08
June
Why is dogma important in my life?
Why do we Orthodox insist on teachings that divide us more than unite us? Do these dogmas make any difference in the way we live? What is a dogma anyhow? Read more
What we believe
Categories
Category: What we believe
10
May
Three kinds of human blindness: A scientific look
There are three kinds of darkness: the physical darkness, the intellectual darkness and the spiritual darkness. We look briefly at all three. Read more
05
January
Themes and Significance of Holy Theophany
Through many special hymns and readings before and after the feast, the Church presents us with several themes which show the significance of Holy Thephany. Read more
22
October
Eastern Catholics: Why compromise? Be Authentic!
Eastern Catholics: There is no reason to remain attached to Rome. The mother Church will receive you with open arms. Free yourselves from the papal yoke. Read more
15
October
The Eternal Beauty of the Church
Strengthen your faith in Christ and in His One Holy Church He founded. A Roman Catholic theologian pays tribute to the Orthodox Church. Read more
06
October
Are ALL Welcome?
The message “ALL ARE WELCOME” is displayed in front of non-Orthodox churches all across America. Is it right for Orthodox churches to admit everyone to our services? Read more
10
August
Move mountains with faith in Christ
Even a little faith in Jesus Christ can “move mountains”. What is this faith? And how do we acquire this “super-power”? Read more
04
August
Be all that you can be: TRANSFIGURED
Does modern man really understand himself? All of us have the potential to achieve true “self-actualization” which is to be transfigured and saved. Read more
27
July
Five loaves of bread feeds thousands! — 8th Sunday of Matthew
Miracles happen. Are these supera-natural marvels “coincidence”, the result of “self-suggestion”, or is our Creator behind them? Read more
22
July
The Lord “ignores” the two blind men – 7th Sunday of Matthew
When our prayers seem to go unanswered, do we lose faith or persist like the blind men? They received their sight. Read more
08
July
Are you falling prey to false teachings? — 5th Sunday of Matthew
Have you invited Jesus into your heart? Have you been told to confess the Lord with your lips? Take responsibility for what you believe, do and say! Read more
01
July
An Outsider who Made it In – 4th Sunday of Matthew
If we Orthodox Christians, the New Israel, turn our backs to God, He will fill His heavenly mansions with the innocent from heresy, schism and false belief. Read more
28
June
The Uniqueness of Our Faith
Our multi-culture world has created many religions which are being sewn together into a charming tapestry. Is the true Church a part of it? Absolutely not. Read more
25
March
“Come and See” the true Church
Is the Orthodox Church a cold, worldly organization, or the source of true light, theology, Grace, and Uncreated Energy of the Holy Spirit in the world? Read more
20
January
The Fall of Adam & Eve — a talk by Fr. Seraphim Rose
Fr. Seraphim Rose illustrates the Genesis account: Paradise, our free will, the state of Adam before the fall, consequences of the fall, and what it all means to us. Read more
20
January
The End of the World — A Talk by Fr. Seraphim Rose
Fr. Seraphim Rose speaks about signs which are being fulfilled in our times which point to the end of the world. Read more
13
January
Why I Believe in God – Part II
In absence of definite answers and scientific proofs to the big questions of life, we taunt God, and declare our self-sufficiency. How do answers provided by the Church settle our questioning minds without denying any true scientific finding? Read more
27
December
Why I Believe in God — Part I
Faith in God and in an eternal life He grants us gives us hope, joy, drive, fulfillment, purpose. God instilled these aspirations in us to lead us to Him. Read more
19
November
27 Things We Should Be Giving Thanks For
It is proper right to give thanks to God for our health, job and freedom. Here are 27 "higher gifts" to keep in mind this thanksgiving day and every day. Read more
16
November
Psalm 129:4: “Christ will cut their necks” – an Interpretation
In Psalm 129 we read: “For the Lord will also cut their necks with the cutting sword of torments.” As a Christian are you comfortable with this? Here's an explanation. Read more
16
October
Is Orthodoxy Racist?
The SPLC “is internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups.” Who is their most recent target among such hate groups? The Orthodox Church! Read more
16
July
What is Orthodox Fundamentalism?
Sometimes the stigma of fundamentalism is ascribed to theologians who faithfully follow the Fathers and abide by the Canons of the Church. A case in point is an article by Prof. George Demacopoulos. Read more
18
June
Are we allowed to judge other Christians?
Ignoring a sickness can lead to death. Here is why to judge other Christians is necessary—for the health of the sick member and for the health of the Church. Read more
02
June
Is “being gay and Christian” okay?
Self declared lesbian Kimberly Knight applies her interpretation of holy scripture to justify being gay and Christian. Here's why it's manipulative. Read more
21
December
Why did God Become Man?
Everyone is called to ask: What does Christmas mean to me? When we then ask, "Why did God become man?", we will come to understand the only “destiny” of man, the only purpose of our lives. Read more
26
October
Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine GOing New Age?
