The Eastern Orthodox Church is not a single church but rather a family of 13 self-governing bodies, denominated by the nation in which they are located (e.g., the Greek Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church). They are united in their understanding of the sacraments, doctrine, liturgy, and church government, but each administers its own affairs.
The head of each Orthodox church is called a ?patriarch? or ?metropolitan.? The patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) is considered the ecumenical?or universal?patriarch. He is the closest thing to a counterpart to the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike the Pope, who is known as VICARIUS FILIUS DEI (the vicar of the Son of God), the bishop of Constantinople is known as PRIMUS INTER PARES (the first amongst equals). He enjoys special honor, but he has no power to interfere with the 12 other Orthodox communions.
The Orthodox Church claims to be the one true church of Christ, and seeks to trace its origin back to the original apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic succession. Orthodox thinkers debate the spiritual status of Roman Catholics and Protestants, and a few still consider them heretics. Like Catholics and Protestants, however, Orthodox believers affirm the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as God the Son, and many other biblical doctrines. However, in doctrine, they have much more in common with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant Christians.
Sadly, the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent from the history and theology of the Orthodox Church. Rather, Orthodoxy emphasizes thesis (literally, ?divination?), the gradual process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. What many in the Orthodox tradition fail to understand is that ?divination? is the progressive result of salvation, not a requirement for salvation itself. Other Orthodox distinctive that are in conflict with the Bible include:
The equal authority of church tradition and Scripture
Discouragement of individuals interpreting the Bible apart from tradition
The perpetual virginity of Mary
Prayer for the dead
Baptism of infants without reference to individual responsibility and faith
The possibility of receiving salvation after death
The possibility of losing salvation
While the Eastern Orthodox Church has claimed some of the church's great voices, and while there are many in the Orthodox tradition that have a genuine salvation relationship with Jesus Christ, the Orthodox church itself does not speak with a clear message that can be harmonized with the biblical gospel of Christ. The call of the Reformers for ?Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and Christ alone? is missing in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and that is too precious a treasure to do without.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, 2d ed.: A Western Perspective
By: Daniel B. Clendenin
http://www.christianbook.com/eastern-orthodox-christianity-ed-western-perspective/daniel-clendenin/9780801026522/pd/26522?event=AFF&p=1011693&
History of creating great art, architecture, music and literature. No political threat to non-believers like me (in the USA anyway), which is more than can be said for Catholicism and conservative Protestantism in this country. I'm willing to live and let live.
It it is where I found authentic worship, respect for the Holy Scriptures, continuity with the ancient church, and little nonsense.
To quote a now-famous summary by Steve Robinson:
"The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn't non-denominational - it is Prue-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago."
It is my life, and without it I would certainly be doomed. I can recall lots of occasions where I made good choices, specifically because I remembered my Orthodox Christian Faith. If I were not an Orthodox Christian..... I don't want to even think of that.
It it full of heart and the services are beautiful, sometimes bringing one back to what it may have felt like closer to the time of Christ. The Orthodox are very much about upholding ancient traditions, rather than conforming to the modern day. As far as faith in Christ, the Orthodox do believe that is the way to be saved. There is just some focus on what happens in ones life as a result. Basically, have faith, but make sure it is real and live by it. Let faith change your heart, thoughts, and behaviors. Works are not important for salvation, but sincerity in our faith is.
what do you think about Eastern Orthodox Church?
