How Orthodoxy Saved Me From Myself with Frederica Mathewes-Green (Hank Unplugged Podcast)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- ✅ For further study, get Hank's book "Truth Matters, Life Matters More: The Unexpected Beauty of an Authentic Christian Life" on Amazon: amzn.to/2Ycd3CX
Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast and president of the Christian Research Institute, makes his debut into podcasting with the first episode of Hank Unplugged by inviting his close friend and best-selling author Frederica Mathewes-Green onto the podcast to discuss Hank's transition into Eastern Orthodoxy, being diagnosed with cancer, and the way that those two situations have impacted one another. Topics discussed include the difference Orthodoxy has made for Hank after being diagnosed with cancer and reordering his life around the divine (11:00); the history of the church, schisms, and the high priestly prayer that we all must be as one (14:00); community memory as a source of Church authority and the perpetuation of Holy tradition in addition to “being biblical” (22:30); the “spiritual gymnasium” found in the Orthodox Church (37:30); the tension Hank feels between wanting the Lord to heal him and wanting the Lord to prune him for His glory as a witness (40:30); the idea of intercession of the community of the saints through prayer and the idea that there are no dead Christians (46:30); and how Hank has staked his whole career and ministry on his belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (52:30).
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" www.equip.org/article/left-christian-faith/ (2) "Questions and Answers about Orthodoxy
" www.equip.org/questions-answers-orthodoxy/ (3) "Does the Bible Answer Man’s Son Believe That He Has “Left the Christian Faith”?" www.equip.org/article/does-the-bible-answer-mans-son-believe-that-he-has-left-the-christian-faith/
Came to Orthodoxy from pentecostalism... Blessed to follow the holy tradition 🙏
First of all he didn’t come from Hey Penecostal background. He came from an evangelical Christians big difference! The Orthodox Church may be an improvement on the Roman Catholic Church but ultimately you’re still teaching a false gospel. In any case none of us are listening to Hank Hana graph I never liked the man I was suspicious serving I’ll let the good Lord be his judge but he’s just as bad join in the orthodox is a lot of people are to join other Churches that have umbilical teachings.
@@Americanpatriot-zo2tk I think the initial commenter wasn't talking about Hank going from Pentecostal to Orthodox, he was speaking of himself.
Tradition? That’s the problem with most of these churches nowadays they don’t follow the word guy they follow tradition from a bunch of morons that made up a religion.
@@Americanpatriot-zo2tk what church do you go to?
@@MrMarkovka11 i’m not a member of any particular church. Please pay close attention here. I believe the church(ekklesia) Are the people that are believers and Jesus. I think the Orthodox Church is pretty good certainly for superior to the Roman Catholic Church. I’m a little shocked though that someone like Hank Hanegraf Would join an organization that has infant baptism for example I don’t agree with that but I want to be clear anybody this a believer in Jesus and his ass for forgiveness and his trusting in God for their salvation as far as I’m concerned you’re my brother sister. By the way you bottle the ends on this I don’t think there’s a so-called church on the face of this planet that has everything right. I’m assuming you’re orthodox?
My wife and I are exploring orthodoxy here in the UK, and have been blessed by your journey Hank! We love these podcasts and introductions to the eastern church. Our love to you friend.
I can recommend you to visit and stay a bit in the monastery St. John the Frontrunner in Tolleshunt Knights
Hank, thank you so much for this interview. God has been leading me on the road to Orthodoxy for the last two or three months now. I am from the reformed faith so it is a incredible Journey as you can imagine. The best way I can describe it is that I had many layers to my onion the God had to peel off one at a time. Praise be to God most high for he is still doing the peeling.
I'm going to get the book Federica rote on audio. Thank you very very much. Praying for your healing God bless you sincerely God bless you! Amen
Hank, I’ve benefitted from your broadcast since 1992 the year I became a believer. Thank you for using your gifts and sharing what the Lord is doing in your life. Praying you recover well. Keep sharing please.
Frederica Mathewes-Green is so clear in her presentation of information, and yes, I agree, I want to walk a path that is closest to the early Christian way. That is why I'm Greek Orthodox. The GOC is ancient, yet vibrant and fully alive!
Amen Katy! After being raised Catholic and spending 25 years in Protestant churches I have finally found the Ancient Faith, and couldn't be more blessed!!
