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Eastern Orthodox vs. Baptist

A side-by-side comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Baptist teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian churches, that share one faith and worship. It separated from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054 and treats the early councils and the Church Fathers as its standard.

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Baptist

Baptists arose from English Separatist churches in the early 1600s. They baptize only those who profess faith, govern each congregation independently, and hold to the Bible as the sole authority for belief and practice.

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At a glance

Where they differ: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Can a saved person fall away?; Baptism; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Church government; Mary and the saints; Death, purgatory and hell; Style of worship.

Varies within one or both: Predestination and free will; Clergy and women in ministry; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Where they agree: Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Eastern Orthodox	Baptist
Authority: Scripture and traditionDiffer	Scripture is read within the Church’s Holy Tradition, which includes the ecumenical councils and the Church Fathers. There is no single teaching office like the papacy.	The Bible alone is the authority for belief and practice. Many Baptist bodies adopt confessions, but none is binding on a local church.
Books of the BibleDiffer	Uses the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, which includes the Catholic deuterocanonical books and a few more, such as 1 Esdras and Psalm 151. Exact lists differ between Orthodox churches.	66 books.
The TrinityDiffer	One God in three persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Orthodox have rejected the Western addition of the filioque, which is one of the central points of division with Rome.	One God in three persons. Baptists rarely use creeds in worship, but their confessions affirm the Trinity.
How a person is savedDiffer	Salvation is healing and union with God, called theosis or deification. It begins in baptism and is a lifelong process in which the person freely cooperates with God’s grace.	Saved by grace through personal faith in Christ, usually described as a conversion experience. Baptism follows salvation and does not cause it.
Can a saved person fall away?Differ	Yes. Because salvation is a lifelong cooperation with God, a person can turn away from it, though repentance is always possible.	Most Baptists, notably Southern Baptists, teach eternal security, often summarized as “once saved, always saved.” Some General Baptists disagree and hold that faith can be abandoned.
Predestination and free willVaries	Stresses free will and synergy, the cooperation of God and man. Predestination is understood as God’s foreknowledge, not a decree that cancels human choice.	Divided. Particular Baptists are Calvinist and hold to election, and General Baptists hold that Christ died for all and that election is based on God’s foreknowledge of who would believe. Southern Baptists include both.
BaptismDiffer	A sacrament of new birth, given to infants and adults by triple immersion. The newly baptized are immediately anointed (chrismation) and receive communion, even as infants.	Only those who have professed faith are baptized, and by full immersion. It is an ordinance that pictures death and resurrection with Christ and does not save.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Differ	The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Orthodoxy holds this as a mystery and does not define how it happens.	An ordinance in remembrance of Christ’s death, observed periodically. The bread and cup are symbols, and many churches use grape juice.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Seven principal “mysteries,” the same as the Catholic list, though Orthodox teachers stress that the whole life of the church is sacramental and do not fix the number rigidly.	Two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptists avoid the word “sacrament” because it can imply that grace comes through the act itself.
Church governmentDiffer	Governed by bishops, with each national church led by a patriarch or archbishop. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honor and some limited canonical prerogatives, but no governing authority over the other churches.	Each local church governs itself, calling its own pastor and deciding its own doctrine. Churches cooperate voluntarily through associations and conventions.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.	Varies. The Southern Baptist Convention limits the office of pastor to men, and other Baptist bodies ordain women.
Mary and the saintsDiffer	Mary is honored above all as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), and the saints are asked for their prayers. Icons are venerated. Orthodoxy holds Mary’s perpetual virginity and her Dormition (falling asleep) but does not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception.	Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus and the saints as examples. Baptists give them little role in worship and do not pray to them.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	Orthodoxy has no doctrine of purgatory, but it prays for the dead and believes souls await the final judgment in a foretaste of their eventual state. One influential modern Orthodox view is that hell is the experience of God’s love by those who reject it, but this is not a settled teaching.	Believers go immediately to be with Christ, and unbelievers to eternal punishment. There is no purgatory.
Style of worshipDiffer	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.	Free-form, built around preaching, congregational singing and prayer. Order is set by each church.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsVaries	The Spirit is active in the sacraments and in the lives of saints and elders. Spiritual gifts are recognized, though tongues are not emphasized.	Varies. Many Baptists are cessationist or cautious about tongues, and others are charismatic.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.	Sunday.
Best known for	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.	Believer’s baptism, local church independence, religious liberty and a strong emphasis on missions and evangelism.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Eastern Orthodox vs. Baptist