I would recommend the book Surprised by Christ, by Father James Bernstein. He is an orrhodox priest who was born and raised in a jewish family. Has a thorough, first hand, understanding of the Church continuity, Old and New Testaments
To clarify Jesus never followed the religion of Judaism. The problem is is that people or confusing levitical ISM with the Pharisee religion. They are two different sects. Mary the mother of God for example from 3 years old was in the levitical temple she had nothing to do with the Pharisees. Likewise John the Baptist his father was a levitical priests he also had nothing to do with the Pharisees. If they had it would be just like sacrilege the same way the Orthodox view the Protestants as Heretics. Have we forgotten how much the Pharisee sadducee and levite priest fought amongst themselves in Scripture? Have we forgotten that one is the law of Moses and the other one is the tradition of men as Jesus plainly explained in Scripture?
I've been listening to a lot of these interviews about the Orthodox Church and I am really loving everything they are saying. I even visited a local Greek Orthodox Church and I am considering joining their church.
My whole room lit up when I read your comment. Oh the joy! I literally can't contain my excitement! My father (Greek orthodox priest) uses to say:"orthodoxy is not religion, it's experience/adventure"! I wish for you to have an exciting journey! ☦❤ God bless you and your family and friends!
@@kaykyrina thank you for your kind words and prayers. I am on a journey and in prayer for God to guide me. I have already made friends by some great people there and they have welcomed me with open arms. I have been reading Orthodox scholars and recently got an Orthodox Study Bible. I am learning so much that I didn't know as a Protestant. Orthodox theology is rich and deep.
Hey John, my advice for you is to find a local orthodox church and send the priest an email saying you're interested in becoming a Christian and he will help you start
Born a Protestant, I've lost family members, gotten married, given birth, and gone through life events with very little ritual. My dad died when I was 13 and I somehow thought we would go to church that day. I barely got to see his body. There was no minister there. They took him off to be cremated. Then, my wedding wasn't in a real church, but a chapel. It was my choice, and we had a minister from my church, and I made up my own service, and I included communion even though that wasn't typical in a Baptist wedding. Once we had kids, I wanted that recognized by the church somehow. I wanted to present my son in the "temple." We did a dedication 6 months later with about 20 other families. Once I found Orthodoxy, I realized it has all these recognitions of these life events are built in. Even moving into a new house, you call the priest to bless it.
Not just a new house! The priest blessed your house every year between Theophany and Great Lent. Of course not everyone avails themselves of this great blessing, but it's available nonetheless. I grew up American Baptist and I was baptized into the Orthodox Church three years ago - I don't regret how I was raised, but every day is filled with wonder now in a way that helps me repent, at least I hope so.
As a convert to the Orthodox Church, I must say this was the most interesting explanation I have heard about the Early Church and Religion of the Apostles. One of the main reasons I felt called to the Orthodox Church, was because of the richness and beauty which seems to be cherished and protected enough not to become watered down. My heart had a strong desire to return to roots, to the Apostles and Jesus and I see this in the Orthodox Church. This session with Fr Stephen has confirmed my calling! The Didache is another book I have enjoyed. Thankyou and God bless.....
Austin’s channel has been instrumental in me understanding Orthodoxy, and now that I’m wanting to join he keeps having on all these heavy hitters who I have a context to appreciate now. Great stuff.
I don't get it, but I just hope you're not making a mistake! I'm a new believer, within the last two years. I was raised and formerly mormon... So I hope you can understand how I might be very skeptical of churches claiming to be the One True Church! Doing my investigations and prayer still. God bless you bro! I hope you're on the right track!
@@evenruderanger7617 there’s a huge difference. The orthodox claim reaches back to the apostles by apostolic succession. While Mormonism traces back to Joseph smith… no comparison. Also, Mormonism teaches that the true faith was lost and needed to be restored, while Orthodoxy claims that the gates of hell can never prevail against the church, and the true faith has been preserved in perfect purity since the time of the apostles.
@@evenruderanger7617 I’m a former Mormon too as of 3 years ago and new Orthodox Christian as of 4 months ago. I too had some of the same concerns that you on especially churches claiming to be “The One True Church”. After asking a lot of questions to evangelicals, Catholic and Orthodox priests and then doing some heavy research I was moved to become Orthodox. I feel that my soul is at rest now being Orthodox after 3 years of wandering in a sort of wilderness. I would recommend finding a local parish and both speaking to a priest and attending a Divine Liturgy. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Unlike the Mormon church they have nothing to hide.
My late Dad was a Sikh. Was baptized Christian Orthodox back in 1981, when he married my late Mum. He didn't really go to church or had much to do with Christianity till the latter years of his life, when he struggled with health issues. His favourite Saint was Saint George and he often requested we visited a chapel of the Saint. He received the Holly Communion for probably first and last time in his life and passed away a few months later.
Fr Steven is such an amazing teacher, and truly helped me find my at home to the Greek Orthodox Church. I am convinced Orthodoxy is the best kept secret in America. I pray it spreads like wildfire across this nation. It is the most beautiful worship and liturgy I have ever experienced, and I’m so grateful to be beginning the process of joining the church in three days!
Austin, the book idea you were talking about called "The Myth of Neutrality" already exists: it's called "Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-storey Universe" by Fr. Stephen Freeman who is also an Orthodox priest. He does interviews fairly often and I think having him on the show would be great.
Yes, but the book he was _actually_ talking about already exists: *The Myth of Religious Neutrality* by Roy A. Clouser originally published in 1991. But, yes, Stephen Freeman is a pretty cool dude, too. He has some amazing posts on Ancient Faith
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE is Our Savior YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF” From the Ancient Semitic Scroll: "Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3) Ancient Semitic Direct Translation Yad - "Behold The Hand" He - "Behold the Breath" Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
@@mattbellacotti Father Damick keeps telling me the same thing. I told them that I am still waiting on my pre-ordered copy. In all seriousness, his Whole Council podcast is the free audio version of the book.
My Priest is on the board of Ancient Faith Radio. He is very excited about The Religion of the Apostles. I told him there is a hunger for books like this.
there really is a hunger for it, and not just for believing people but also for everyone who enjoys history, in particular religious history, since it shapes so much of a socoety's culture, laws, outlook, perspective, how business was done, how government operated, how households were managed, etc. He is right, religion and politics were inexorably linked for millennia and their separation is a fairly recent invention, so we modern people don't really understand the integral nature of religion, regardless of what that religion is/was. It's like we're trained to disregard religious influence in history, and we really cannot look at that way if we really want to understand the people of the past and ourselves.
An analogy I use to describe Orthodoxy versus other denominations is a fine brandy. A brandy that took time to develop and perfect, that only can be enjoyed from its consumption. Now many people may order that brandy. Some will add and dilute it with water. Others may add a juice. Some will even throw a can of Coca Cola in, leaving it unrecognizable. Regardless of which variant, they all still have traces of that original brandy within them. Then there are those that will simply sip it slowly, straight... unchanged, uncorrupted, and enjoy its full essence and bouquet… exactly the way its creator intended.
