8. At the next stage of the conversation, offer the interlocutor an excursion into the world of Orthodoxy. Since we are Christians, then perhaps over the two thousand years of Christian life and thought we have accumulated something that could be useful to you? First of all, it is the world of Orthodox asceticism, anthropology, then it is the world of Orthodox culture (icon, church, music) and the world of Orthodox thought. In order to understand and accept these acquisitions and gifts of ours, it is not even necessary to become Orthodox. Orthodox theology has borrowed much from Catholic and Lutheran theology in recent centuries, but it has not ceased to be Orthodox. In the same way, one can take much from the Orthodox world while remaining a Protestant (although, perhaps, no longer a "Southern Baptist")[596].

9. Now we can proceed to a discussion of the problems that Protestant theology creates for itself, that is, to a discussion of the internal contradictions of Protestantism. The most important of them is an attempt to tear the Bible away from Tradition, from the Church. The addressee of the revelation is the Church. The author of the canon is the Church. The Bible is compiled on an extra-biblical basis. By whom exactly are these books included in the Scriptures? — The Church. The Church as a liturgical community is more primary than the Church as a community that hears the reading of Scripture. And when the New Testament books had not yet been collected, and even when they had not yet been written, the Church already existed, and the Eucharist was already in it. Now we first listen to the reading of the Gospel, then take communion. But in the apostolic era it was different: first the oral preaching of the apostles and their disciples (tradition), then Communion, and only much later – the receipt of a copy of the "Gospel from...". The Church began to take communion before it began to read the New Testament. And the canon of the New Testament was in harmony with the Eucharist, and not vice versa. We do not partake of Communion because the New Testament says so. The Christians of the first centuries recognized the New Testament because in its pages they recognized the same spirit that they had felt at their Suppers. And to oppose the book of the Church to the life of the Church, to her Tradition, is still illogical. In the end, it is a question of what Christ left behind Himself: a book about Himself or Himself? Protestants say that Christ left a collection of memories of Himself; the Catholics, that He had left the Pope as His deputy. The Orthodox assert that He Himself simply remained with us "always, even to the end of the age." Protestants seal Christ's mouth and say: "Do not add a word!" For Protestants, the book is the only way to communicate with God, the only way to know God, the only door through which they allow God to enter human life. Orthodoxy says that the Spirit breathes where and how it wills, and this breath of His is imprinted in the history of Christianity as Tradition. Christ transmits Himself, and not His merits, which the Father agrees to consider as ours and attributes them to all generations.

Among other oddities of Protestantism, one can note the one-sidedness of the doctrine of "salvation through faith."

10. The most difficult stage of the conversation is the discussion of the question of what exactly in Protestantism causes criticism from the Orthodox. If our disagreement is not in rituals, then in what? If Orthodoxy does not merge with Protestantism, but perceives its spread in Russia with obvious pain, then from the point of view of the Orthodox there is something in Protestantism that they assess as something mortally dangerous. What is it that in the perspective of Christian theology, which looks at everything under the sign of "for our sake and for our salvation," in the perspective of the salvation of the soul, turns out to be a fatal flaw of Protestantism?

This is the question of the Eucharist. Orthodoxy believes that we must truly become the Body of Christ, and only then will our resurrection be a "resurrection unto life." Protestantism believes that the Eucharist is nothing more than a symbolic rite reminiscent of the teaching of Christ. The entire life of Orthodoxy is built around the Liturgy (just as the life of Protestants is built around the preaching of the Gospel). And from the Orthodox perspective, the denial of the Eucharist is not just a distortion of one of the lines of Christ's teaching, but something much more terrible: it is the rejection of the very gift of salvation, the substitution of words about Christ for the sanctifying and saving communion of Christ. This is the substitution of God's gift for human words about the greatness of this gift. There are some Protestant communities that claim that they recognize the Eucharist as a sacrament. But here we must distinguish between two questions: one is what people themselves think about their actions, and the other is whether their actions are really as blessed as they seem to be. In Protestant communities there is no apostolic succession, which means that there is no continuous stream of agapes, the breaking of bread, the sacraments pouring from the apostles to us through all the centuries. This means that there is no participation in the Apostolic Eucharist, but only self-activity, imitating the Apostolic Sacrament... This is a complex question, and it is not sufficiently addressed in this book. Well, those who wish can get acquainted with the early Christian understanding of the Eucharist from the works of priests Cyprian Kern, Nikolai Afanasiev, Alexander Schmemann...

