Do you consider Eastern Orthodox people as our brothers and sisters in Christ?

This question was posted recently in a Facebook group I'm a member of: "Do you consider Eastern Orthodox people as our brothers and sisters in Christ? Explain your reasoning in the comments."

Here was my response:

Generally, regarding the official doctrines of groups like the Roman church, the Eastern church, and others of stated antithetical positions to central (essential) gospel fundamentals (the person and work of Christ) are considered to be in need of hearing and reviewing the true gospel.

There are individuals in nigh any and every situation which have been called by the true God despite the false doctrines to which they have been exposed.

We see this very clearly in the remnant which God preserved among the ancient Israelites of Elijah's day. The doctrine stated was state sanctioned "high place" worship under Ahab's allowance and Jezebels direction (See 1 Kings 16-18) This worship was directed towards the false gods of Baal and Ashtoreth (and potentially others). During this time even Elijah despaired as being the sole servant of God (1 Kings 19). Yet God, merciful and mighty, revealed to Elijah that he had 7,000 more servants who had not bowed to the false gods.

It is certainly not without precedent in church history that God has his people among those groups which teach falsely. The European Reformation (which we all [Protestants in the West] share common interest) was born among those who were former servants and mouths of the heretical sects and church of Rome.

I've found in conversation with friends who are members and attenders of these false churches and religions that the person and work of Christ is where "the rubber hits the
road". There are many secondary doctrines which we all have differences of conscience (as we are daily reminded regarding baptism in this particular group 🤣). Yet when it comes to who Jesus is, and what he's done, that is where I either find sweet mutual faith and fellowship, or opportunities to share the gospel with friends and family who are active in their membership in heretical churches.

While we ministers of the gospel may often lament that our congregation does not know (or believe) the stated doctrines of our churches, this can be an advantage when speaking of the false churches which exist. Man's ignorance and unbelief of gospel teaching, can also be very similar in man's ignorance and unbelief of false teaching.

The vast majority of Romans who I've met have little familiarity with the historic doctrines of Rome. The same is true for Orthodox, and other groups which in their official doctrines error gravely on the person and work of Christ. This is of great advantage when we discover we are in conversation and relationship with someone as their beliefs may be on the path towards Christ and we have found a welcoming "person of peace" ready to receive and hear the gospel.

To sum up, the official stated beliefs of a group may be very distinct from the individuals within that group. Relationships lead to conversations that reveal either genuine Christian fellowship with believers, or gospel opportunities to share the reason for the hope that we possess. [End of answer]

Far too often we fail to ask questions of one another. Assuming that every person of a false church is an unbeliever is the "other side of the coin" of assuming that every person in a true church is a true believer. Neither of these extremes are true. Jesus spoke as much in the parable of the sower! The word comes and some receive eagerly, but fall away, some hear the word and reject it, and some hear the word and through much diligent perserverance and faith come to the harvest full of fruit. If we have questions about where a friend, loved one, co-worker, or family member stands on who Jesus is and why he matters, the best way to find out is NOT googling the official doctrines of their stated religious organization. The best way to find out is through conversation with the person. Please note, I did not say "quizzing" the person. Conversations are two way streets with love, respect, and humility.