Baptized Lutheran here....I have no background with Liturgy, ritual or anything to do with the early church or Protestant theology either. So your analogy is hilarious 😆 because as I've become less nominal and taking faith seriously, I've come across what the vast differences are and oddly, I seem to gravitate toward Orthodoxy, non denominal, Messianic Judaism (followers of YESHUA) and some catholic thinking. I'm very interested in learning Greek, Hebrew, Latin and listening to the history of the church and outside of the church from the Near East from different perspectives. Thanks for laugh, God Bless 🙏
@@jasonlambert2226 If there is one thing that is sad it is the shallowness of your reply and the condescending, disrespectful nature with which you approach that which is Divine; as no follower of Christ Yeshua would ever post such a reply. Perhaps you should read about His walk upon the earth, as He lived every word that was ever spoken from His mouth, and mimic that. I hope you find your way...... Godspeed.
That's wrong analogy, correct analogy would be something original and the rest are either split offs or those who speaks in its name, lookalikes and imposters
I thoroughly enjoyed his book. The Podcast he does with Fr. Andrew, Lord of Spirits is one of my favourites. I have been listening to it at work. I really appreciate what I have learned from Fr. Stephen :D
Catholic here-much love to all my Orthodox brothers and sisters! And if we are to compare and discuss our similarities and differences, may we do it with humility, kindness and love. God Bless you all!
Also I second the recommendation of his book "The Religion of the Apostles", it really helped take the way I think about the continuity from ancient Second Temple Judaism to Christianity to another level, great content
I honestly found much of the noted Jewish mythologies too distracting and adding confusion based on whether you want to take them literally or figuratively. I so badly wanted to like the book, but half of it just led me to thinking of how those mythologies are used for plot devices in shows like Supernatural instead of things with spiritual merit.
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine sure- that very much could be the case, that it's a me problem. In no way is it a knock against Orthodoxy. It's not like everything noted in the book has carried significant importance to the Orthodox faith. But some of my uncomfortability lies within that. Not everything in the book is easily verifiable, and given the cultus status of some of the fans to take everything that's written at face value in this book despite not being easily verifiable, gives me concern.
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine ok, if you say each thing that was stated was part of the Church's treasury on how to properly interpret, I'll take your word for it since I don't know enough to say it isn't. A bit of a deviation to get into Rome since I don't think it affects the topic on hand, but k..
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine ok, I think I see what you're saying. This book is only for those who already know everything within his book, therefore they don't need references for any of the info to validate every claim. So basically, I'm not in the demographic this book is geared towards. Gotcha
Thank you very much for talking with Presbyter Stephen about this topic! It is very dear to me and a delight that the Western world now has access to all of this precious material from the Ancient East. May the Lord reveal more material from Qumran and other sources in our lifetime! God bless you!
It's tricky. There are plenty of things I agree with in terms of Theology of Orthodoxy, and I'm really enjoying learning about it. But then when it comes to practice, I just don't see how attending an Orthodox liturgy would be any more beneficial to my growth as a Christian than attending a Protestant one. There are also some practices I just didn't think I can ever agree with, such as icon veneration and deification of Mary. I just don't see enough of a disparity or need to uproot from my home church and join a completely unfamiliar kind of church.
@@Marvel2328Well, nobody worships Mary as God, if that's what you mean. She had to be human for Christ to be the God-man. It makes no sense for any of the departed saints to be considered gods given what we remember them for (exemplary Christian lives).
Great conversation! My only issue was that it seemed to go by so quickly! Thanks for keeping these insightful and very informative interviews coming. They are a pleasure to listen to because they are always done so respectfully and you ask your guests the questions that I imagine many of your listeners would ask. For sure that is true for me.
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE is The Savior YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF” From the Ancient Semitic Scroll: "Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3) Ancient Semitic Direct Translation Yad - "Behold The Hand" He - "Behold the Breath" Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
I saw in the stream someone asking about Western Rite Orthodoxy. Fr. Stephen is part of the Antiochian Archdiocese and they have Western Rite parishes. You can find that info on their website.
@@GospelSimplicity No problem. Folks can check out St. Patrick Orthodox Church in Virginia if they're interested. They have a TH-cam channel and stream Lauds, Vespers, and the Mass regularly.
Yup I can confirm, in college, circa 91-92, Stephen DeYoung was ordering books "online" from harvard about Linear B. which in the early 90's was pretty impressive.
"The robes" of today's Orthodox Church that were mentioned as perhaps "looking different" than those of the time of the Apostles would actually, though not existent during the times of persecution of the early Church, be happily and amazedly recognized by the Apostles as very familiar to them owing to their Jewish roots.
I hope Dr. Michael Heiser's work makes it into the conversation. It seems like it should. I absolutely love Fr. DeYoung's new book. It's an instant classic.
@@goyonman9655 I've seen Heiser go after and attack the Orthodox position of the Eucharist and Oral Tradition with assumptions of what he thinks we mean vs what we actually mean, in an uncharitable way. He's so smug too.
That question in 1:03:04 about the Theotokos which apostols wouldn't know was not correct. Apostles in the first century didn't know lots of theological terms, like Holy Trinity, Homoousios, Person, etc. which were brought up in to Christian theology three centuries later. So what? If some terms didn't exist in the 1-st century it doesn't mean they are wrong. What would be a real shock for the apostles is if they visited a modern Baptist or Pentecostal rock-n-roll worship. And there would be even more shocking for them to hear from a "pastor" that there is no real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I don't think that the apostols would even call these people Christians. Now everybody is politically correct and tolerant, call everybody Christian, we are used to call any sect which is 100 years old a church. We are the Church, they are the Church, we are Christians, they are Christians, no Bishop, no Altar, no Eucharist,... but they are "Christians of different traditions". Wow...
"We don't worship the words we worship what they signify" one of holy fathers said I believe about Holy Trinity The terms were not coined out not the concepts, it's important what they mean not the words themselves
I listen to Fr. Stephen's Whole Counsel of God podcast and The Lord of Spirits podcast and I bought this book. I recommend it to everyone who really wants to know what the early church believed and practiced. Thanks for this interview, Austin!
Compare and contrast with your interview with the Anabaptist gentleman. I think Fr. De Young makes a much better and well researched case for his view of what the "early church" was.
This has been another great learning experience... God's double blessings on you both and I thank God for your faithfulness. From a long time cradle Catholic.
I believe that creating in the faithful a deep appreciation and understanding for God as revealed in the Torah would go a long way to creating the Christian revival that this world deeply needs right now.
And one of those things is the need to remove idols, and graven images and worship the living God not the god made by man's hands. .this abominable notion that graven images have now just become Icons is Ludacris. The main struggle of all denominations is their Desiree to uphold pagan traditions of making God into an image and then bowing down to it or worse praying to Mary and the dead. In which this was punishable by death in the Torah. And condemned heavily in the new testament.