One would expect solid Orthodox material from an Orthodox Christian Department of Religious Education. Does the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's educational periodical dedicated to “Spiritual Disciplines” promote the New Age spirit expressed by Kyriakos Markides? Read more
21
January
[Video] The Outpost: What the Church Can Accomplish
To those who suffer in life, this video will provide comfort, and it will soften even the hardest of hearts. Read more
17
November
Dear Mr. Tim Cook: Being Gay is not from God
Dear Mr. Tim Cook, I want to congratulate you for your public confession: “I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” How many people recognize God as the giver of every good thing? But that’s precisely the point: “Every good and perfect Read more
10
August
Is Israel the Promised Land?
Zionist Jews, and with them many fundamentalist Bible thumpers, literally believe in the eternal covenant Yahweh made with them, 4,000 years ago. Today, the behavior of Israel towards the Palestinians over earthly lands resembles the Nazis. The persecuted have become the persecutors. How can it Read more
15
June
Do all Religions Have the Same Heavenly Father?
“WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS” Are we? First in Jerusalem (May 27, 2014), and more recently in Rome (June 8, 2014), Patriarch Bartholomew hammers the message of universal brotherhood with intra-Christian and interfaith prayer services (which according to the canons of the Orthodox Church Read more
09
May
The Story of the Mother of God in Iconography
On Mother's Day, together with our earthly mothers, we honor the mother of the Lord. She who is the mother of the head of the body is also mother of all the members of the body. In this post, we'll take a look at the Read more
23
November
Orthodox Thanksgiving Day Prayer
An Orthodox Thanksgiving Day prayer for when we find ourselves among non-Orthodox. Read more
13
September
Q&A — “Why do we venerate the Cross?” and 7 other questions about the Cross
On September 14th, the Orthodox Church places before us the Cross of the Lord, to venerate and to remember. Here are 8 foundational questions and answers about this instrument of our salvation. Read more
31
March
The Two Kinds of Knowledge: Divine and Human
Saint Gregory Palamas (14th c.) argued strenuously that there are two kinds of truths, two kinds of wisdoms, two kinds of knowledge – one divine, one human. Read more
26
January
Difficulties Our Churches Face
Have you heard of The Shropshire Ecumenical Council? The Council addresses the difficulties and challenges participant churches face. Food for thought! Read more
29
December
Newtown: Seeking Answers
Is our heavenly Father to blame for all the ills of humanity we brought upon ourselves? There is an answer, but the answer is for believing Christians only. Read more
18
December
What is Sin?
The prevalent notion in the West on what constitutes sin does not correspond with the Orthodox understanding. Sin goes beyond a personal bad choice. Read more
23
November
Is it Necessary to Bless Icons?
From The Rudder, compiled by St. Nikodemos. It is not necessary to anoint the holy icons with myron (or chrism oil), nor to have them sanctified... Read more
21
November
Church History – A Simple Timeline
A Simplified Timeline of Church History Read more
17
November
09
November
The Orthodox Church: A Historical Sketch
The Orthodox Church is the true Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Orthodox Church of today traces her history back to the New Testament Church in an unbroken continuity. The Apostles, as our Lord commanded, preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ and founded Read more
09
November
The Difference Between Orthodox Spirituality and Other Spiritualities
By Metropolitan Ierotheos Vlahos. Orthodox spirituality differs distinctly from any other "spirituality" of an eastern or western type. There can be no confusion among the various spiritualities, because Orthodox spirituality is God-centered, whereas all others are man-centered. Read more
08
November
Original Sin According to Saint Paul
By Fr. John Romanides. If one is to vigorously and consistently maintain that Jesus Christ is the unique Savior Who has brought salvation to a world in need of salvation, one obviously must know what is the nature of the need which provoked this salvation. Read more
07
November
The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
What are the characteristics of the Church? Do all groups, in fact, comprise the Church? If so, why are there so many differences, even contradictions between them? What is ultimately the relationship between Orthodoxy and the other religious groups? Read more
07
November
The Nicene Creed on the Church: We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
To be a Christian does not mean simply holding a certain set of beliefs; it means belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Read more
07
November
The Character of Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy is not a particular Christian confession, but has a general and trans-temporal character. Orthodoxy was not created by abstractions and divisions, but is the single and unified truth. It is the truth of the Church, the truth of the body of Christ, which is Read more
07
November
Orthodoxy at a Glance
The Orthodox Church is the Church founded by Christ, the New Testament Church continued through the ages. She fully identifies herself with the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Since ancient times she calls herself Orthodox, which means "right-believing", in order to separate herself from Read more
07
November
Science and Religion
Scientists are hard to work with on a committee, an academic friend once told me, because they often change their minds when they see new evidence. I was reminded of this a few months ago when I saw a survey in the journal Nature. It Read more
07
November
Faith And Science In Orthodox Gnosiology and Methodology
By Fr. George D. Metallinos. The antithesis and consequent collision between faith and science is a problem for western (Franco-Latin) thought and is a pseudo-problem for the Orthodox patristic tradition. This is based upon the historical data of these two regions. The (supposed) dilemma of Read more
05
November
The Church is a Therapeutic Center
Orthodox people view the Church as a spiritual hospital, a clinic, a hospice, a therapeutic center, and a fitness center—all combined in one! The aim of the treatment is to provide spiritual cure, maintain wellness for its patients (faithful members) and lead them to eternal Read more