What is Orthodox Christianity?
By the Rev. Edward Batchko
Little is known about Orthodox Christianity in America
unless you come from a family whose ethnic background comes from a country with
strong Orthodox roots. In America, awareness of the Orthodox Church and its
teachings is so scarce and misunderstood to the extent that some groups judge
it as not Christian at all! This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is the
second largest group of Christians in the world, with approximately 300 million
members worldwide, second only to Roman Catholicism. Approximately 3 million of
those 300 million live in America, and the number is growing.
Orthodox Christianity traces its roots to the day of
Pentecost in 33 A.D, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles as Christ
promised. From that day until 1054 A.D. there was only the One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church, carrying on the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the traditions as passed down by the Apostles in an unbroken chain of
succession. For a multitude of reasons, well beyond the scope of this article,
there was a rift in the Church during the year 1054 A.D. The split between the
Greek East and Latin West essentially created two Churches, the Eastern
Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Both of these Churches have
roots in 33 A.D., and both carry on the same Apostolic succession. However,
since the split the Orthodox Church has carried on with little change, or
modernization.
That being said, we do have things in common with both
our Roman Catholic and Protestant brothers and sisters. The Orthodox Church and
the Roman Catholic Church have in common, as mentioned, Apostolic succession as
well as the sacraments of the Church as set forth by Christ and traditions
taught by early Church Fathers, a strong veneration of the Virgin Mary and the
Saints, and a daily cycle of services.
We have in common with our Protestant brothers and
sisters a strong scriptural tradition, the Gospel, Epistles and Psalms make up
the bulk of our services; and the belief that evangelism is carrying out the
last commandment of Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20)
In 1559 Philip Melanchthon, Martin Luther’s chief
disciple, attempted to enter into a dialogue with Patriarch Jeremias the II of
Constantinople, and eventually scholars from the University of Tubingen did
enter into a dialogue with the Patriarch about a reconciliation between the
Orthodox and the Lutherans, but unfortunately due to the circumstances of that
time nothing came of it.
What the Orthodox Church has are rich, liturgical
services that engage all your senses; a belief that sin is a consequence of the
Fall and that we are only responsible for our sins, no one else’s; an aim to be
the hospital healing the wounds of the soul, caused by sin; rich spiritual
lives, both corporate and individual. Orthodox Christianity is not another
denomination, it is not just another religion, it is a way of life that lives
the fullness of the Christian faith as it has been since the time of the
Apostles.
As we commonly describe ourselves, we are catholic,
but not Roman. We are Orthodox, but not Jewish. We are evangelical and
charismatic, but not Protestant or Evangelical. We are not a denomination, we
are pre-denominational. The Orthodox Church is the original Church, an ancient
faith for a modern world drowning in doubt and confusion and searching for
meaning, relevance and true, heavenly worship. This
is what Orthodoxy Christianity is.
The Rev. Father Edward Batchko is the rector of the
Kursk-Root Icon Orthodox Church in Edgar, and can be reached through the church
website, www.orthodoxwisconsin.org, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/kurskicon.
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