ABSTRACT
This chapter explores relations between evangelicals and Eastern Christianity. Adopting a chronological approach, it argues that four main patterns have characterized the type of engagement that has taken place. The first of these has been curiosity; although contact with Eastern Christianity was rare in the immediate post-Reformation period, interest increased from the early nineteenth century, coinciding with the rise of Protestant overseas missions. Inspired by millennial expectations and a wish to evangelise Muslim lands, some thought that the ancient churches of those lands, once they had been renewed by evangelical influence, would be the best means of converting Muslims to Christianity. Some evangelicals have experienced persecution at the hands of the Eastern churches, and confrontation of various kinds has been the third characteristic of relations between the two groups. The chapter concludes with an examination of a fourth characteristic, the more recent dialogue between the two traditions.
