Protestantism and Eastern OrthodoxyEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 260 million baptised members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops in local synods, although roughly half of …en.wikipedia.orgare two of the three historic branches of the Christian faith, along with Roman CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a term which in its broadest sense refers to the beliefs and practices of Christian denominations that describe themselves as Catholic in accordance with the Four Marks of the Church, as expressed in the Nicene Creed of the First Council of Constantinople in 381: in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.en.wikipedia.org. Though the Orthodox tradition is approximately 500 years older than Protestantism, there are similarities between them. There are also important differences.
Is Eastern Orthodox the one true church?
Why Eastern Orthodoxy is Not the True Religion:A Brief Overview. Beautiful externals belie the essence of this false religion: The “Orthodox” are not orthodox — good intentions notwithstanding. The main objective of Novus Ordo Watch is to allow, first and foremost, those people who unhappily find themselves in the Novus Ordo Sect (Vatican …
What does Eastern Orthodox mean exactly?
Eastern Orthodoxy, official name Orthodox Catholic Church, one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity. It is characterized by its continuity with the apostolic church, its liturgy, and its territorial churches. Its adherents live mainly in the Balkans, the Middle East, and former Soviet countries. Eastern Orthodoxy is the large body of Christians who follow the …
Are Eastern Catholics and Orthodox the same?
This gives the following countries the highest population of Eastern Orthodox Catholics: Aside from the cultural differences that appear region to region, there is very little difference in the way Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Catholics practice their faiths. They both have the same belief system and many of the same traditions.
What are the main beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church?
Principles of belief and faith;The worship of God,in Whom lies belief and hope for salvation;The living of life so as to serve one’s neighbor and especially the least of them as well as oneself; andThe enforcing of a system of order of discipline and administration for the members of this Church.
Why does the Orthodox Church not believe in Sola Scriptura?
The Orthodox church does not hold to Sola Scriptura because it believes the church defines Scripture and determines its meaning. [2]
What is the difference between Orthodox and Protestant?
A key disagreement between the Orthodox and Protestant tradition regards the Holy Spirit. Orthodox theology teaches that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Protestantism teaches that He proceeds from the Father and the Son , Jesus Christ. There are also other differences between the traditions.
What is the recognition of ecumenical councils?
The recognition of ecumenical councils: Ecumenical councils are meetings that have been held throughout church history to articulate unity of doctrine among Christians. The councils are applications of Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17:21) and the example of the meeting in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15. The early church called councils to discuss important doctrines like the Trinity and Christology. Protestantism recognizes many beliefs expressed in the councils. Roman Catholicism recognizes 21 councils. Eastern Orthodoxy recognizes the first seven, which occurred from the 4th to 8th centuries.
What are the similarities between Protestant and Eastern Orthodox?
The Protestant and Eastern Orthodox traditions have many similarities, including belief in the virgin birth of Christ, his physical resurrection from the dead, and his Second Coming. (Also see Protestant vs Pentecostal: What’s the Difference?)
What are the Eastern Orthodox churches?
Eastern Orthodox are commonly referred to as national churches, not denominations. The largest are The Russian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
What is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is fully divine. The Spirit applies the salvation that the Father planned and that the Son earned for sinners. He bestows spiritual gifts on believers that they are to use for the edification of the Church.
Do Orthodox leaders have unity?
Certain Orthodox leaders, however, have expressed unity on matters that are of concern for each tradition today, such as the breakdown of the family. [1] (Also see Protestant vs Anglican: What’s the Difference?)
What is Protestant Christianity?
Protestant Christianity is also famously called Protestantism. Protestantism is a religious movement that took place in the 16th Century reformation. The protestant reformation was started by Martin Luther in 1517, Germany, after he published his books Ninety Five Theses. The Christian movement was to mark the errors in medieval roman catholic doctrines and practices. They also had opposed certain beliefs and practices in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
What is the difference between Orthodox and Protestant Christianity?
The difference between Orthodox Christianity and Protestant Christianity is that they follow different divine inspirations. The Orthodox follow the ‘Holy Inspiration of Church’ along with the Bible. Whereas, protestants follow only the Bible. There are many other differences in their foundations, beliefs, views, and opinions.
How many followers does Christianity have?
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based upon the life and learnings of the Jesus of Nazareth, having approximately 2.4 billion followers worldwide, making it the world’s largest religion. There are multiple versions of the Bible.
What are the different versions of the Bible?
There are multiple versions of the Bible. These are based on different theologies, cultures, traditions, and groups or denominations. Orthodox Christianity and Protestant Christianity are two of the major groups.
What is a Protestant?
A Protestant is an adherent of the Christian bodies or their descendants that separated themselves from the Roman Church during the Reformation Movement in the 16th century. The word Protestant was hardly used outside of German politics during Reformation.
