How the Filioque Clause Changes Everything+A Conversation with Dr. Scott Aniol on the Future of G3 Ministries
What are the practical implications of the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed?
I encourage you to listen to this 35-minute talk by CREC Bulgarian pastor Yavor Rusinov. I believe this is one of the finest popular-level expositions on the differences between the Eastern and Western traditions, specifically how the theological differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism manifest in community and life. For those who don't have time to listen, I'll provide a summary of the talk below.
I have spoken at the Reformation Covenant Church Camp before, so it delights me to see such excellent work coming from this family camp. I guarantee that not all camps are created equal, and indeed, not the CREC camps, which I have spoken at and attended.
Rusinov examines the spiritual, cultural, and theological journey of Bulgaria, illustrating how faith has influenced the nation's history. Beginning with Bulgaria’s founding in 681 during the time of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, the story traces the proto-Bulgarians’ pagan roots, their worship of Tangra and nature, and their eventual encounter with Christianity, which began to spread among the Thracians via Roman influence.
Christianity formally entered Bulgaria in 864 when Prince Boris I adopted it as the state religion, brutally suppressing opposition to unify the people. Under Tsar Simeon, Bulgaria experienced a Golden Age of Christian culture, aided by missionaries Cyril and Methodius, whose disciples created the Cyrillic script and helped translate the Bible.
Although the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Empire in 1396 led to the suppression of the church, Orthodox Christianity endured through monasteries and writers like Paisii Hilendarski. By the 19th century, Protestant missionaries from America arrived, not only translating the Bible into modern Bulgarian but transforming the cultural and social fabric through literacy, hygiene, education, and moral reform—faith incarnated in daily life.
However, after 1944, communism devastated Christianity in Bulgaria, imprisoning pastors and replacing sincere leaders with party informants. Though communism collapsed in 1989, the spiritual vacuum was soon filled with a newer form of charismatic evangelicalism, disconnected from creedal grounding and focused on emotion over obedience and mysticism over transformation.
The central theological tension discussed is between Eastern and Western Christianity, symbolized by the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed. The Western belief that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son anchors theology in the Incarnation—God in flesh—leading to an active, culture-shaping faith. In contrast, Eastern Christianity, which emphasizes the Spirit proceeding only from the Father, tends toward mysticism and passivity, resulting in societies that are dependent on the state and lack moral responsibility.
Yavor laments how post-communist Bulgarian evangelicalism has come to reflect the same weaknesses as Eastern Orthodoxy: emotionalism without action, spirituality as escapism, and churches without ethical depth. The call is for a return to a biblical, incarnational faith that emphasizes truth, obedience, responsibility, and transformation—a faith that shaped Bulgaria in the past and can do so again. We pray that the work of the CREC can plant the seeds for such future practical reformations.
Though Bulgaria’s faith is wounded, God is not finished. True renewal will come through Christ, not as a tradition, but as a living King who calls His people to faithful action.
Notations
My interview with Scott Aniol concerning the future of G3 Ministries.
✅ Episode Topics Covered
🎵 Jubilate Deo Music Camp
12th year of the camp in Monroe, LA
Emphasis on music literacy, choral singing, and folk dancing
Transition from traditional VBS to a more liturgical music-based model
💃 Dance in Christian Worship
Biblical foundation for dance (e.g., Psalms)
Addressing misconceptions about dance in church
Dance as an extension of Sunday worship and Christian festivity
🎓 Scott Aniol’s Theological and Musical Background
Raised in a musically rich church setting
Influenced by Jonathan Edwards and C.S. Lewis
Passion for connecting beauty, theology, and worship
🏛️ Liturgy and Stability in a Changing World
Value of historical liturgical patterns
Critique of trend-driven evangelical worship
Liturgy as spiritual ballast amid personal and cultural instability
📱 Social Media vs. Embodied Ministry
Concerns about “virtual ecclesiologies”
Challenge: Could you still minister fruitfully if you lost your platform?
Local church and family as the core of Christian life
📡 G3 Ministries Overview
Origins as a 2013 local church conference
Growth into:
G3 Press (publishing books)
G3 Plus (streaming platform)
G3 Church Network (~215 churches)
Curriculum and worship resources
🔁 Resignation of Josh Buice
Handled with speed and transparency
Encouraging response from G3 supporters and network pastors
Ministry structure not centered around one personality
🆕 G3 Rebranding & Vision for the Future
New logo and identity
Renewed vision statement
Continued commitment to publishing, media, and church resourcing
🤝 Collaborative Ministry & Anti-Celebrity Focus
Call for evangelical unity and cooperation
Desire to platform unknown but faithful pastors (e.g., David DeBruyn)
Pushback against evangelical celebrity culture
🙏 Final Reflections
Enduring importance of family, church, and embodied worship
Encouragement to remain faithful in small, local settings