As an evangelical of Jewish descent inquiring Orthodoxy, this video was very helpful in regards to my identity. I've had some anti-Semitic encounters from those in the apostolic churches, which I don't hold against whichever church is true, however it is helpful to know that there's more to the Jewish faith tradition than Rabbinic "Orthodoxy." St. Peter, pray for Israel.
Austin, you are the bomb. Thank you for keeping an open mind. Please continue with the shows on Orthodoxy. I was raised catholic including 16 years of catholic education. I never had a bad experience with the nuns or priests. But I started thinking Catholicism was not for me when I was about 8. Now I am 64. I searched and searched. Buddhism is the most beautiful pathway. Truly. But I need Jesus so I major in orthodoxy and minor in Buddhism. Buddha doesn’t speak to God. It’s all about removing the plank in your own eye. Plenty of room for my lord.
Great video. Speaking of the "Two Powers in Heaven" made me think about Dr. Michael Heiser. I think you should invite him to discuss with you Austin. I'm Catholic, but he's possibly my favorite protestant scholar right now.
I have been reading a book called Penecostal Sacraments its about how different demonisations emphasize different aspects of Christianity but we need everything Christ has to offer
His comparison of a turkey sandwich vs. a Thanksgiving meal sort of the way I view protestants as a life long Catholic. They have the "turkey sandwich", but they miss out on the full, wonderful meal That Catholicism has to offer.
@@JengaJay negative…Ex Catholic here. Sell that to someone else Bcz I’m not buying it. Lol 😂 The original is Orthodoxy and the proof is all there. In fact the true Orthodox are Catholics . Even many Saints and Fathers say it. In fact, as orthodox we still say “Orthodox are the original and true Catholics.” Lol.
@@zealousideal Right, so you replied to my comment claiming that the Father’s claimed orthodoxy is Catholicism when I said the same thing about my position? Seems rather rhetorical to me than actually proving why the Catholic Church is false [Like: Expressing why you stopped believing in Catholic dogma, or the errors of Catholic saints] you haven’t made any statement as to why it’s false I would be obliged if you gave reasons
@@JengaJay sorry It must have deleted my original comment somehow. I stopped debating people online..it’s a huge waste of time and doesn’t get anywhere. But if you really wanna know the truth contact me and we can discuss it. I’ve spent many many years researching this deeply and debating. On the surface it does seem like Roman Catholicism is the truth, but if you research more deeply you will find out the truth. The proof is all there if you really want it and seek it. I was in confusion for many years myself until one day I saw it plainly and it all made sense finally and the evidence is there.
I think this is an important question Would the Apostles: Ask intercession from the dead kiss images Teach purgatory Teach indulgences Teach the trinity Ask that I don’t think the “two powers” idea is well supported God is always “he”
You may find that Ancient Antiochene Theology covers the first 400AD years of the true Church, the Antiochene...way before the Greek Orthodox or Roman Schism ever existed.
Fr. Stephen gave a charitable understanding btwn. Orthodox and non-Orthodox. I've been considering a not so nice view which would be that there is one Church which Christ created through which He gives His Grace and Salvation to mankind. If your not in that Church, you "may" have some exceptional help and mercy but it isn't a safe place to live in. If you are in the that Church, you "may" become a god by grace, but you will need to work really hard at it; it literally is the most difficult thing one can do. You can disagree on which current day Church is that Church which Christ created, but have the same view on the nature of the Church. I feel the pressure to be accepting and loving to all humanity for sure and hope and desire everyone be saved and can overlook all the horrible things we do. But when thinking about what kind of entity the Church is or what it's nature is, I have been considering whether there is merit in the view of it being as described above. Often the Church is viewed or likened to Noah's ark saving those who entered it. Why wouldn't the new ark not have a very distinct and well defined shape to it as well?
@@GospelSimplicity Maybe the nature of the Church would be a good thing to be clear on since that would in large part determine the scope of the types of relations that can exist between those in and out of the Church. Of course one can disagree if the Orthodox or Roman Catholic or Lutheran or Baptist or all communities that confess Jesus as Lord is the Church. Still no mater what we have come to believe about what body currently makes up the Church, there will be some in and some out and we have to think about how those in must relate to those out. Also how to relate to those within who act like infidels or non-believers. Paul addresses that relationship too. St. Silouan the Athonite had such a love for all mankind regardless of their sinfulness or ecclesiastical standing so much that it pained him to think that there would be someone in hell while he was in heaven. So he loved everyone. There can't be a question about loving all people, even our enemies Christ has commanded us to love. So the discussion about relations btwn. in and out of the Church can get side tracked on focusing on the intentions and motives of the person and finding out "Are you asking this question because you have a problem loving all people?" And sometimes can get rhetorical and chasing red herrings about loving others or focusing on the thief on the cross and other exceptional cases where someone is saved outside the Church. We should ask "What is the divine economy revealed by God for salvation for the world as it is supposed to be happening?" So in short, what is the ideal and then to what extent is our current situation able to achieve that ideal. Of course God loves us so much and helps us as we trudge through this messy sinful and broken life and this has introduced many factors that complicate matters. Like, 'what about the hindu man who is holy and never heard the gsopel, are you saying he will go to hell?, or What about the Assemblies of God minister down the road who loves Jesus with all his heart are you saying he is going to hell because he doesn't go to a Catholic church or whatever?" I think we need to find out first what is the Church before we can answer those questions instead of feeling bad that someone could not be saved and then creating our theology from that sympathy.
Not idols. Idols take glory from God. Icons are images of saints and important events in church history (See Hebrews 12). Most protestants fail to realize that the Church didn't start in 1500s! (I'm a former protestant) - hope that helps!
I am always fascinated by the number of Eucharistic miracles reported in the Catholic Church, and would like to hear about the miracles experienced in the Orthodox church. Can anyone here direct me?
The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. In this way it is a Miracle. Now the Orthodox Church's stance on the RC idea of "Eucharistic Miracles" like the Bread becoming flesh in form is a sign of spiritual dysfunction in a Parish.
Is Orthodox Christianity different than Catholicism? Praying to saints? Men forgiving sin for God? Praying to Mary to twist Jesus arm for favors? Idols/graven images in church? Bowing and Praying to them? How are these excepted when the Bible clearly forbids them?
It was the Orthodox faith that assembled what we see now as an abridged version of the Bible. One might want to dig into what those folks saw as the Christian faith, how they lived, worshipped etc. Or better yet, the life of the faithful in the centuries before the Bible was assembled. Oh, And all of the things you said about Orthodoxy in your statement above are patently false, which means you have not actually looked into Orthodoxy, but instead have simply brought your pre-conceived notions with you and are simply making a statement to inflame emotions.
