To JOIN "The ARC" (Agape Restoration Communities) Chat/Video Forum, please read the Guidelines below! If you agree to them, and send us your contact info so we can add you to this Forum. We're now using a moderated Skype group. Skype is a free, all-in-one app that's easy to use: you can join our "live" group video calls at 8:45 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (New York time), when the moderator starts a group video call with other members, or you can watch the *recorded* videos and select the "Chat" area for text messaging our group *anytime* when members don't have to all be online at the same time.

Guidelines:

"The ARC" Chat/Video Forum exists to promote practical cooperation between like-minded Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians. The shared doctrines found in the basic Christian Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (Filioque open) form the basis for this online group to work together on joint efforts in practical spheres such as caring for orphans, the poor, elderly, and people with disabilities, Building the ARC – Agape Restoration Communities, and providing a forum to promote the open exchange of information between Christians who in faith confess and accept others who also affirm this Creed as genuinely seeking to be disciples of Christ.

Divine revelation, supremely in Jesus Christ and also in Scripture, means that an Absolute and Truth exist. Therefore we reject the notion that tolerance implies relativism, even if we don't agree on secondary points of doctrine. There are serious theological differences between Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians. While Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians believe that their respective confessions constitute the visible one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church described in the Creed, Evangelical Protestant Christians regard their denominations as valid expressions of an invisible, universal Church, the Body of Christ.

But we believe it is possible, in a forum such as this, to practice Christian love and find ways to cooperate on charitable and practical levels without proselytizing, attacking or denigrating each other, to discuss both what we have in common and our differences without rancour or bitterness, and to learn more about each other's Christian faith. We will leave it to the professional theologians and various confessions' hierarchies to iron out theological differences and hopefully someday lead us to unity, but meanwhile we at "the grass-roots level" must work out our faith in agape-love (Galatians 5:6) to each other and to our needy neighbors in the world.

The disciple John once told Jesus – "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn't follow with us." Jesus said to him, "Don't forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us." Then both James and John said – "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them, "You don't know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:49-56).

So as sincere followers of Christ, rather than arguing, we will strive to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) and practice the dual test of faith, which is truth combined with agape-love, as in 1 John 4:2 and 7-8 - "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.... Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

The consensus among Evangelical Protestant scholars and sociologists is that Evangelicalism is a term which pertains to all those Christians who agree on the following five points:

1. The divinity and majesty of Jesus Christ, both as incarnate God and Lord, and as the Savior of sinful humanity.

2. The need for personal repentance, conversion, leading lives of chastity and moderation, and daily following Jesus Christ.

3. The full divinity of the Holy Spirit and His ministry in the life of each believer.

4. The divine inspiration and authority of Scripture as the primary source of knowledge about God and as the guide for the Christian life.

5. The priority of evangelism by both individual Christians and the Church as a whole.

To the above five points, we add that the Evangelical Protestants in "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum shall personally affirm and publicly confess the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, regard highly the writings Early Church Fathers as valuable sources for understanding the Scriptures and the practices of the early Church, and strive to work together harmoniously with Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians at levels short of shared communion and clergy.

We accept Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians in "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum who believe in Jesus Christ as God Incarnate, as Savior and Lord of their life, who may believe that their respective churches are part of the one true Church but acknowledge that there are some who are in Christ who, although not within the visible Church, are linked to Her by bonds that are not yet revealed. As some Orthodox theologians have said – "We know where the Church is, but we do not know where the Church is not." These Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians will strive to work together harmoniously with our Evangelical Protestant fellow Christian members in our joint social ministry. Each ARC will have a community room/chapel where like-minded people can gather for worship and community activities. A minister from one Christian confession will lead each ARC community, but residence in that community will be open to any and all Christians (and their dependents) who affirm the Nicene Creed, these guidelines, and genuinely seek to be disciples of Christ.

Rom. 14:1-6 and 15:1-7 teach us to exercise tolerance toward others who hold debatable positions. "In primary things unity, in secondary things liberty, and in all things love." Regarding the form of baptism, each person should be convinced in his own mind. Because Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and some Protestants such as Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Reformed practice infant baptism, while others such as Baptists, Pentecostals and Adventists baptize only upon personal confession of faith, "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum defines valid baptism to be that which was performed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in full agreement with the teachings of an ARS member's church that confesses the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Also, nearly all Christian confessions use various forms of religious art to communicate their faith, and respect and strive to imitate godly people who have gone before them. Most Evangelical Protestants and all Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics accept the doctrines defined in the first Seven Ecumenical Councils. In accordance with the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicea, 787 A.D.), Evangelical Protestant members of this conference agree not to call the use of icons, statues or prayer to the Virgin Mary and the other saints "idolatry" or "false worship"; and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic members of this forum, in accordance with that Council's decision, will not give worship ("latreia"), but only reverence and respect ("proskunesis") to holy icons, statues and to the saints.

As Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic fellow Christians, we recognize that we live in pluralistic, multinational cultures which in the 21st century will become more closely integrated on the international level, and that narrow ethnocentrism, political or religious nationalism, and ethnic or cultural imperialism breed discord, strife and war. We acknowledge that Evangelical Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholics each have the legal and moral right to fully practice their faith in both East and West. We shall strive for tolerance on the societal level, and seek ways to cooperate with each other on charitable and practical levels. Members of "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum agree to refrain from calling others in this Forum "heretics," "schismatics," non-Christians, or similar terms, and to follow the guidelines described below:

Principles of Operation:

This online Forum is free and open to Christians who agree our principles and guidelines. Messages posted on our Chat forum are unmoderated but spam, irrelevant, and/or nuisance messages may be removed and such members banned from this Forum.

Because members of this Forum are all sincerely trying to follow Christ, are busy people who value their time, and because some members live in developing countries and might pay by the minute for Internet connection time, we ask that you:

1. Please post to this Forum *only* if you want everyone on our Forum to read your message; otherwise, look up the participants in this Skype group and send a separate Skype message just to that person by right-clicking on that person's name or initials. Please refrain from personal "chatting" over our Forum.

2. Please try to post no more than three messages per day. If an interesting or provocative message appears on our Forum, give yourself time to calm down, reflect on what was posted and collect your thoughts before replying. Please avoid making trivial replies like "I agree," "Good post" or "Thanks for the explanation" that might repeatedly interrupt other members with notification beeps and cause them to open Skype needlessly. Respect others' time and money.

3. Please refrain from arguing with, proselytizing, attacking or denigrating each other on this Forum. This includes avoiding the derogatory terms mentioned above or similar terms. "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things" (Romans 14:1). As a sincere follower of Christ, strive to "speak the truth in love."

4. And remember that our Forum's main purpose is to "prepare the saints to do the work of ministry, to the building up of the Body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12) – Building the ARC! That's what our chats and video calls should focus on. If, after joining, you don't agree with these guidelines, please send a separate message to the Forum moderator to remove your Skype name from the Forum. Please do not post "Get me off this *@$% Forum!" to everyone on our group: that's poor Netiquette.

To get our *free* e-book The Ministry Driven Church and a *free* subscription to our "ARC-News" fortnightly newsletter: JOIN and participate in "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum, you agree to abide by the above Guidelines in this "Welcome" message. Next...

First, create a Skype account if you don't already have one, then enter your full name, your Skype name, your email address, and your phone number below, if you used your phone number to create your Skype account. Then we will enter your info and send you a Username and Password to our Forum (* = required):

* NOTE: BOOKMARK THIS WEB-PAGE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE * so you can always re-read the current version of this "Welcome" message by coming back here, to https://www.Agape-Restoration-Society.org/forum.htm.

Our Origins:

This electronic forum sprang out of the fifth annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism (SSEOE) at the Billy Graham Center on Wheaton College campus October 6-7, 1995. For three years, this forum was called the Evang-Orth Conference, was renamed in October 1998 to the Agape-Rehab email forum, and more recently the name was changed to "The ARC" Chat/Video Forum. In November 2011 we moved to Google Groups. In September 2020 we began using Skype, providing instant chat and adding live video.

The SSEOE is a conservative Christian "think tank" that serves both the adademy and the church. All members affirm the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (filioque open). It seeks to identify the similarities and differences between Eastern Orthodox and Evangelicals. Through its annual meetings and published papers, it endeavors to provide theological resources for reconstruction and renewal. In the words of its Constitution, its purpose is:

"To cultivate an academic understanding of the theological histories of the Orthodox and Evangelical traditions and their mutual relations in the areas of history, doctrine, worship and spirituality; to promote fellowship and mutual enrichment among scholars engaged in these activities; and to coordinate the work of such theologians in North America and abroad."

The SSEOE was begun in 1990 at the initiative of an Eastern Orthodox theologian along with several other young Eastern Orthodox and Evangelical Protestant scholars. All had personal and academic experience with both traditions. Convinced of the need for serious and sustained research in this unexplored territory, they pioneered the SSEOE in hopes of making the theological histories of their traditions known and understood in relation to each other. Their ultimate goal was to enrich their own traditions by removing false barriers which have divided them, while also identifying legitimate differences.

For further information, please contact the SSEOE President and Founder:

Bradley Nassif, Ph.D.
President, SSEOE
blnassif@yahoo.com

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