Sunday, August 22, 2010

Our Journey Home to Orthodox Christianity -pt2

Our Journey Home to Orthodox Christianity -pt1

Orthodox Christianity: Coming into the Faith Part II

Orthodox Christianity: Coming into the Faith

Are you saved? - an Orthodox Christian answer.

Christless Church or Churchless Christ? : Journey To Orthodoxy | The Orthodox Christian 'Welcome Home' Network for Converts

Christless Church or Churchless Christ? : Journey To Orthodoxy | The Orthodox Christian 'Welcome Home' Network for Converts: "One day years ago I was handed a tract entitled, “Which Church Saves?” I recall immediately disliking it, just by the cover. It looked like a con-job treatment of an incredibly serious topic. In today’s terms, it was hype. But I went ahead and read it anyway."

Predictably, the author took a poke at many of the various denominations in Christendom, particularly at those with strong historical roots. Then, he went on to tell his readers that when all is said and done, the Church really never was all that crucial to our salvation in the first place. All you need is Jesus.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Why In The World Would An Episcopalian Become Orthodox : Journey To Orthodoxy | The Orthodox Christian 'Welcome Home' Network for Converts

Why In The World Would An Episcopalian Become Orthodox : Journey To Orthodoxy | The Orthodox Christian 'Welcome Home' Network for Converts: "an increasing number of Episcopalians have looked to the historic Church of Christ known as the Eastern Orthodox Church as a place of refuge. In fact, many Episcopalians, especially those who come out of Anglo-Catholic backgrounds, were taught that the church catholic exists in three historic branches: Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Eastern Orthodoxy."

Monday, August 2, 2010

The Doctrine of the Orthodox Church: Worship & Sacraments

The Doctrine of the Orthodox Church: Worship & Sacraments: "By its theological richness, spiritual significance, and variety, the worship of the Orthodox Church represents one of the most significant factors in this church's continuity and identity. It helps to account for the survival of Christianity during the many centuries of Muslim rule in the Middle East and the Balkans when the liturgy was the only source of religious knowledge or experience. Since liturgical practice was practically the only religious expression legally authorized in the former Soviet Union, the continuous existence of Orthodox communities in the region was also centred almost exclusively around the liturgy.

The concept that the church is most authentically itself when the congregation of the faithful is gathered together in worship is a basic expression of Eastern Christian experience. Without that concept it is impossible to understand the fundamentals of church structure in Orthodoxy, with the bishop functioning in his essential roles of teacher and high priest in the liturgy. Similarly, the personal experience of man's participation in divine life is understood in the framework of the continuous liturgical action of the community."

Orthodox Christmas in January?