@@frankherbert6476 first I was asking a question! Are the Orthodox similar to Catholicism[?] You should learn the difference between a question [?] and a statement[.] [!] The punctuation mark at the end of a sentence tells you what the sentence was. That was a statement of fact so ends with a [.] as does this sentence. Ok[?] Your not trying to tell me Catholics don't pray to saints, or have confessional where the priest absolves them of their sin[?] Or pray the rosary beads where the very first prayer is to Mary[?] Hail Mary full of grace ( Mary can't have grace on mankind ) the Lord is with thee. Then there's patron saints[.] My Mom was given a Saint Christopher Medal in the hospital for his protection[.] Jesus told us to call no man on Earth Father Matt 23:9[.] ***Purgatory[!] No where in the Bible is Purgatory mentioned[.] Especially as a place where one's are 'burned off' and eventually you'll make it to Heaven[.] This is probably is the most horrific belief leading people to think they can live how they wish cause eventually they'll get to Heaven[.] Again do Orthodox believe all of these things too[?] If so where did these beliefs come from[?] How were they accepted as biblical when they're clearly not[.] I know the church fathers gave us the Bible, I also know down through the centuries when church and state were one there were lot of evil Pope's who invented things to maintain their power corrupting the church's dogma[.] th-cam.com/video/p5IGvGowNa0/w-d-xo.html *** Exclamation point [!]...An exclamatory sentence is one that expresses a strong or forceful emotion, such as anger, surprise, or joy.
@@floydiandreamscapes5145 Ahhh RIck, good afternoon! I see we're full of good humor this morning! Refreshing! Let me clarify my earlier answer. It seems that you have a serious issue with the Roman Catholic Church (which is neither Roman nor Catholic-more like Latin Schismatics) and keep circling back to lump them together with Orthodox. Your latest response is full of finger pointing instead of genuine questions. I see you seem to be a grammar major, so I'll get to the point. You wrote unclear, bulletized fragment sentence statements that you tried to frame as questions. It was unclear exactly how I could answer these incomplete sentences/questions, but since you insist, here are the answers: Yes No No No No No Last question is biased as well as unclear. Is this last question referring to all of the prior questions, or just the previous one? Since "No" would be the previous answers, it negates this question. Also, it assumes your interpretation of the Bible is correct. I would look at those who assembled the Bible, and see how they worshipped and approached the Faith. If your approach is different, why do you get to be right? And it's "you're" not "your".
@@floydiandreamscapes5145 Orthodox believe the essence energies idivisible distinction catholic actus purus meaning the essence is identical with the energies of God ,and God operates in created energies. We are talking between them an ontologicall different Theology what one calls Deity the energies of God the other calls it created. If you dont understand these so important issues you wil simple confuse, those two ontologicall different faiths. In the synodicon of orthodoxy it says those that say the energies of God as created are worst then arius and eunomius says. The term ενέργεια energy is used from Paul in his epistles original language text.
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I would recommend the book Surprised by Christ, by Father James Bernstein. He is an orrhodox priest who was born and raised in a jewish family. Has a thorough, first hand, understanding of the Church continuity, Old and New Testaments
Yeshua said call no man rabbi and if the spirit is with you, you need no man to teach you. So why call a total stranger "father"?!
Hy Austin, could you please link me some materials regarding Yahweh and the plural of persons? Thank you so much.
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To clarify Jesus never followed the religion of Judaism. The problem is is that people or confusing levitical ISM with the Pharisee religion. They are two different sects. Mary the mother of God for example from 3 years old was in the levitical temple she had nothing to do with the Pharisees. Likewise John the Baptist his father was a levitical priests he also had nothing to do with the Pharisees. If they had it would be just like sacrilege the same way the Orthodox view the Protestants as Heretics. Have we forgotten how much the Pharisee sadducee and levite priest fought amongst themselves in Scripture? Have we forgotten that one is the law of Moses and the other one is the tradition of men as Jesus plainly explained in Scripture?
I've been listening to a lot of these interviews about the Orthodox Church and I am really loving everything they are saying. I even visited a local Greek Orthodox Church and I am considering joining their church.
My whole room lit up when I read your comment. Oh the joy! I literally can't contain my excitement! My father (Greek orthodox priest) uses to say:"orthodoxy is not religion, it's experience/adventure"! I wish for you to have an exciting journey! ☦❤ God bless you and your family and friends!
@@kaykyrina thank you for your kind words and prayers. I am on a journey and in prayer for God to guide me. I have already made friends by some great people there and they have welcomed me with open arms. I have been reading Orthodox scholars and recently got an Orthodox Study Bible. I am learning so much that I didn't know as a Protestant. Orthodox theology is rich and deep.
@@andys3035 how is it rich and deep? can you offer any advice on how to become a Christian?
Hey John, my advice for you is to find a local orthodox church and send the priest an email saying you're interested in becoming a Christian and he will help you start
Hallelujah! Welcome!
Born a Protestant, I've lost family members, gotten married, given birth, and gone through life events with very little ritual. My dad died when I was 13 and I somehow thought we would go to church that day. I barely got to see his body. There was no minister there. They took him off to be cremated. Then, my wedding wasn't in a real church, but a chapel. It was my choice, and we had a minister from my church, and I made up my own service, and I included communion even though that wasn't typical in a Baptist wedding. Once we had kids, I wanted that recognized by the church somehow. I wanted to present my son in the "temple." We did a dedication 6 months later with about 20 other families. Once I found Orthodoxy, I realized it has all these recognitions of these life events are built in. Even moving into a new house, you call the priest to bless it.
Bring my soul out of prison that I may give thanks unto thy name
Yes! Even if I get really sick, I find comfort in knowing that the priest would come to my side to pray for me.
Not just a new house! The priest blessed your house every year between Theophany and Great Lent. Of course not everyone avails themselves of this great blessing, but it's available nonetheless. I grew up American Baptist and I was baptized into the Orthodox Church three years ago - I don't regret how I was raised, but every day is filled with wonder now in a way that helps me repent, at least I hope so.
As a convert to the Orthodox Church, I must say this was the most interesting explanation I have heard about the Early Church and Religion of the Apostles. One of the main reasons I felt called to the Orthodox Church, was because of the richness and beauty which seems to be cherished and protected enough not to become watered down. My heart had a strong desire to return to roots, to the Apostles and Jesus and I see this in the Orthodox Church. This session with Fr Stephen has confirmed my calling! The Didache is another book I have enjoyed. Thankyou and God bless.....
Glad you enjoyed this so much!
@@GospelSimplicity love ya bro
Austin’s channel has been instrumental in me understanding Orthodoxy, and now that I’m wanting to join he keeps having on all these heavy hitters who I have a context to appreciate now. Great stuff.
I don't get it, but I just hope you're not making a mistake! I'm a new believer, within the last two years. I was raised and formerly mormon... So I hope you can understand how I might be very skeptical of churches claiming to be the One True Church! Doing my investigations and prayer still. God bless you bro! I hope you're on the right track!
@@evenruderanger7617 there’s a huge difference. The orthodox claim reaches back to the apostles by apostolic succession. While Mormonism traces back to Joseph smith… no comparison. Also, Mormonism teaches that the true faith was lost and needed to be restored, while Orthodoxy claims that the gates of hell can never prevail against the church, and the true faith has been preserved in perfect purity since the time of the apostles.
