A 60 second thought I had:
Is it a fair criticism of the Orthodox that we do not evangelize like the protestants, and especially the non-denominational protestants? Yes and no. In an absolute sense (and probably a per capita sense if such were measurable) I think it is true there is more emphasis on evangelism (“winning souls” “bringing people to Christ”) in the protestant/non-dom world. But when I start to ask myself why that is, I come back to the fundamental evangelical belief of instant salvation/once saved, always saved. This innovative doctrine basically dispenses of the need to focus on one’s own repentance or salvation, and instead makes the spiritual condition of your neighbor (or at least your “unsaved” neighbor) your focus. As Orthodox do we tend to be too internally focused to the neglect of evangelism? To some extent I think this is true. However, you can’t really have an apples to apples comparison without accounting for the significant part of Orthodox praxis which calls us to repentance for our sins, to live a fully sacramental life inside the Church and to struggle and endure for our own salvation. You never hear the question “Are protestants neglecting their own salvation in the name of Evangelism?” But I tend to think that is the flip side of the accusations made against the Orthodox.
