There was a section in the previous version that had some imprecise wording related to faiths that weren't Orthodox and salvation. It caused a bit of a stir online. I read it as needing some more care and not intentionally misleading or heterodox or even heretical. Do tell me what you think about the edits.
(OCA) - The Departments of the Orthodox Church in America has released a partially revised version of “Essential Orthodox Christian Beliefs” (PDF).
As reported on June 9, the initial version of Essential Orthodox Christian Beliefs, compiled by the Departments of the OCA, was released. The announcement generated thousands of downloads across the English-speaking world.
In fulfillment of the vision for the document to be “periodically refined and perfected,” the 1.1 version revises the second half of Chapter 11, the Orthodox understanding of non-Orthodox and non-Christian religions.
“We are grateful for the interest that is being expressed in this groundbreaking project,” stated Archpriest Thomas Soroka, Project Manager for the Departments of the OCA. “Our goal is to ensure that the text is clear, accurate, and as complete as possible. We especially wish to emphasize the messages that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God and the only Savior of the world given to men through whom they must be saved, and that the Orthodox Church is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We appreciate the feedback from Orthodox Christians of goodwill who wish to see this project flourish as a valuable and accurate resource available to all. In our ongoing work, we will continue to revise other sections and areas that may seem unclear, inaccurate, or misleading.”
As stated in the document, newer versions supersede older versions. We urge readers and catechists to use the latest versions available in their instruction.
Continued feedback on the work may be sent to Archpriest Thomas Soroka at tsoroka@oca.org.
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We forget that heresy involves not just error but refusing correction. The authors are acting as sincere and humble people of the Church.
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