The four marks of the Church are set forth in the Ninth Article of the Nicene-Constantinopolean Creed. The Church is “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.” Each of these attributes is necessary to a proper and full description of the true Church. Any group lacking even one of these characteristics is, by definition, not the Church. Read more about One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic – The Four Marks of the Church[…]
In trying to divine “God’s hand” in occurrences in our day to day life, we leave ourselves open to attack and manipulation of the evil one. I like to remember this quote from St. Theophan the Recluse: “He who goes according to the will of the evil one does not experience attacks, but is simply Read more about Why Me? The Temptation to See and Interpret God’s Will[…]
In some living rooms today, gather Christians who belong to what is called the “house church” movement. They cite biblical proof texts speaking of the church in the house or small communities. The cherry picking of bible verses, while ignoring inconvenient ones, is the lot of the radically anti-church Christians. So determined to have their Read more about Why Your “House Church” is Missing the Mark[…]
On occasion, I have seen people make reference to a peculiar protestant belief, that the Church founded by Christ at Pentecost fell into apostasy until it was restored either (a) at the time of the Reformation; (b) with the birth of the Pentecostal movement, or (c) with the establishment their particular sect. The particular time Read more about On Protestant Belief in the Restoration of an Apostasized Church[…]
Reflection on the Healing of the Blind Man In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of Christ healing the man who had been born blind. This story is familiar to us. Christ spits on the ground, makes clay and puts it in the man’s eyes, and instructs him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The Read more about Sixth Sunday of Pascha – A Reflection on the Man Born Blind[…]
The quest to find the ancient Church is not new, nor is it necessarily difficult. It is, however, a quest that requires the seeker to lay aside their modern prejudices and preconceptions and to be willing to approach the Church on the Church’s terms. The seeker must be prepared to accept what they find without Read more about The Stream is Purest at It’s Source[…]
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” ( Romans Read more about The Challenge of the True Orthodox in North America[…]