General Rules about Our Disputes with the Protestants

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III addresses important general rules when dealing and debating with our Protestant brothers, and he presents practical remarks and defensive spiritual and educational methods to preserve truth and calm in dialogue.

Clear main points

1. View of the Holy Bible: He warns that some Protestants tend to respect the New Testament more than the Old Testament, and they lessen the value of Old Testament texts by considering them “of the past” even though the whole Bible is inspired and useful for teaching.
2. Distinguishing symbols and constants: He explains that some Old Testament rites were symbols (like animal sacrifices), while the core truth remains and one must distinguish the symbols from the theological constants in discussion.
3. The danger of relying on a single verse: He cautions against the opponent using a single verse alone to build a whole doctrine; he stresses the importance of gathering all texts related to a certain subject to reach a complete understanding.
4. Importance of memorizing verses and knowing their locations: He advises servants and believers to memorize many verses and know where they are so they can answer confidently and not depend on long searching in the Bible during debate.
5. The rationalist tendency and removal of books: He notes that the rationalist trend in some Protestant groups leads them sometimes to reject or remove books or texts that do not agree with their rational thought, and this is a cause of dispute.
6. Mediation and the church’s legitimate channels: He affirms that God set legitimate channels and mediators (like the priesthood and spiritual shepherding) for conveying grace and church work, and he presents verses and events (such as Paul’s calling and the laying on of hands) that support this concept.
7. Doctrinal and spiritual humility: He points out that a fault in Protestant thought sometimes is lack of humility in doctrine (for example, claiming perfection or no need for intercessions or confession), while true spiritual life requires humility and readiness to grow.
8. Method of dealing with the opponent: He emphasizes the importance of spiritual wisdom in dialogue — answering with interconnected verses, using a calm style, and sometimes even humor to win hearts — and educating children and preparing them knowledgeably so they are not victims of superficial argument.

The spiritual and educational dimension from a Coptic Orthodox faith perspective

The address calls to protect the Orthodox faith by holding to the whole Bible as inspired, and distinguishing between what is symbolic and what is constant in biblical and ecclesial tradition. It also affirms the secrecy of the church’s order and spiritual mediators as part of God’s economy in preparing people for service and salvation, and views humility and knowledge as foundations of correct spiritual life and wise dealings with dissenters.

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