So you want to be Orthodox?
Usually, the response to this request is- attend church for a year, and see. This is to establish whether your request is a whim or prompted by someone else. Let's assume that you have been pushing at the door of the Orthodox church for a while, and you want to finalise your journey with the Rite of Chrismation.
This set of resources has been created to help you with this preparation. It is not a formal exposition of the Orthodox doctrine and canons of the Church. Nor is it an exhaustive treatment of the services of the church. What this resource is for is to allow you to situate your own existing faith in God in the Orthodox communion. I am assuming that you have had experience of Christianity elsewhere. I wish to build on that experience, rather than deny it. I wish to help you to begin to orient that experience towards an orthodox mindset. It will not possible to 'become' Orthodox in a few weeks or months of study, but we have to start somewhere.
The demands of a commited Orthodox faith are substantial, so this resource will help your decide whether you really wish to seek to become Orthodox over the rest of your life and includes:
Personal faith and prayer: a growing awareness of God and his role in your life; daily personal prayer; a commitment to Christ Jesus as Saviour; an openess to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Personal spirituality: a honest desire to keep the commandments and to make your daily decisions according to the will of God; frequent examination of your life; regular celbration of the sacrament of confession and reconciliation
Commitment to the Eucharist: a personal commitment to attend the Divine Liturgy as often as it is celebrated in my community; willingness to participate in the prayers of the church by praying, listening, singing and through serving my community.
Community membership: contributing to a sense of belong in my parish community, a willingness to be there when the parish gathers for prayer, for service and for fellowship; a willingness to use my God given talents, time and 'treasure' for the parish.
Service and ministry: being generous with my time; awareness of the needs of others, especially my family and those who are not Orthodox Christians, willingness to use my talents as catechist, singer, committee member, concern for the poor, lonely, the aged and the needy.
Religious knowledge: a commitment to a life-long development in faith and understanding, moving from the basics of Christianity - the traditions of the Church, the Scriptures, the creed, church history, liturgical rites and sacraments.
This set of resources has been created to help you with this preparation. It is not a formal exposition of the Orthodox doctrine and canons of the Church. Nor is it an exhaustive treatment of the services of the church. What this resource is for is to allow you to situate your own existing faith in God in the Orthodox communion. I am assuming that you have had experience of Christianity elsewhere. I wish to build on that experience, rather than deny it. I wish to help you to begin to orient that experience towards an orthodox mindset. It will not possible to 'become' Orthodox in a few weeks or months of study, but we have to start somewhere.
The demands of a commited Orthodox faith are substantial, so this resource will help your decide whether you really wish to seek to become Orthodox over the rest of your life and includes:
Personal faith and prayer: a growing awareness of God and his role in your life; daily personal prayer; a commitment to Christ Jesus as Saviour; an openess to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Personal spirituality: a honest desire to keep the commandments and to make your daily decisions according to the will of God; frequent examination of your life; regular celbration of the sacrament of confession and reconciliation
Commitment to the Eucharist: a personal commitment to attend the Divine Liturgy as often as it is celebrated in my community; willingness to participate in the prayers of the church by praying, listening, singing and through serving my community.
Community membership: contributing to a sense of belong in my parish community, a willingness to be there when the parish gathers for prayer, for service and for fellowship; a willingness to use my God given talents, time and 'treasure' for the parish.
Service and ministry: being generous with my time; awareness of the needs of others, especially my family and those who are not Orthodox Christians, willingness to use my talents as catechist, singer, committee member, concern for the poor, lonely, the aged and the needy.
Religious knowledge: a commitment to a life-long development in faith and understanding, moving from the basics of Christianity - the traditions of the Church, the Scriptures, the creed, church history, liturgical rites and sacraments.
A Brief History
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.
Many of us are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christian history there was just one Church. It was in the eleventh century that a disastrous split occurred between Orthodox East and Latin West. Although it had been brewing for years, the so-called “Great Schism” of 1054 represented a formal—and shocking— separation between Rome and Orthodoxy. At the core of the controversy were two vitally important areas of disagreement: the role of the papacy, and the manner in which doctrine is to be interpreted.
But What Is the Real Difference?
One writer has compared Orthodoxy to the faith of Rome and Protestantism in this basic fashion: Orthodoxy has maintained the New Testament tradition, whereas Rome has often added to it and Protestantism subtracted from it.
For example, Rome added to the ancient Creed of the Church, while numerous Protestant Churches rarely study or recite it. Rome has layers of ecclesiastical authority; much of Protestantism is anti-hierarchical or even “independent” in polity. Rome introduced indulgences and purgatory; in reaction, Protestantism shies away from good works and discipline.
In these and other matters, the Orthodox Church has steadfastly maintained the Apostolic Faith. She has avoided both the excesses of papal rule and of congregational independence. She understands the clergy as servants of Christ and His people and not as a special privileged class. She 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.”
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.
Many of us are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christian history there was just one Church. It was in the eleventh century that a disastrous split occurred between Orthodox East and Latin West. Although it had been brewing for years, the so-called “Great Schism” of 1054 represented a formal—and shocking— separation between Rome and Orthodoxy. At the core of the controversy were two vitally important areas of disagreement: the role of the papacy, and the manner in which doctrine is to be interpreted.
But What Is the Real Difference?
One writer has compared Orthodoxy to the faith of Rome and Protestantism in this basic fashion: Orthodoxy has maintained the New Testament tradition, whereas Rome has often added to it and Protestantism subtracted from it.
For example, Rome added to the ancient Creed of the Church, while numerous Protestant Churches rarely study or recite it. Rome has layers of ecclesiastical authority; much of Protestantism is anti-hierarchical or even “independent” in polity. Rome introduced indulgences and purgatory; in reaction, Protestantism shies away from good works and discipline.
In these and other matters, the Orthodox Church has steadfastly maintained the Apostolic Faith. She has avoided both the excesses of papal rule and of congregational independence. She understands the clergy as servants of Christ and His people and not as a special privileged class. She 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.”