Orthodox Christian Presses Me On My Protestant Theology

In a deep and nuanced conversation, Orthodox Christian theologian Maret Malaku challenges the assumption that conservative Christian views on sexuality, nationalism, and cultural identity are uniquely American or white evangelical. Drawing from his Ethiopian Oriental Orthodox background, he argues that these positions are far older and more widespread—rooted in centuries of faith in Africa and the Middle East. He emphasizes that the Orthodox Church teaches a strict biblical view on sex ethics and national identity, but always with the caveat that such pride must be subordinate to heavenly citizenship. The real danger, he warns, is not Christian nationalism but an identity rooted in opposition rather than in Christ. He also dismantles the myth of Bob Marley’s Rastafarianism, asserting that the musician was baptized as a Christian and renounced his former beliefs. On the theological front, Malaku delivers a compelling case for miaphysitism—the belief that Christ is one united nature—arguing that the Council of Chalcedon’s shift from 'from two natures' to 'in two natures' was not a refinement but a departure from the consensus of Ephesus, driven by political pressure and papal authority. For Malaku, the true test of orthodoxy is fidelity to Ephesus, not later councils.