What is Orthodox Christianity?

[Angee Licaa]

Perhaps you've heard the term "orthodox Christianity" before. So, how well do you comprehend orthodox Christianity? If not, come learn about this issue with me.

What is the meaning of Orthodox Christianity? It is the Orthodox Church's faith life, inextricably linked to that physical, historic community and encompassing its entire way of life. The orthodox Christian religion is the faith that was "once passed on to the saints" (Jude 3), handed down by Jesus Christ to the apostles, and then passed down from generation to generation another system in the Church, without adding or deleting anything.
The goal of Orthodox Christianity is to save each individual by joining us with Christ in the church, changing us into holiness, and providing us with eternal life. The Good News is that Jesus is the Messiah, that He resurrected from the dead, and that as a result, we can be saved.
Historically, the presence of what is now known as Orthodox Christianity in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe dates back to the 9th century, when, according to church tradition, missionaries from the capital of The Byzantine Empire in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) spread the faith deeper into Europe. Orthodoxy first came to Bulgaria, Serbia, and Moravia (today part of the Czech Republic), and then, starting in the 10th century, to Russia. After the Schism between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches in 1054, traditionalist activity expanded throughout the Russian Empire from 1300 to 1800.
While Orthodoxy spread across Eurasia, Protestant and Catholic missionaries from Western Europe traveled abroad, across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. The Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and British empires, among others, brought Western Christianity (Catholics and Protestants) to sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and the Americas - the region that in the 20th century had a much faster population growth rate than Europe. In general, Orthodox missionary activity outside of Eurasia has received less attention, although the main synagogue churches have achieved some conversions in places as far away as India, Japan, East Asia, and the United States. Africa and North America.
Today, the largest Orthodox Christian population outside of eastern Europe is in Ethiopia. The centuries-old Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has about 36 million adherents, nearly 14% of the world's total Orthodox population. Its orthodox outlook has grown much faster than that of Europe over the past 100 years. And, second, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have more religious views, by some conventional measures, than Orthodox Christians in Europe. This is consistent with a broader pattern, in which Europeans are on average less religiously committed than those in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, according to Pew Research Center surveys. This is true not only of Christians in Europe but also of Muslims in Europe, who are less religious in general than Muslims in other parts of the world).

[Anne2]

On 5/24/2022 at 8:43 PM, Angee Licaa said:

Perhaps you've heard the term "orthodox Christianity" before. So, how well do you comprehend orthodox Christianity? If not, come learn about this issue with me.

What is the meaning of Orthodox Christianity? It is the Orthodox Church's faith life, inextricably linked to that physical, historic community and encompassing its entire way of life. The orthodox Christian religion is the faith that was "once passed on to the saints" (Jude 3), handed down by Jesus Christ to the apostles, and then passed down from generation to generation another system in the Church, without adding or deleting anything.
The goal of Orthodox Christianity is to save each individual by joining us with Christ in the church, changing us into holiness, and providing us with eternal life. The Good News is that Jesus is the Messiah, that He resurrected from the dead, and that as a result, we can be saved.
Historically, the presence of what is now known as Orthodox Christianity in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe dates back to the 9th century, when, according to church tradition, missionaries from the capital of The Byzantine Empire in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) spread the faith deeper into Europe. Orthodoxy first came to Bulgaria, Serbia, and Moravia (today part of the Czech Republic), and then, starting in the 10th century, to Russia. After the Schism between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches in 1054, traditionalist activity expanded throughout the Russian Empire from 1300 to 1800.
While Orthodoxy spread across Eurasia, Protestant and Catholic missionaries from Western Europe traveled abroad, across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. The Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and British empires, among others, brought Western Christianity (Catholics and Protestants) to sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and the Americas - the region that in the 20th century had a much faster population growth rate than Europe. In general, Orthodox missionary activity outside of Eurasia has received less attention, although the main synagogue churches have achieved some conversions in places as far away as India, Japan, East Asia, and the United States. Africa and North America.
Today, the largest Orthodox Christian population outside of eastern Europe is in Ethiopia. The centuries-old Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has about 36 million adherents, nearly 14% of the world's total Orthodox population. Its orthodox outlook has grown much faster than that of Europe over the past 100 years. And, second, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have more religious views, by some conventional measures, than Orthodox Christians in Europe. This is consistent with a broader pattern, in which Europeans are on average less religiously committed than those in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, according to Pew Research Center surveys. This is true not only of Christians in Europe but also of Muslims in Europe, who are less religious in general than Muslims in other parts of the world).