How many members are there in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
Orthodox Christianity, the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptis ed members worldwide. It is an Eastern Christian church with a communion structure. The faith and practices that were defined by the first seven ecumenical councils are followed by its members.
What is the meaning of Orthodox?
The meaning of which is the proper worship or the correct belief. The faith and practises defined by the first seven ecumenical councils are followed by Eastern Orthodox Christians.
My Christian Background
I grew up as an active participant in a non-denominational Protestant church in rural Michigan. At this same church I met a woman who would, in 2009, become my wife. My father, a music pastor and missionary, along with my mother, led their five children, of whom I am the fourth, to faith in Christ.
The Road from Protestantism to the Eastern Orthodox Church
When we first switched from the church we grew up in to a different—though still non-denominational—protestant church, we were really convicted by the preaching. I remember it vividly. We were laying in bed on a Sunday evening and a dread feeling of conviction came upon me. It felt like a rotting in my soul .
Our Conversion
We were participating in the Church as much as we could. But that wasn’t enough. It was necessary, in my mind, that we convert so that we could participate fully in the life of the Church. I expressed this desire to Mallory and she too felt like it was the right thing to do—although she didn’t feel the imperative as much as I.
How many votes can a bishop cast?
At an ecumenical council, each bishop may cast only one vote, whether he is the Ecumenical Patriarch or an auxiliary bishop without a diocese or parish. Thus, there is no equivalent to the Roman Catholic popedom within the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
What is the Eastern Orthodox Church?
In the teachings of Orthodoxy, the Eastern Orthodox Church is the authentic continuation of the original church established by the Apostles shortly after the resurrection …
What did the Apostles do to spread the Church?
In the years which followed, the Apostles spread the Church and its teachings and founded many churches, all united in faith, worship, and the partaking of the Mysteries (or as they are called in the West, the Sacraments) of the Holy Church. The churches founded by the Apostles themselves include the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, …
How many Orthodox people were there in 1996?
Other assessments, such as in The Encyclopedia of the Developing World, place the amount of overall Orthodox adherents in 1996 at 182 million individuals, including the following listings: Russian Federation: 70-80 million. Ukraine: close to 30 million. Romania: 20 million. Greece: 9.5 million.
What is the Church’s faith?
As with its Apostolic succession, the faith held by the Church is that which was given by Christ to the apostles. Nothing is added to or withheld from that foundation of faith which was "handed once for all to the saints" ( Jude 3 ). Throughout history, multiple heresies have troubled the Church, and at those points the Church makes dogmatic declarations (especially at ecumenical councils) outlining in new language what has always been believed by the Church, thus limiting the spread of heresy and calling to repentance those who sever apart the Body of Christ. Its primary statement of faith is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
What was the Great Schism?
The Great Schism of Eastern and Western Christianity. Developments were not always consistent with the evolution of Western Christianity, where the bishop of Rome, or pope, came to be considered the successor of the apostle Peter and head of the universal church by divine appointment.
When did the Pope break the filioque clause?
The first major breach came in the Ninth century when the Pope refused to recognize the election of Photius as the patriarch of Constantinople. Photius in turn challenged the right of the papacy to rule on the matter and denounced the filioque clause as a Western innovation.
What does the Orthodox believe about salvation?
The orthodox associate the concept of deification with salvation and believe that salvation is a process through which man’s body and soul is deified and the complete deification does not take place till the last day.
What do Orthodox Christians believe about Mary?
The Orthodox Christians consider Mary to be the bearer of god and a virgin. While the Protestants disagree. The belief of salivation differs significantly. Orthodox Christians have the concept of deification and purgatory while the Protestants reject both.
How do Orthodox and Protestant differ?
Orthodox and Protestant Christians differ in terms of their beliefs, practices, symbolism and religious understanding. Many of their concepts including that of salvation, position of Mary, authority of church, saint veneration and importance of Apocrypha are markedly different in the two denominations.
What was the result of the Great Schism?
Christianity was void of denominations up until the 11th century, however as a result of the ‘Great Schism’ the Christian church was divided into the Eastern Church and western church. The western church was the original (Catholic) church while the Eastern Church came to be known as Orthodox Church. The second major division resulted from a Protest in 1529 which the Lutheran princes gave in to the diet of spires and the followers of this sect began to be known as the Protestants (Wylie 1).
What is an icon in Greek?
Icon is a Greek word meaning Image, and these icons are of sacred personalities including Jesus, Mary and the saints (Davies-Stofka). These images take the center spot in the churches and are venerated.
When did Orthodox Christianity start?
Orthodox Christianity originated in the 11th century and the Protestantism in the 16th century.
Is Mary a holy woman?
On the other hand the protestant consider Mary to be a holy woman but they reject the idea of her perpetual virginity. They claim that the veneration of Mary as done by Orthodox or Catholics is not Biblical in nature (Bonagura). The concept of salvation is also different in the two sects.