What is Orthodox Christianity?
An Introduction
Orthodoxy is as old as the Church itself, because it is the Church. While thousands of Christian traditions continue to come into being each year, the Orthodox Church has been a community united in Christ for over two millennia.
Orthodox Christianity traces its lineage and way of life to the original apostles and disciples. The wisdom and grace granted to them by the Holy Spirit was passed on to the communities they founded through their rhythms of worship and asceticism. As direct successors of those communities, the Orthodox Church is likewise guided by the Holy Spirit to preserve that communion of faith in a world full of theological disputes and spiritual temptations
While it is true that we have priests, bishops, archbishops, metropolitans, and patriarchs, there is only ONE true leader of our church: Jesus Christ. He is our head, our savior, our respite, our joy, and our only way into the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything else is but a lens or a glass used to behold Him.
Why are we called "Orthodox"?
Broadly speaking, the word “orthodox” means “proper” or “correct”. It acknowledges that there is a "correct" Way (John 14:6) to live in relationship to God and the world and that the Holy Spirit has preserved that "Way" (Acts 9:2; 22:4; 24:14, 22) in the community founded by Christ two thousand years ago.
When one becomes "orthodox," they are not simply joining another religious tradition — rather, they are becoming someone who lives life according to the rhythms correctly identified with the will of God.
In other words, becoming an Orthodox Christian means:
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learning to pray/worship in the manner God instructed
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learning to fast in a way that conforms our will to His
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learning to give in a way that reflects Christ’s own self offering
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learning to love God & neighbor through the united community of saints that makes up God's heavenly Kingdom
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learning to be transfigured & transformed through the Mystical Life of the Church (Confession, the Eucharist, Unction, etc.)
"Orthodoxy" is not simply a system of beliefs, but the Way of Life revealed to us by God Himself.
Come and see the Church of Christ!
It is not easy to distill 2000+ years of theology, hymnology, prayer, hagiography, martyrdom, mystagogy, liturgy, and practical living into a succinct and clearly defined outline.
The only way to truly understand the Orthodox Faith is to be Orthodox. It cannot be "intellectually apprehended". It must be lived.
Introductory videos available on our First Visit page.
Print resources available at our Bookstore.