Could you explain what you mean by religious? Thanks. Glad you are here to give us insight.

[Fidei Defensor]

Orthodox means “Right Belief” so that term applies to all Trinitarian Christians. However, The Orthodox Churches or Eastern Orthodox (Slavic, Syrian, Greek, Armenian, Ethiopian, and etc) are churches that claim to have been founded at Pentecost (Acts 2), and that schismed from Roman Catholic Church in 1054 A.D. over the Filioque (adding from The Son to Nicene Creed), dispute over the Pope being First Among Equals or the Sovereign Heir of St. Peter who is superior to all bishops, and etc. 

The Eastern Orthodox disagree on many matters such as Soteriology, Primacy, Authority,  Doxology, and so forth from Roman Catholics and Protestants. 

[xepiscopal]

Your post caught my eye because I have been interested in "the Ancient Way" (as some call Orthodoxy) for quite some time ... at least for the last 10 - 15 years ... but for various reasons I have never been Chrismated. I do "attend" their services (on line) from time to time, and listen to the various lectures / talks / "sermons" via their internet radio station.

Due to my disability, I am now unable to attend their services in person (or anyone's services, because I can't drive and barely can limp around. that is, I am practically "home bound"). But I do enjoy their ministries and their Patristics. There are about a dozen or more Parishes in my area, ranging anywhere from Russian or Serbian and of course Greek services, I think there are one or two Indian (as in SE Asia) groups, and there are a few former Anglican parishes that converted to Greek Orthodox.

The American, Heiromonk Seraphim Rose, who reposed in 1982 I think, is quite revered and wrote many very fine books both in Russian and in English. I think that's how I was introduced to Orthodoxy, by reading his biography (it is titled _Not of This World_) and it is a really good book.

 

[Fidei Defensor]

3 hours ago, xepiscopal said:

Your post caught my eye because I have been interested in "the Ancient Way" (as some call Orthodoxy) for quite some time ... at least for the last 10 - 15 years ... but for various reasons I have never been Chrismated. I do "attend" their services (on line) from time to time, and listen to the various lectures / talks / "sermons" via their internet radio station.

Due to my disability, I am now unable to attend their services in person (or anyone's services, because I can't drive and barely can limp around. that is, I am practically "home bound"). But I do enjoy their ministries and their Patristics. There are about a dozen or more Parishes in my area, ranging anywhere from Russian or Serbian and of course Greek services, I think there are one or two Indian (as in SE Asia) groups, and there are a few former Anglican parishes that converted to Greek Orthodox.

The American, Heiromonk Seraphim Rose, who reposed in 1982 I think, is quite revered and wrote many very fine books both in Russian and in English. I think that's how I was introduced to Orthodoxy, by reading his biography (it is titled _Not of This World_) and it is a really good book.

 

I attended a Thursday service at a Slavic-English Orthodox Church, and have read Bishop Kallistos Ware’s The Orthodox Church (I have theological issues with Part II, his claim that you can’t know God or be close to Him when God lives in us and we in Him 1 John 4:15, and that God draws near to us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” -James 4:8). I have read Katherine Clark’s Orthodox Church, watched The Jesus Prayer, watched The Island, read St. Antony of Egypt’s writings, and watched a plethora of Youtube Orthodoxy videos. 

I am currently using an Orthodox Study Bible. I love how Orthodox Church takes not changing an iota of the Scriptures seriously. 

That said I remain Protestant, enjoying some Orthodox fruits, and spitting out seeds of error from the grapes.