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Can Evangelicals Abandon Chalcedon? A Case Study of the Christology
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Steve Strauss, PhD; SIM USA
Most North American Evangelicals are unfamiliar with the Oriental Orthodox
Churches, an ancient fellowship of churches that includes the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the
Syrian Orthodox Church in India, and the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate. These churches
are similar to other Orthodox churches in their theology and practice, but with one
important exception: their commitment to "one-nature" Christology, a position usually
labeled as "Monophysite" by Chalcedonians, but a label rejected by the Oriental
Orthodox themselves. Rather than a peripheral doctrinal point, a theology of Christ's
single, unified nature is central to their theological identity.
Conversely, evangelicals around the world have traditionally viewed the question
of Christ's divinity and humanity as having been decided at the Council of Chalcedon,
and any other Christology is generally viewed as unorthodox and unbiblical. How should
evangelicals respond to the Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches? In some
countries where an Oriental Orthodox church is the dominant Christian faith, evangelical
denominations have grown rapidly over the past four decades. How should evangelicals
in these countries identify their Christology? By explicitly embracing the Chalcedonian
confession are they preserving an important, biblical truth or are they building
unnecessary walls between themselves and these indigenous Christian churches? What
would be the implications of evangelicals using non-Chalcedonian terminology to
express their Christology and build bridges with this ancient Christian tradition? Is there