Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Why Are There So Many Different Orthodox Churches?

One of the most common misunderstandings of the Orthodox Church is its interplay with ethnicity. When I tell people that I am Eastern Orthodox, most tend to automatically equate me with the Greek Church. “Oh, you’re Greek Orthodox.” In fact, someone once asked me, “Why are you Orthodox? You’re not Greek!” No, I am not Greek. But I am Orthodox. How does this work and what does this mean? Are Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Serbian Orthodox different denominations? Not at all. We are all in communion with one another—we are a part of the same church. Frederica Mathewes-Green explains.

The Empowerment of the Laity in the Orthodox Church

Perhaps one of the most striking things about Orthodoxy is its empowerment of the laity. The people, like the clergy, are responsible for safeguarding the Orthodox Faith. Through a particularly striking story, Frederica Mathewes-Green explains the power and purpose of laity’s role in the Orthodox Church. It seems to me that the Orthodox tread in the middle of two extreme tendencies. Watch the video and let me know wha you think!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Division in Christendom: The Great Schism & Reformation

Denominations never bothered me as a Protestant. It was just a fact of life. But as I  read Church history and inched closer and closer to Orthodoxy, the reality of 30,000+ denominations began to hit home; it ceased to be merely a statistic or fact of life and turned into a cause for great mourning. The Great Schism and the Reformation are two famous examples in Church history where the brokenness of humanity wounded the witness of Christianity forever.

Perhaps the most striking thing I realized during that time was that, though I have Luther to thank for the revolt against indulgences and whatnot, I still was not in line with what he believe. That is to say, though Martin Luther is the hero of many Protestants, these same Protestants would vehemently disagree with his belief in infant baptism and the reality of Christ's presence in the Eucharist.

God had mercy on us and allowed us to join the Orthodox Church in 2013. Watch the video below and see what Frederica Mathewes-Green has to say.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

What Does Unity Mean in the Orthodox Church?

In the Orthodox Church, unity does not simply mean being part of the same organization or under the same authority—it means believing the same thing. The unity of the Orthodox faith comes from within, not from without. As Frederica Mathewes-Greene explains, the difference in this way of thinking is kind of like the difference between an exoskeleton and an endoskeleton.
Share

Tech Blog