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The
Orthodox Church
The Oregonian -
Date Unknown
Few people have been
properly introduced to the Orthodox Church. Her roots are in the
east. In fact her birthplace is Jerusalem, and the feast of
Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter two is her birth date. It
might seem strange to some to hear of a particular Church spoken of
in this manner, but the Orthodox Church sees herself as the
historical, ancient and unchanged Church of Christ and the Apostles.
She has had an unbroken and uninterrupted history of common Faith,
consistent doctrine, consistent worship, consistent interpretation
of Holy Scripture and apostolic succession of Church leadership. She
is the Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, which predate the
Schism of the Church of Rome. Having avoided the theological errors
of the west, she was unaffected by the Reformation which took place
in the 15th and 16th centuries. In short, if one were to examine the
New Testament, the writings of the Apostolic Fathers of the 2nd and
3rd centuries, the writings of the Church Fathers both before the
Great Schism of the 11th century, and after the Schism up to the
present day, he would find a God-inspired consistency and harmony of
the One, Holy, Catholic (meaning universal) and Apostolic
Church.
The Lord Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles and disciples to keep them in truth and remind them of all
He had done and taught. (Jn.16:13-15) He further pledged Himself
through the coming of this same Spirit to His disciples until the
end of time. (Mt.28:18-20) The fulfillment of these promises is
found in God’s preservation and perpetuation of the Orthodox
Church throughout the ages.
Worship of God is at the very heart of the Orthodox Church. The
Orthodox faith expresses its beliefs and doctrines most fully
through its worship life. The foundational beliefs in the
incarnation, the resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit and
the Second Coming are all manifested in day to day life through the
liturgical, sacramental, mystical and authentic participation of the
Orthodox faithful in heavenly worship. Every aspect of the human
body is called to participate with the mind and soul in expressing
praise, thanksgiving, dependence and love for God. There is a very
real sense of the communion and fellowship of all who are alive in
Christ in each Orthodox worship service, whether on this side of
life or beyond.
While the Orthodox Church has maintained unaltered its doctrines,
scriptural interpretations and apostolic faith, it has continued to
be dynamically sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
avoiding any tendency of becoming a museum of artifacts. She is true
to the past, fully present in the now and assured of God’s
promises concerning future things. Guided by the Holy Spirit,
Orthodoxy has been able to transcend the ever-changing trends of
every age, in order to be anchored to the unchangeable truths about
God.
To make these bold claims should not be seen as either
self-righteous or a judgment of others who put their faith in Jesus
Christ. It is God who has preserved the fullness of the Christian
Faith in His Church, not man. Furthermore, only God can judge the
hearts and faith of His children. What has been presented above is
simply the historical reality and the way that the Orthodox Church
sees herself. In fact, one of the images clearly seen in every age
of the Church’s life is that of a hospital. Jesus Himself said,
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who
are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
(Mk.2:17) People who come to the Orthodox Church come to be forgiven
of their sins, for God not only wants to free His children from all
the effects of the fall, but He also wants to transfigure them and
make them partakers of His divine nature. (2Pet.1:4)
Today, the Orthodox Church is second in population only to the Roman
Catholic Church with around 300 million Orthodox Christians
worldwide. In the Portland Metropolitan area there are a total of
eleven Orthodox Christian Parishes. Each of the Orthodox Christian
parishes warmly invites you to come and experience the historic
Christian Church. For more information about Orthodoxy in Portland,
feel free to contact Fr. Theodore at (503) 292-3737.
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