question about the Orthodox church?

sermonindex Apr 28, 2012

I just recently just started getting in touch with an old friend from highschool. He seemed interested in talking to me so we talked on the phone and today actually hungout. He was telling me how at one time he had fell away from God, but anyways he came back to God and has a renewed interest in God. I don't know if he is saved or not. But, he was telling me he had started to go to an orthodox church and i realy don't know too much about it, but he told me this at least : That they are like the purest form of Christianity you can find. That they take a very literal form of the word of God and basically they seemed to be very scripture oriented. He wants me to come visit his church and everything. But, i really don't know too much about this church at all. What do they believe and do i need to be careful?

W

wijnand Apr 28, 2012

what kind of orthodox church? I have been to an russiun orthodox church and to greek orthodox church and it is even more sick then the Roman Catholic Church... it made me sick when I walked in. If he thinks that is the purest form of christianity then I would pray for his soul.

But if he meens another orthodox church, then I can't give you an awnser!

God Bless you!

sermonindex Apr 28, 2012

Several possible reasons may attend to your friends confidence in the 'orthodox' church he visits. The history of the church itself will be a singular issue. Eastern Orthodoxy as it exists today reflects the fact that the early bishops in Constantinople, seeing what was happening to the western church, increasingly influenced by Rome, made a separation of themselves at that time. Their head is called Patriarch, which although it means simply 'father' it isn't the same as saying 'father'. Also their scriptures are Coptic. So they don't have the same wrangling over scriptures which is in the western church.

Andrew

E

ET101 Apr 28, 2012

Here's the site of the Ethiopian Orthodox church:

http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/indexenglish.html

Have a look at their doctrines:

http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/faith.html

. .. and the list of their canonical books:

http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html

Also, if you're extremely curious, I highly recommend the lecture series on iTunesU titled 'The Origins of Christianity by Kyle Harper.' He goes through the development of Christian theology from the Apostles to Constantine and it gives you a very broad background for how Christian theology developed (and you'll be better able to place eastern Orthodoxy. . .)

M

mguldner Apr 28, 2012

From what I have read and heard, (I work with a guy who is Orthodox) they are pretty much like the Catholic church but in their eyes the "purer and oldest" church ie the one true church.

sermonindex Apr 28, 2012

I don't know if he is saved or not. But, he was telling me he had started to go to an orthodox church and i realy don't know too much about it, but he told me this at least : That they are like the purest form of Christianity you can find. That they take a very literal form of the word of God and basically they seemed to be very scripture oriented. He wants me to come visit his church and everything. But, i really don't know too much about this church at all. What do they believe and do i need to be careful?

I would say there is definitely more purity to the Orthadox church then the Catholic church but both are steeped heavily in non-bibilical traditions. Yet also we have much to learn from some of the tenets of their faith which the evangelical world has not considered important. Such tenets as worshiping God for Himself and not what they can get from him. Disciplines in the Christian life, fasting, prayer, meditation (musing on scriptures). Also they have a good unity base compared with evangelicals which tend to be more sectarian. Also we must learn from the early church fathers more, these are respected more highly in the Orthadox assemblies.

You do have to be cautious because there is definitely a lack of New Birth experiences in those churches, there is a spirit of religious obedience that attending church makes you a believer. And there is border line adultery for some in the relics and icons they use.

I am sure you can learn something valuable for your christian experience from your friend.

sermonindex Apr 28, 2012

Thanks everyone and Greg for the info. When i was looking at what they believe, the part on icons, and also their view on church having authority before scripture is enough to watch out from for me. They also believe in literal view in taking communion, the bread actually being his body and the wine being his blood, which that i don't want to get into too much of debate about. I am just going to try to be careful with what i say to my friend not to turn him off, by getting in small debates about things. I don't know if he is saved so i don't want to disagree with everything with him, i will be patient with him. Him and his friend do a bible study after church at a library so, i might just do that with him and see how it goes just to avoid being apart of something like their church that i am unsure about. Again guys thanks for the comments, i am excited to see my friend being interested in the Lord.

sermonindex Apr 28, 2012

I was invited to the Greek Orthodox church one time but I just couldn't get passed the icons, they just littered the Church. So I never attended their services. A friend of mine who was a Greek Orthodox adherent switched sides and came over to be with us oddballs the Pentecostals. Once he was born again the orthodox religion that held him sway fell away.

But since you consider yourself to have weak faith (I believe you have strong faith), it would be wise that you stay away from these organizations because it's as Greg said in his post, they lack the new birth experience. If they lack that, it would be no different if you visited a morgue.

sermonindex Apr 29, 2012

good point, i am probably just going to avoid the church and attend the group bible study that he goes to that i believe has nothing to do with that church. I am so happy to see him come to desire to talk about the Lord and read the scriptures.

sermonindex Apr 29, 2012

"I would say there is definitely more purity to the Orthadox church then the Catholic church but both are steeped heavily in non-bibilical traditions."

Same with the Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, etc...,

'You do have to be cautious because there is definitely a lack of New Birth experiences in those churches,'

If they don't understand the New Birth then they don't understand anything. If they have not experienced the new birth and have not entered into Christ, then they are still dead in their sin, separated from God, and ultimately still under condemnation. Why would anyone want to learn anything "Christian" from one who is not in Christ?

T

Totality May 4, 2012

It's good to hear that your friend has become interested in the things of Christ. =) But for the Eastern Orthodox Church, I must say that my personal experiences with them have been nothing more than beneficial. Yes, I understand that the great majority of members on this board would disagree with me on this, but Orthodoxy has definitely been a springboard to greater devotion in my own walk with Christ.

Now, I'm not an Eastern Orthodox Christian, but I do lean heavily that way.

But as a quick rundown of what you can expect from the Eastern Church:
They believe in a literal view of Communion (the bread and wine are actually the body and blood of Christ), they believe that "new birth" happens at baptism, they baptize infants, they actually share Communion with infants too, they believe that icons of Christ, Mary, and the saints are in some spiritual way connected to the ones they represent and are therefore appropriate to hang up in the church and in one's home, they believe that Mary is the mother of all Christians and that she is ever-virgin, they pray to the saints, they believe that Tradition is our ultimate authority (which, for them, means that Bible is first above all else, but then comes the Creeds, the Canons of the Church, the Liturgy, and so on), and they believe that God's wrath was not poured out on Jesus on the cross (rather, they believe in a Cristus Victor [the cross is Jesus victorious over the demons] and a Recapitulation [Christ became like man that man might become like Christ] view of the cross, and sometimes they'll refer to a ransom being paid to Satan rather than to God).

Like I said before, the Eastern Church is absolutely foreign to most people on this board and might just crucify me for being an Anglo-Orthodox. ;)

But I do hope you and your friend can keep up regular discussions of Christ. =) And that it will benefit the both of you greatly.

In Christ,
Max

sermonindex May 4, 2012

I would run for my life from it as fast as the RCC.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-01-06/epiphany-christian/52410282/1?csp=24&kjnd=Ag4It5tnaI3QwYZz%2Fk9X4iWxKaxOgVjpNIbsPgUpYoIogkv2oX6xc1EM0FyFhySk-886ce44a-fd2c-444d-82af-78173b63239c_mh%2FAtzGat1Wh2jeWhE%2BQXwdRaDopoJqqBVcEcP2OQMg9Axr1mUky9LCyxeLYyEjI

in Him - Jim