by Peter E. Gillquist. This book chronicles the spiritual journey of several pastors who had been involved in the evangelical group Campus Crusade for Christ. They wanted to develop a church that was as close as possible to the New Testament church. Each one researched a different area--worship, church history, doctrine--and then they combined their research and tried to recreate the early church. What they discovered was that the early church was exactly like the Orthodox church of today. In 1986, hundreds of parishioners were chrismated and became Orthodox during one large service. The book is incredibly readable.The story is told in this series of videos, called "A Journey to the Ancient Church":
The Orthodox Church was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and is the living manifestation of His presence in the history of the mankind. The most conspicuous characteristics of Orthodoxy are its rich liturgical life and its faithfulness to the apostolic tradition. It is believed by Orthodox Christians that their Church has preserved the tradition and continuity of the ancient Church in its fullness compared to other Christian denominations which have departed from the common tradition of the Church of the first 10 centuries.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.antiochian.org/discover/church
The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles.
Incredible as it seems, for over twenty centuries she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship, and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ.
http://www.antiochian.org/content/what-earth-orthodox-church
Please check out these books:
1 Fr. Peter E. Gillquist, "Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith".
2 "Thirsting For God: in a Land of Shallow Wells" by Matthew Gallatin.
3 "Surprised by Christ: My Journey From Judaism to Orthodox Christianity" by Fr A. James Bernstein.
David, you look at the external things but it's the inner things that matter. The Orthodox Church preserved the Apostles’ doctrine of the return of Christ at the end of the age, of the last judgement and eternal life, and continues to encourage her people to grow in Christ through union with Him. In a word, Orthodox Christianity has maintained the Faith “once for all delivered to the saints.”
ReplyDeleteThe Orthodox Christian Church, also called the “Eastern Orthodox,” “Greek Orthodox” Church, or simply “the Orthodox Church,” is the oldest Christian Church in the world, founded by Jesus Christ and with its beginnings chronicled in the New Testament. (Our own Patriarchate of Antioch, one of the most ancient of Orthodox churches, was originally founded in A.D. 34 by Ss. Peter and Paul.) All other Christian churches and groups can be traced historically back to it.
ReplyDeletehttp://saintpaulemmaus.org/what-is-orthodoxy/
The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles.
Incredible as it seems, for over twenty centuries she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship, and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ.
http://www.antiochian.org/content/what-earth-orthodox-church
Patriarchates, Bishops, and Popes - Is the Catholic Church the direct line from Peter? The Bishop of Rome, the Five Patriarchates, and how the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches split.
http://wellthoughtoutlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/patriarchates-bishops-and-popes-is.html
The Bible is a product of the Church. For the first few centuries of the Christian era, no one could have put his hands on a single volume called "The Bible." In fact, there was no one put his hands on a single volume called "The Bible." In fact, there was no agreement regarding which "books" of Scripture were to be considered accurate and correct, or canonical.
It were the Church Fathers who compiled the Bible in the 4th century.
http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/scripturesinthechurch.htm
Sola Scriptura. AN ORTHODOX EXAMINATION OF THE PROTESTANT TEACHING
http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/tca_solascriptura.aspx
What is the Holy Tradition?
ReplyDeleteIn the original meaning of the word, Holy Tradition is the tradition which comes from the ancient Church of Apostolic times. In the second to the fourth centuries this was called "the Apostolic Tradition."
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/dogmas_opinions_e.htm
On Holy Tradition by Elder Cleopa of Romania
http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/ec_holy_tradition.aspx
The Bible to be God's inspired word a part of the Tradition of the Church. (II Thessalonians, 2:15) In fact, it was the Church which gave us the Bible as we know it today! (You didn't think it just fell from heaven as we have it, did you?)
Jesus Christ did not come to establish such a thing as "Christianity". Even the word is not in the Holy Scriptures. What Christ Jesus did do was to establish the Church, which Scripture calls both His Body and His Bride. the communion which man seeks with God is found by being part of the Church, something which St. Paul calls a "great mystery", whereby we become members of Christ: "of His flesh, and of His bones." (Ephesians 5:30) The Bible also tells us that such as were being saved were added to the Church (Acts 2:47). They were not merely making "decisions for Christ" -- again, not a Scriptural term -- but they were repenting, being baptized for the remission of their sins, and being added to the Church. (Acts 2:38 ff.) There, they were continuing steadfastly in the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship, the Breaking of Bread (what is commonly called Holy Communion today), and prayer. Finally, from the day of Pentecost, the "birthday" of the Church, the Bible never speaks of Christians who were not a part of it. This sort of sums up why we speak so much of "The Church".
http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/questions.html
The Orthodox Church preserves all the teachings and traditions - including Holy Scripture - that were held by all Christians for the first ten centuries.
http://www.holyresurrection.com/home/what-is-orthodoxy
Which Came First: The Church or the New Testament?
http://www.protomartyr.org/first.html
What is religion? An excerpt from professor Alexei Osipov's book "The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason:
"...the etymology of the world “religion” points to its two basic meanings: unity and reverence, which explain religion as a mystical spiritual union: a living, reverent unification of man with God."
Sergei Bulgakov (†1944), the great Russian thinker and later theologian, expressed this thought in the following words:
"Religion is [a process of] acquiring the knowledge of God, and the experience of a connection with God."
So, the Orthodox Church is the ancient and original Christian Church, founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, that keeps Christ's teaching on acquiring the knowledge of God, and the experience of a connection with God.
Alexei Osipov "The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason"
The book in PDF
http://www.alexey-osipov.ru/web-files/books/Bog/God_(by_Osipov_A).pdf
Prof. Alexei Osipov “God”
http://www.alexey-osipov.ru/web-files/books/Bog/God_(by_Osipov_A).pdf
God bless.