Dr. Bradley Nassif is an Orthodox Christian, scholar, and trusted spokesperson for Orthodoxy, known especially for his ecumenical involvement and active role in Orthodox evangelism. Raised within the Orthodox Church as a Lebanese-American, Dr. Nassif also spent some time worshipping in the Evangelical tradition in his youth. His experience in both realms has made him a pioneer in Orthodox-Evangelical relations. His life experience, combined with his knowledge of Orthodox faith and history, places him in a unique position from which to articulate the Orthodox faith to a diverse audience.
Dr. Nassif is currently Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park University in Chicago. He has been a teacher for the Antiochian House of Studies, and the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, California. He serves as a consultant for Time and Christianity Today magazines. Dr. Nassif holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University where he studied with the late Fr. John Meyendorff. Additionally, he holds a M.Div. from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, a M.A. in New Testament Studies from Denver Seminary, a M.A. in European History from Wichita State University, and a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Friends University. He is a member of Holy Transfiguration Antiochian Orthodox Church in Warrenville, Illinois.
You can also listen to Dr. Nassif teach via his Simply Orthodox podcast at Ancient Faith Radio.
Featured Article
The Poverty of Love
The May 2008 issue of Christianity Today features their Christian Vision Project, with prominent writers and thinkers responding to the question, "Is our Gospel too small?" Antiochian Archdiocese author Brad Nassif contributed this response.
by Bradley Nassif, Ph.D.
The last few decades, more and more evangelicals have been mining the treasures of Eastern Orthodoxy. One reason for their openness is the work of people like Bradley Nassif, professor of biblical and theological studies at North Park University in Chicago. For years he has been, as one editor put it, “a courageous and enthusiastic pioneer of Orthodox-evangelical dialogue around the world.” While Nassif was exposed to evangelical faith in his youth, which he says gave his faith vitality, he has remained a faithful member of the Orthodox Church. But while championing the Orthodox cause, he’s never been blind to its spiritual needs. As he put it in one article, “The most urgent need in the Orthodox world today is an aggressive ‘internal mission’ of (re)converting our people to Jesus Christ.” In this Christian Vision Project article, Nassif suggests how one element of the Orthodox heritage might help reconvert all of us to the person and mission of Jesus Christ.
"IS OUR GOSPEL TOO SMALL?” Shouldn’t the answer be obvious? As an Eastern Orthodox theologian, my first impulse was to point out that a small gospel has never been our problem. The name of the great 7th-century saint Maximus the Confessor symbolizes the maximal gospel proclaimed by him and all the Orthodox—one with cosmic implications that embraces the whole of creation. Proclaiming that kind of gospel has always been the Orthodox way. But then I came down to earth. Though Orthodoxy has a grand vision in principle, it often doesn’t make a lot of difference in practice.