☦️☦️☦️
@@evenruderanger7617 I’m a former Mormon too as of 3 years ago and new Orthodox Christian as of 4 months ago. I too had some of the same concerns that you on especially churches claiming to be “The One True Church”. After asking a lot of questions to evangelicals, Catholic and Orthodox priests and then doing some heavy research I was moved to become Orthodox. I feel that my soul is at rest now being Orthodox after 3 years of wandering in a sort of wilderness. I would recommend finding a local parish and both speaking to a priest and attending a Divine Liturgy. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Unlike the Mormon church they have nothing to hide.
@@evenruderanger7617 My husband is former Mormon now Orthodox. There is no similarity between the two.
My late Dad was a Sikh. Was baptized Christian Orthodox back in 1981, when he married my late Mum. He didn't really go to church or had much to do with Christianity till the latter years of his life, when he struggled with health issues. His favourite Saint was Saint George and he often requested we visited a chapel of the Saint. He received the Holly Communion for probably first and last time in his life and passed away a few months later.
This is absolutely one of the most interesting conversations about the origins of Christianity I have ever listened to. Thanks!
Wow! I'm delighted to hear that!
You gotta listen to his Lord Of Spirits podcast, it's mind blowing.
Fr Steven is such an amazing teacher, and truly helped me find my at home to the Greek Orthodox Church. I am convinced Orthodoxy is the best kept secret in America. I pray it spreads like wildfire across this nation. It is the most beautiful worship and liturgy I have ever experienced, and I’m so grateful to be beginning the process of joining the church in three days!
This is gonna be great, really looking forward to it ☦️
Ayyeeee
Based.
Austin, the book idea you were talking about called "The Myth of Neutrality" already exists: it's called "Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-storey Universe" by Fr. Stephen Freeman who is also an Orthodox priest. He does interviews fairly often and I think having him on the show would be great.
^ Yes, please!
Yes, but the book he was _actually_ talking about already exists: *The Myth of Religious Neutrality* by Roy A. Clouser originally published in 1991.
But, yes, Stephen Freeman is a pretty cool dude, too. He has some amazing posts on Ancient Faith
Fr. Stephen Freeman is amazing and deserving of far more recognition than he gets.
Thanks for the recommendation!
He’s my priest, and yes: he’d be more than willing to talk. Definitely an extremely intelligent and wise individual.
One thumbs up doesn’t seem like enough. I love Fr. DeYoung and am very excited for this conversation!
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE is Our Savior
YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF”
From the Ancient Semitic Scroll:
"Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3)
Ancient Semitic Direct Translation
Yad - "Behold The Hand"
He - "Behold the Breath"
Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
I left behind Protestantism for Orthodoxy. It’s truly the fullness of the Christian faith.
I'm almost an hour through and I've been loving it. Austin, you're amazing and Fr. De Young is awesome.
Glad you enjoy it!
This Catholic is a big fan of Father De Young.
You should definitely read his book that just came out, it’s very good!
@@mattbellacotti Father Damick keeps telling me the same thing. I told them that I am still waiting on my pre-ordered copy.
In all seriousness, his Whole Council podcast is the free audio version of the book.
@@mattbellacotti what book? Tnx.
@@petars4444 "The Religion of the Apostles"
@@ephesiansbrowne5982 I came here for the deep cuts, this did not disappoint :)
Protestant reformer all my life, 4 the time visiting Orthodox Church as of last weekend. but this time was with my whole family
My Priest is on the board of Ancient Faith Radio. He is very excited about The Religion of the Apostles. I told him there is a hunger for books like this.
That's wonderful!
there really is a hunger for it, and not just for believing people but also for everyone who enjoys history, in particular religious history, since it shapes so much of a socoety's culture, laws, outlook, perspective, how business was done, how government operated, how households were managed, etc.
He is right, religion and politics were inexorably linked for millennia and their separation is a fairly recent invention, so we modern people don't really understand the integral nature of religion, regardless of what that religion is/was. It's like we're trained to disregard religious influence in history, and we really cannot look at that way if we really want to understand the people of the past and ourselves.
An analogy I use to describe Orthodoxy versus other denominations is a fine brandy. A brandy that took time to develop and perfect, that only can be enjoyed from its consumption. Now many people may order that brandy. Some will add and dilute it with water. Others may add a juice. Some will even throw a can of Coca Cola in, leaving it unrecognizable. Regardless of which variant, they all still have traces of that original brandy within them. Then there are those that will simply sip it slowly, straight... unchanged, uncorrupted, and enjoy its full essence and bouquet… exactly the way its creator intended.
Interesting analogy!
Baptized Lutheran here....I have no background with Liturgy, ritual or anything to do with the early church or Protestant theology either. So your analogy is hilarious 😆 because as I've become less nominal and taking faith seriously, I've come across what the vast differences are and oddly, I seem to gravitate toward Orthodoxy, non denominal, Messianic Judaism (followers of YESHUA) and some catholic thinking. I'm very interested in learning Greek, Hebrew, Latin and listening to the history of the church and outside of the church from the Near East from different perspectives. Thanks for laugh, God Bless 🙏
@@jasonlambert2226 If there is one thing that is sad it is the shallowness of your reply and the condescending, disrespectful nature with which you approach that which is Divine; as no follower of Christ Yeshua would ever post such a reply. Perhaps you should read about His walk upon the earth, as He lived every word that was ever spoken from His mouth, and mimic that. I hope you find your way...... Godspeed.
That's wrong analogy, correct analogy would be something original and the rest are either split offs or those who speaks in its name, lookalikes and imposters
I thoroughly enjoyed his book. The Podcast he does with Fr. Andrew, Lord of Spirits is one of my favourites. I have been listening to it at work. I really appreciate what I have learned from Fr. Stephen :D
Glad you enjoyed it!
Catholic here-much love to all my Orthodox brothers and sisters! And if we are to compare and discuss our similarities and differences, may we do it with humility, kindness and love. God Bless you all!
Can't wait to see the face of Fr Stephen when he giggles 🤭 one could only imagine while listening to Lord of Spirits Podcast, but now...
That's true! Now you get to see his expressions as he talks
these protestant podcasts are the best recruiting tool ☦ has. my soul is feeling moved in that direction.
This is going to be good! ☦️🔥🔥🔥
Also I second the recommendation of his book "The Religion of the Apostles", it really helped take the way I think about the continuity from ancient Second Temple Judaism to Christianity to another level, great content
It also serves as an amazing Biblical apologetic tool for Orthodox
I honestly found much of the noted Jewish mythologies too distracting and adding confusion based on whether you want to take them literally or figuratively. I so badly wanted to like the book, but half of it just led me to thinking of how those mythologies are used for plot devices in shows like Supernatural instead of things with spiritual merit.
