My dia-blog with Kevin on the Tradition continues.
I'm glad we do have points of agreement, so I am grateful to hear you say things like, "I wish everyone believed that the church's life was something given to it by Christ; that this life is no mere doctrinal concept. To this extent, we agree."
Unfortunately, while it is clear that you grasp the claims of the Orthodox Church, you mistake the actual force of those claims. For example, you say, in summarizing my points, "The Orthodox Church is the true church of Christ. It has a specific way of doing things, which it defines as its 'Tradition.' This, it claims, is given in infallible and unbroken form all the way from Christ. The proof of such a pedigree is found in the fact that it is this church that does these things." This is, indeed, true. The Orthodox Church claims to be the true Church of Christ, that very Body Christ Himself founded on the Apostles and Prophets. As such, the Church's Tradition is, then, that which is the Tradition of the Orthodox Church. All of this is consistent with my claims.
But just prior to that summation, you write, "This statement would be fine if 'Tradition' meant those beliefs and practices which exhibit the truths of the Gospel and are common to all those who profess the name of Christ. But it does not