Comments

You seem to include the Orthadox Catholics within the pale of "orthadox" Christianity. I think they along with the Roman branch are simply two of the oldest false sects of Christianity there is.

David Painter should have defined whom he means by "orthodox Catholics" Does he mean the Eastern churches in union with the See of Peter? What is false is his "branch theory of Christianity" not the See of Rome that is built on the foundation of two Apostles Peter and Paul. David Painter should read Saint Irenaeus.

In adhering to this faith, publicly transmitted by the Apostles to their successors, Christians must observe what their Bishops say and must give special consideration to the teaching of the Church of Rome, pre-eminent and very ancient. It is because of her antiquity that this Church has the greatest apostolicity; in fact, she originated in Peter and Paul, pillars of the Apostolic College. All Churches must agree with the Church of Rome, recognizing in her the measure of the true Apostolic Tradition, the Church's one common faith.

Eastern and Roman Catholicism are false precisely because they depart from Apostolic teaching including Paul and Peter. Both have built elaborate systems on the false notion that God has deposited His saving grace in them and established their priestly systems to dispense of it though the sacraments.
Apostolic Christianity acknowledges the Biblical teaching that all the blessings of grace are in the new covenant secured by Christ and He sovereignly dispenses of those blessings as He wills through the agency of the Holy Spirit by the means identified in the Scriptures alone.

". . . they depart from Apostolic teaching including Paul and Peter."

Or rather, they depart from your idea of what is and isn't apostolic teaching. . . .

Anyway, this is good news indeed -- one more small step nudging the Church back toward a reconciliation of her many, many scattered sheep who are straying outside the one sheepfold.

Funny how the Holy Scriptures "literally" say that the Church is the "pillar and ground of the truth."

Timothy 3:15
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Bold outlines and broad masses of colour rise out of the records of the past. They may be dim, they may be incomplete; but they are definite. And this one thing at least is certain; whatever history teaches, whatever it omits, whatever it exaggerates or extenuates, whatever it says and unsays, at least the Christianity of history is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth, it is this.

And Protestantism has ever felt it so...This is shown in the determination already referred to of dispensing with historical Christianity altogether, and of forming a Christianity from the Bible alone: men never would have put it aside, unless they had despaired of it.

This prophecy has been fulfilled in our lifetime:

"There will be a storm. And the Russian ship will be smashed to pieces. But people can be saved even on splinters and fragments. And not everyone will perish. One must pray, everyone must repent and pray fervently. And what happens after a storm? ...There will be a calm.’ At this everyone said: ‘But there is no more ship, it is shattered to pieces; it has perished, everything has perished.’ ‘It is not so,’ said Batiushka. ‘A great miracle of God will be manifested. And all the splinters and fragments, by the will of God and His power, will come together and be united, and the ship will be rebuilt in its beauty and will go on its own way as foreordained by God. And this will be a miracle evident to everyone."

- Starets Anatole the Younger of Optina, 1917

Praise God. Imagine the humility of those who have to share or relinquish power. This is a glorious occasion - one I doubted would come to fruition (call me Thomas).

To Joe: A safe truth indeed.

The formal name of the Orthodox Church is the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East.

Evangelicalism stands far and wide from the teachings of the earliest Christians, both in polity and in faith, particularly when it comes to the episcopate and the sacraments. I renounced Protestantism once I took the time to study what the earliest Christians actually believed. Read the fathers of the Church, then you can understand the Bible as the earliest Christians understood it.

I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian (from the Greek Orthodox branch) and I have a friend in Japan (thats right Japanese Orthodox branch) and we both know and have friendship with evangelicals and roman catholics. The thing is that we are are always surprised by evangelical friends who had no clue we read the bible daily and are intimately aware of the scriptures they feel only evangelicals really really know if you know what I mean. So some are floored that we believe in a personal relationship with Christ also. I read the NT scriptures in the original Greek (and you guessed it the Septugiant for the OT--the greek version 70 jewish scholars translated before christ and which Paul used too). The orthodox church has priests and sacrements and we believe God sends his grace through the church. BUT we also believe all Christians (who accept the trinity, the divinity of Jesus and the scriptures) are saved by his blood. Yes thats right saved by FAITH via his blood sacrifice on the cross (Romans 3:24) did you think we did not know about that? We lived and died for "that" under muslim rule for countless centuries so yes we know what it is to die for the faith. But we are "from missouri" as they say, we believe in a living faith. Show me your faith by your works please. We are the church of James. Many therefore think we believe in a 'works salvation' mentality. Not on your life! We are the old school 'evangelicals'. We do have traditions and so would you if your church was around for a long time. The traditions do not nix the truth but remind us of it. The icons on the walls of the scripture stories and the priest of the true high priest that is Christ. Many people forget that those there churches in the bible are based in Greece and Asia Minor (thats Turkey where there was no islam or muslims before 1000 AD check your history books) are the earliest outpost of our faith including Antioch.

We are your brothers in Christ. Let us remember there is no Greek and Jew in Him to which belong ALL the glory of any church establish for he is the author and finisher of our faith whether its evancelical or Orthodox or Catholic or Coptic in its outward appearance --within its blood bought by the same MASTER.

Glory and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your staff and readers.

oops sorry for the double post, quick fingers today!

PS please please pray for Israel, she needs us and Jesus wants us to pray for the apple of his eye. Her enemies are gearing up for a war with a hitler like madman at the helm of a false religion.