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine sure- that very much could be the case, that it's a me problem. In no way is it a knock against Orthodoxy. It's not like everything noted in the book has carried significant importance to the Orthodox faith. But some of my uncomfortability lies within that. Not everything in the book is easily verifiable, and given the cultus status of some of the fans to take everything that's written at face value in this book despite not being easily verifiable, gives me concern.
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine ok, if you say each thing that was stated was part of the Church's treasury on how to properly interpret, I'll take your word for it since I don't know enough to say it isn't. A bit of a deviation to get into Rome since I don't think it affects the topic on hand, but k..
@OrthodoxyChloroQuine ok, I think I see what you're saying. This book is only for those who already know everything within his book, therefore they don't need references for any of the info to validate every claim. So basically, I'm not in the demographic this book is geared towards. Gotcha
As Fr. Stephen would say ".....yes." Have you listened to any of his podcasts?
I have! Lord of Spirits is how I was introduced to his work
@@GospelSimplicity The Whole Counsel of God podcast is a priceless resource of Fr. DeYoungs. Highly, highly recommend checking it out.
The Whole Council of God Blog/Podcast are well worth a listen as well.
Thank you very much for talking with Presbyter Stephen about this topic! It is very dear to me and a delight that the Western world now has access to all of this precious material from the Ancient East. May the Lord reveal more material from Qumran and other sources in our lifetime!
God bless you!
Any conversation with Ft. Stephen De Young is always interesting. Thank you Austin for this. God Bless☦️.
Excellent choice! I highly recommend his book, “The Religion of the Apostles”.
The apostles *are being* Orthodox. Fr. Stephen will understand 😃
I see what you did there. ;-)
I’m a human *doing*
what a pious nonsense! They even didn't use such a term to themselves.
@@nicklausbrain did the apostles use the term Trinity? It is not about terms it is if they believe what terms mean when the where first ever used!
If you remain a Protestant after all these talks and research then wow props to you lol
Thank you.
It's tricky. There are plenty of things I agree with in terms of Theology of Orthodoxy, and I'm really enjoying learning about it. But then when it comes to practice, I just don't see how attending an Orthodox liturgy would be any more beneficial to my growth as a Christian than attending a Protestant one.
There are also some practices I just didn't think I can ever agree with, such as icon veneration and deification of Mary.
I just don't see enough of a disparity or need to uproot from my home church and join a completely unfamiliar kind of church.
@@Marvel2328 you need to attend lithurgy a number of times before your mind quiets down enough for you to begin to get it
@@Marvel2328Well, nobody worships Mary as God, if that's what you mean. She had to be human for Christ to be the God-man. It makes no sense for any of the departed saints to be considered gods given what we remember them for (exemplary Christian lives).
Stephen De Young is excellent, thank you and please have him on again
I'd love to!
Careful Austin, hanging around us so much is reeeealy catching ...
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Great conversation! My only issue was that it seemed to go by so quickly! Thanks for keeping these insightful and very informative interviews coming. They are a pleasure to listen to because they are always done so respectfully and you ask your guests the questions that I imagine many of your listeners would ask. For sure that is true for me.
I'm so glad you're enjoying them! Thanks for the encouragement!
What interesting and substantive content! God bless you both. Thank you for sharing your insights with us. ☦️
Glad you enjoyed it!
A lot of sunday school teachings are gonna be destroyed!
Good 😎
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE is The Savior
YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF”
From the Ancient Semitic Scroll:
"Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3)
Ancient Semitic Direct Translation
Yad - "Behold The Hand"
He - "Behold the Breath"
Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
I saw in the stream someone asking about Western Rite Orthodoxy. Fr. Stephen is part of the Antiochian Archdiocese and they have Western Rite parishes. You can find that info on their website.
Thanks!
@@GospelSimplicity No problem. Folks can check out St. Patrick Orthodox Church in Virginia if they're interested. They have a TH-cam channel and stream Lauds, Vespers, and the Mass regularly.
the areopagus strikes again :)
@@gregbg3200 You never know where we'll turn up...
The Apostles ARE Orthodox ...
Wonderful discussion! I especially love the Thanksgiving example for Orthodoxy. 🦃
Saw this and suddenly became VERY excited
Yup I can confirm, in college, circa 91-92, Stephen DeYoung was ordering books "online" from harvard about Linear B. which in the early 90's was pretty impressive.
"The robes" of today's Orthodox Church that were mentioned as perhaps "looking different" than those of the time of the Apostles would actually, though not existent during the times of persecution of the early Church, be happily and amazedly recognized by the Apostles as very familiar to them owing to their Jewish roots.
I just visited you on the fourth! This is Zoe. Hi Father Stephen! Loved your parish look forward to visiting again soon😊
Thanks Austin. Been looking forward to this since you had Fr Trenham and Dr Heiser. Always great to see Fr De Young. God bless you both.
My pleasure!
Thank you for the excellent discourse. Great job 👏 … just got the book 📕, a Catholic friend 🥰
I hope Dr. Michael Heiser's work makes it into the conversation. It seems like it should. I absolutely love Fr. DeYoung's new book. It's an instant classic.
If so, I hope only to put the smack down on him. He's a historian but poor philosophy makes him come up with bad assumptions
He did not come into this conversation
@@ContemplativeSoul
What bad Assumptions?
@@goyonman9655 I've seen Heiser go after and attack the Orthodox position of the Eucharist and Oral Tradition with assumptions of what he thinks we mean vs what we actually mean, in an uncharitable way. He's so smug too.
@@ContemplativeSoul
"Smug"?
I dislike smugness
This episode is saved in favorites.
Glad to hear that!
That question in 1:03:04 about the Theotokos which apostols wouldn't know was not correct.
Apostles in the first century didn't know lots of theological terms, like Holy Trinity, Homoousios, Person, etc. which were brought up in to Christian theology three centuries later. So what? If some terms didn't exist in the 1-st century it doesn't mean they are wrong.
What would be a real shock for the apostles is if they visited a modern Baptist or Pentecostal rock-n-roll worship. And there would be even more shocking for them to hear from a "pastor" that there is no real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
I don't think that the apostols would even call these people Christians.
Now everybody is politically correct and tolerant, call everybody Christian, we are used to call any sect which is 100 years old a church. We are the Church, they are the Church, we are Christians, they are Christians, no Bishop, no Altar, no Eucharist,... but they are "Christians of different traditions". Wow...
"We don't worship the words we worship what they signify" one of holy fathers said I believe about Holy Trinity
The terms were not coined out not the concepts, it's important what they mean not the words themselves
I listen to Fr. Stephen's Whole Counsel of God podcast and The Lord of Spirits podcast and I bought this book. I recommend it to everyone who really wants to know what the early church believed and practiced. Thanks for this interview, Austin!
Compare and contrast with your interview with the Anabaptist gentleman. I think Fr. De Young makes a much better and well researched case for his view of what the "early church" was.
Thanks a lot Austin. A very informative conversation 👌
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome!!! Really looking forward to this!
Eagerly anticipating this discussion.