11. In conclusion, one more reminder for the Orthodox: it is never shameful for a Christian to repent. Yes, our church life is far from normal. Yes, there are many sins in our history and in the present. Not everything that is and has been in church life or in parish practice needs to be justified. About something else, it must be said directly: this is a sinful habit that has taken root in our churches contrary to the teaching of our own Church (for example, the icon of the New Testament Trinity, depicting God the Father in the form of an old man, contrary to the decree of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the Hundred Chapters Council of the Russian Church). Protestants do not know how to talk about the illnesses or sins of their communities. They are brought up in the spirit of incessant boasting, incessant self-praise: "I used to be a sinner because I was an atheist, but now I am a saint, and he is a saint, and all our people are holy!" This is something that should not be imitated by Protestants. A repentant, honest conversation about Orthodoxy is, among other things, a means of disarming sectarian criticism against us. We live within the Church, so we know our illnesses better than strangers. But in addition to them, we also know the spiritual light that exists in Orthodoxy. We extinguish this light with our sins, but it still shines. Through all the centuries the Church's lament for herself passes: "Or do you not know that the body of the Church is subject to greater illnesses and misfortunes than our flesh; is it more likely to be damaged and heal more slowly?" [597]. "You ask, what are our affairs? Extremely bitter. Churches without pastors; the good perishes, the evil is outward; It is necessary to sail at night, the guiding stars do not shine anywhere. Christ is asleep"[598]. "And the Church is in almost the same position as my body: there is no good hope in sight: things are constantly leading to the worst"[599].

To pretend that everything is fine with us is unwise, if only because in most cases a Russian Protestant is a person who tried to be Orthodox, he entered our church, but something frightened him, pushed him away. So, theologically, historically, the sin of schism lies with the Protestants, and humanly – on us. "Man looks at us with inquiring eyes: Do we not have the compassionate face of God?" [600], and because he does not see him with us, he goes to others.

Therefore, we should not look down on our interlocutor, not see him as an enemy, but as a lost brother. We lost him, did not come up in time, did not stretch out a hand, did not explain, did not support... Once we did not say to him, perhaps, just one kind word - and now, in order to explain ourselves, we have to talk with him for hours. Once one parishioner, seeing how long I was talking with sectarians who came to our church, half-jokingly said to me: "Now I understand how you can achieve a long and individual conversation with you: you just need to sign up for some sect."

And one more thing: do not build your defense of Orthodoxy only on the opposition of "Russian" to "American". Orthodoxy is not a national, but a universal, world religion. And in America itself, the Orthodox Church has several million members. The following argument can be appealed to the heart: "What are you? is it not bitter to be a foreigner in one's own country?..". But even turning to reason, with the Bible in hand, it is quite possible to explain the correctness and depth of patristic thinking.

American Vera: A Commodity for Export? [601]

The dollar, the hamburger, and the gospel of Billy Graham go hand in hand. In his latest book, the American sociologist George Ritzer gives his version of the rationalization of American society, calling it McDonaldization. He is referring to the various forms of industries that serve Americans in their daily lives: fast food, fast car service, quick shopping, quick health care, etc. These kinds of everyday services function in the same way as bureaucratization and other kinds of rationalization, as a mechanism for gradually building an iron cage of rationality around man that he can neither get rid of. nor to be distracted to rationalize oneself. McDonaldization has four main aspects:

1. Efficiency. Wherever there is a human need, a McDonaldized system sorts out what's most important for that need, charts a quick way to meet it, and throws the chosen path or solution to market.

2. Quantification and calculation. You can judge from the condition of your stomach what size hamburger you need. You know in advance how long it will take you to visit the respective service point. Your photos will be developed in an hour, your pizza will be delivered in 20 minutes from the time of order, etc.

3. Predictability. You know what to expect, and you can be sure of what you will get. A burger at McDonald's has the same flavor as a McDonald burger in Stockholm, and both taste the same as the burger you bought three months ago.