Spirit....Tradition, while inwardly changeless (for God does not change), is constantly assuming new forms, which supplement the old without superseding them.  (pg. 198)

"Christianity, if true, has nothing to fear from honest inquiry."

Should this not be true of all faiths? If they are true, questioning them should never be frowned upon.  Never should we tell our children and wondering adults that "they just have to accept this as fact" as if their questions are wrong. It's important to know why we believe something especially if we are speaking of things that potentially have eternal consequences.


What do you think... is "Updating Tradition?" too misleading a title for this post?  What do you think about Timothy Ware's views of Tradition - while inwardly changeless - as something that constantly assumes new forms?  Do you agree?  Do you agree with the parallel to progressive Muslims who believe the Quran lays down basic principles for living in any century, but not set-in-stone rules (e.g. using camels) that must be used today?  Why or why not?  What do you think about "honest inquiry" of religions? Why are questions often discouraged? Why are questions important? Any other thoughts or impressions?