Father Stephen's Book is Fantastic!!!
This has been another great learning experience... God's double blessings on you both and I thank God for your faithfulness. From a long time cradle Catholic.
Thank you Austin and Father Steven!
Thanks for all you do! Always grateful for open and insightful conversation. Glory to God!
I love this, thank you for organizing and sharing. IC XC NIKA
Dude, Fr Stephen joins us often over at The Remnant Radio. Way cool, I'm definitely gonna have to give this a listen.
Hope you enjoy it! Remnant Radio is a great show
My daughter's priest!
Wonderful!
Excellent conversation! Thank you!
I’m looking forward to this 😁
Hope you enjoy it!
I like that you take care regarding aesthetics and even crafted a unique, inviting setting
I believe that creating in the faithful a deep appreciation and understanding for God as revealed in the Torah would go a long way to creating the Christian revival that this world deeply needs right now.
And one of those things is the need to remove idols, and graven images and worship the living God not the god made by man's hands.
.this abominable notion that graven images have now just become Icons is Ludacris.
The main struggle of all denominations is their Desiree to uphold pagan traditions of making God into an image and then bowing down to it or worse praying to Mary and the dead. In which this was punishable by death in the Torah. And condemned heavily in the new testament.
@@Barthaneous34 Just say you don't understand Orthodox Christianity.
What would second temple Jewish worshipers think of icons, religious art, and a focus of a non-divine figure (Mary and the saints) in the liturgy?
To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant
And to cease to be Roman Catholic.
And to become Orthodox
Love Father Stephen!
Yes!!!! Love Fr. De Young.
I say we go back to referring to ourselves as The Way. If it’s good enough for the apostles, it’s good enough for me. Why not?
As an evangelical of Jewish descent inquiring Orthodoxy, this video was very helpful in regards to my identity. I've had some anti-Semitic encounters from those in the apostolic churches, which I don't hold against whichever church is true, however it is helpful to know that there's more to the Jewish faith tradition than Rabbinic "Orthodoxy." St. Peter, pray for Israel.
Eeeep so excited!!! ☦️🙏🏻🤍
Would the Apostles be Orthodox? This non-question is like asking “would a bachelor be unmarried?”
Bruh.. finally 😩😩👌👌🔥
Hope you enjoyed it!
Austin, you are the bomb. Thank you for keeping an open mind. Please continue with the shows on Orthodoxy. I was raised catholic including 16 years of catholic education. I never had a bad experience with the nuns or priests. But I started thinking Catholicism was not for me when I was about 8. Now I am 64. I searched and searched. Buddhism is the most beautiful pathway. Truly. But I need Jesus so I major in orthodoxy and minor in Buddhism. Buddha doesn’t speak to God. It’s all about removing the plank in your own eye. Plenty of room for my lord.
Orthodoxy also has the Hesychast practice which is similar to Buddhist meditation. Look into the Orthodox Jesus prayer.
Brooooo!!!!! I’m so excited! Please ask him about giants!!
Everyone gets excited about giants!
Great video. Speaking of the "Two Powers in Heaven" made me think about Dr. Michael Heiser. I think you should invite him to discuss with you Austin. I'm Catholic, but he's possibly my favorite protestant scholar right now.
Now that I finished this video, I’m going to listen to the LOS podcast because I’m WAYYYYY behind. 😬😬
Enjoy!
@@GospelSimplicity Oh, I will! Lol
Solid Gold! Thank you my friend.
Great topic! And yes, they would. ☦ 😊
They *were* 😁☦️
@@brotheraugustine *ARE BEING* 🤓
I really honor Father Stephen. What a great evangelist for Christ. Go Orthodox!
First Orthodox Church Patriarch is Abraham
I have been reading a book called Penecostal Sacraments its about how different demonisations emphasize different aspects of Christianity but we need everything Christ has to offer
His comparison of a turkey sandwich vs. a Thanksgiving meal sort of the way I view protestants as a life long Catholic. They have the "turkey sandwich", but they miss out on the full, wonderful meal That Catholicism has to offer.
True…And they both miss out on orthodoxy. 👍
@@zealousideal The Holy Catholic Church is the true Orthodox Church
@@JengaJay negative…Ex Catholic here. Sell that to someone else Bcz I’m not buying it. Lol 😂
The original is Orthodoxy and the proof is all there. In fact the true Orthodox are Catholics .
Even many Saints and Fathers say it. In fact, as orthodox we still say “Orthodox are the original and true Catholics.” Lol.
@@zealousideal Right, so you replied to my comment claiming that the Father’s claimed orthodoxy is Catholicism when I said the same thing about my position? Seems rather rhetorical to me than actually proving why the Catholic Church is false [Like: Expressing why you stopped believing in Catholic dogma, or the errors of Catholic saints] you haven’t made any statement as to why it’s false
I would be obliged if you gave reasons
@@JengaJay sorry It must have deleted my original comment somehow. I stopped debating people online..it’s a huge waste of time and doesn’t get anywhere. But if you really wanna know the truth contact me and we can discuss it. I’ve spent many many years researching this deeply and debating. On the surface it does seem like Roman Catholicism is the truth, but if you research more deeply you will find out the truth. The proof is all there if you really want it and seek it. I was in confusion for many years myself until one day I saw it plainly and it all made sense finally and the evidence is there.
I think this is an important question
Would the Apostles:
Ask intercession from the dead
kiss images
Teach purgatory
Teach indulgences
Teach the trinity
Ask that
I don’t think the “two powers” idea is well supported
God is always “he”
it's just gonna be a matter of time before we see him embrace eastern orthodoxy. haha.
=]
I dunno, there seems to be a cloud of accepting, shopping ala Golden Corral, on what "feels" right vs the Truth. We can't help it in the West.
I have this book on the "next up to read" list. Excellent interview.
You may find that Ancient Antiochene Theology covers the first 400AD years of the true Church, the Antiochene...way before the Greek Orthodox or Roman Schism ever existed.
Orthodoxy has existed since the first century. "Greek Orthodox" is but a fraction of Orthodoxy.
Both Fr. Stephen and myself belong to the Antiochian Orthodox Church
Well done, Fr. As always.
Thanks for listening
Dude!
This is a great program. Thanks
My pleasure!
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Fr. Stephen gave a charitable understanding btwn. Orthodox and non-Orthodox. I've been considering a not so nice view which would be that there is one Church which Christ created through which He gives His Grace and Salvation to mankind. If your not in that Church, you "may" have some exceptional help and mercy but it isn't a safe place to live in. If you are in the that Church, you "may" become a god by grace, but you will need to work really hard at it; it literally is the most difficult thing one can do. You can disagree on which current day Church is that Church which Christ created, but have the same view on the nature of the Church. I feel the pressure to be accepting and loving to all humanity for sure and hope and desire everyone be saved and can overlook all the horrible things we do. But when thinking about what kind of entity the Church is or what it's nature is, I have been considering whether there is merit in the view of it being as described above. Often the Church is viewed or likened to Noah's ark saving those who entered it. Why wouldn't the new ark not have a very distinct and well defined shape to it as well?
