The Church does not exist merely as an assembly of the saints, already saved and merely needing a bit of mutual encouragement and empowerment. Moreover, my salvation is tied up with yours for salvation can be nothing other than a manifestation of the Love of God for all men. This also of course is the basis of the Church s social teaching. If salvation is not wide enough to encompass the whole of humankind s life socially and personally then the neglected elements just get politicised by alien ideologies and then secularised so that only the private domain remains sacred, and finally, not even that. This is a gross violation of our responsibility toward for the whole of the created order.
Orthodoxy knows of no selfish interiority masquerading as Christian piety.
This then is salvation. This is hope for the world.