I'll be releasing a conversation with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick soon on Orthodox/Non-Orthodox relations soon
@@GospelSimplicity Maybe the nature of the Church would be a good thing to be clear on since that would in large part determine the scope of the types of relations that can exist between those in and out of the Church. Of course one can disagree if the Orthodox or Roman Catholic or Lutheran or Baptist or all communities that confess Jesus as Lord is the Church. Still no mater what we have come to believe about what body currently makes up the Church, there will be some in and some out and we have to think about how those in must relate to those out. Also how to relate to those within who act like infidels or non-believers. Paul addresses that relationship too.
St. Silouan the Athonite had such a love for all mankind regardless of their sinfulness or ecclesiastical standing so much that it pained him to think that there would be someone in hell while he was in heaven. So he loved everyone. There can't be a question about loving all people, even our enemies Christ has commanded us to love. So the discussion about relations btwn. in and out of the Church can get side tracked on focusing on the intentions and motives of the person and finding out "Are you asking this question because you have a problem loving all people?" And sometimes can get rhetorical and chasing red herrings about loving others or focusing on the thief on the cross and other exceptional cases where someone is saved outside the Church. We should ask "What is the divine economy revealed by God for salvation for the world as it is supposed to be happening?" So in short, what is the ideal and then to what extent is our current situation able to achieve that ideal. Of course God loves us so much and helps us as we trudge through this messy sinful and broken life and this has introduced many factors that complicate matters. Like, 'what about the hindu man who is holy and never heard the gsopel, are you saying he will go to hell?, or What about the Assemblies of God minister down the road who loves Jesus with all his heart are you saying he is going to hell because he doesn't go to a Catholic church or whatever?" I think we need to find out first what is the Church before we can answer those questions instead of feeling bad that someone could not be saved and then creating our theology from that sympathy.
The ark is a good metaphor....a safe boat in a storm vs a dinghy or an innertube.
austin, you are a Gem my brother...thank you for all you're doing. You never disappoint!
Don't the Catholic and Orthodox break the commandment by having idols in the church and kissing idols of Jesus and the apostles?
Not idols. Idols take glory from God. Icons are images of saints and important events in church history (See Hebrews 12). Most protestants fail to realize that the Church didn't start in 1500s! (I'm a former protestant) - hope that helps!
@@accentedreality can you be more specific than Hebrew 12? I see nothing in it about icons.
I am always fascinated by the number of Eucharistic miracles reported in the Catholic Church, and would like to hear about the miracles experienced in the Orthodox church.
Can anyone here direct me?
The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. In this way it is a Miracle.
Now the Orthodox Church's stance on the RC idea of "Eucharistic Miracles" like the Bread becoming flesh in form is a sign of spiritual dysfunction in a Parish.
Is Orthodox Christianity different than Catholicism?
Praying to saints?
Men forgiving sin for God?
Praying to Mary to twist Jesus arm for favors?
Idols/graven images in church?
Bowing and Praying to them?
How are these excepted when the Bible clearly forbids them?
It was the Orthodox faith that assembled what we see now as an abridged version of the Bible. One might want to dig into what those folks saw as the Christian faith, how they lived, worshipped etc. Or better yet, the life of the faithful in the centuries before the Bible was assembled. Oh, And all of the things you said about Orthodoxy in your statement above are patently false, which means you have not actually looked into Orthodoxy, but instead have simply brought your pre-conceived notions with you and are simply making a statement to inflame emotions.
@@frankherbert6476 first I was asking a question! Are the Orthodox similar to Catholicism[?] You should learn the difference between a question [?] and a statement[.] [!] The punctuation mark at the end of a sentence tells you what the sentence was. That was a statement of fact so ends with a [.] as does this sentence. Ok[?]
Your not trying to tell me Catholics don't pray to saints, or have confessional where the priest absolves them of their sin[?] Or pray the rosary beads where the very first prayer is to Mary[?] Hail Mary full of grace ( Mary can't have grace on mankind ) the Lord is with thee.
Then there's patron saints[.] My Mom was given a Saint Christopher Medal in the hospital for his protection[.]
Jesus told us to call no man on Earth Father Matt 23:9[.]
***Purgatory[!] No where in the Bible is Purgatory mentioned[.] Especially as a place where one's are 'burned off' and eventually you'll make it to Heaven[.] This is probably is the most horrific belief leading people to think they can live how they wish cause eventually they'll get to Heaven[.]
Again do Orthodox believe all of these things too[?] If so where did these beliefs come from[?] How were they accepted as biblical when they're clearly not[.]
I know the church fathers gave us the Bible, I also know down through the centuries when church and state were one there were lot of evil Pope's who invented things to maintain their power corrupting the church's dogma[.]
th-cam.com/video/p5IGvGowNa0/w-d-xo.html
*** Exclamation point [!]...An exclamatory sentence is one that expresses a strong or forceful emotion, such as anger, surprise, or joy.
@@floydiandreamscapes5145 Ahhh RIck, good afternoon! I see we're full of good humor this morning! Refreshing! Let me clarify my earlier answer. It seems that you have a serious issue with the Roman Catholic Church (which is neither Roman nor Catholic-more like Latin Schismatics) and keep circling back to lump them together with Orthodox. Your latest response is full of finger pointing instead of genuine questions. I see you seem to be a grammar major, so I'll get to the point. You wrote unclear, bulletized fragment sentence statements that you tried to frame as questions. It was unclear exactly how I could answer these incomplete sentences/questions, but since you insist, here are the answers:
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Last question is biased as well as unclear. Is this last question referring to all of the prior questions, or just the previous one? Since "No" would be the previous answers, it negates this question. Also, it assumes your interpretation of the Bible is correct. I would look at those who assembled the Bible, and see how they worshipped and approached the Faith. If your approach is different, why do you get to be right?
And it's "you're" not "your".
@@floydiandreamscapes5145 Orthodox believe the essence energies idivisible distinction catholic actus purus meaning the essence is identical with the energies of God ,and God operates in created energies. We are talking between them an ontologicall different Theology what one calls Deity the energies of God the other calls it created. If you dont understand these so important issues you wil simple confuse, those two ontologicall different faiths. In the synodicon of orthodoxy it says those that say the energies of God as created are worst then arius and eunomius says. The term ενέργεια energy is used from Paul in his epistles original language text.
1:03:25 Mary’s special place is as early as “blessed art thou women,” and “behold thy mother” :)
So you're tellin' me WE DA REAL JEWS?!
Yee
No question about it. See Romans 9, Ephesians 2 & Galatians 3, amongst many other chapters highlighting the same
🤣🤣🤣
Can’t wait!
Well they sure wouldn't be Protestants
In the words of our nicene creed, it is the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic church👏
Gospel Simplicity has become Gospel Deep-plicity, and Jesus would even be lost in it.
It’s simple, go Orthodox!