I’ve all but given up looking for a church. I’ve been to so many of them: Catholic, baptist, lutheran, seventh day adventist, worldwide church of God, etc., etc. l don’t agree with everything Hank says, but l believe in most of the main things that the bible teaches. And l respect the fact that he endeavors to reach out to the false teachers in order to give them an opportunity to repent and worship God and our savior, Jesus Christ. He doesn’t just condemn them. Yes, he condemns their evil practices, but seeks to have them reconcile with our Lord! Anyway, l’m going to find a GOC and take it from there. Wish me luck!
@@vincentdesiano4861 , I wish you Godspeed!
Your story sounds similar to mine. Would you mind sharing any updates on your Orthodox experience?
I attend a Greek Orthodox Church after 20 years as a Protestant. I am now a catechumen on my path to converting to Holy Orthodoxy.
You are such a wonderful decent, peaceful man Hank. May God bless you, for you have done such a service to me by directing me on a journey to orthodoxy thus literally saving my life in ways I can't explain. I'm so sorry for your illness and I do pray for you. Just wanted tom tell you how affective your teaching was in putting me on the right path. You don't judge you don't condemn, you don't criticize those who do all things to you. you're humbleness reflects in your descriptions of eastern orthodoxy. Than you sir....
Since comments were turned off to your lecture at the Orient Palace Hotel, I will express them here: your history is plain wrong related to Israel. I cannot get away from anti-Jewish bigotry on the left, the right, or the church. There was no Arab genocide by Jewish people. I would ask: where are other Middle Eastern nations Jews? Israel, even from a secular position, has history to back up its right to exist. It was a land occupied for 2,000 years until 1948, even now there are more than 2 million Arab-Israeli’s living there. Most peacefully, flourishing, I know, I have been there many times.
Grateful that the Lord has healed you, Hank. I so enjoyed listening again to this conversation with Frederica. I'm not Orthodox, but am close. My first taste of Orthodoxy was in the mid-80s when I visited an OCA church in the Atlanta area. Never could get it out of my system. Keep proclaiming the Truth. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Thank you so much for this, orthodoxy is calling me home!!
Christ is Risen! Love your faithfulness.
Alithos.
Hello Mr. Hanegraaf, I am so glad that you have been recovering from your cancer!!!
I want to say thank you for all these podcasts. I am a Christian of both Catholic and Protestant backgrounds, and I have recently been feeling extremely discouraged with the church and the disillusionment I see. The fakeness. I was almost at a point of despair when I came across your videos, but after watching what you had to say, and doing further research, I feel like there is a door opening for me. I have been going through a time of great spiritual trial, but the teachings of the Orthodox church have been helping me persevere and accept difficulty.
As we recieve Christ through faith and are saved through his grace, we must also live the life of a follower of Christ, and die to ourselves daily.
I was saved, I'm being saved, and I will be saved!!! That is our hope.
You have been used by God to initiate this journey of discovery on which I plan to embark. I have a feeling that this is true of many people.
Thank you sir. God bless you.
Hi E N, l’m one of those people! I’ve been to so many churches of various stripes over the years and have yet to get the right fit. The most loving and spiritual church l became a member of was The Worldwide Church of God. Sadly, it turned out to be a false church. But the Queens congregation was just wonderful! The people there were very warm and accepting. And l developed some close friendships there. Our pastor was highly regarded and a gifted preacher. Tragically, l was overtaken by temptation and could not bring myself to lead a double life. So, l just drifted away. It wasn’t too long after that that the Worldwide Church of God was exposed on 60 Minutes to be a false church whose founder Herbert W Armstrong turned out to be a crook who used the congregants tithes to fatten up his bank accounts snd travel the World to meet with foreign dignitaries and “preach the word.” What a shame! (To be continued. Maybe.)
Glory to God! I converted from protestantism to Orthodoxy almost a year ago and feel as though I have traded "making mudpies in the slums for a holiday at the beach!" (literary respect to C.S.L.). May God bless you and have mercy upon you! Good Strength!
Love you hank
Listened to you for years. I knew your were going to Orthodoxy a couple of years ago though you never mentioned it. Praise God you found your home. I'm praying for you.
Firstly Mr. Allen you are not to be revered,you're simply a man in need of a savior like us all. Secondary why give accolades to an apostate who is leading many of his followers astray? Like yourself he needs to repent of teaching heresy and harmful traditions .
@@robertsoricelli3540 What, exactly, has he taught that is harmful and heretical? Interesting that you accuse without providing evidence to back up your claim.
@@robertsoricelli3540 "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching."
I think that is somewhere in the Bible. Perhaps, to be more biblical, we could call him Doubly Honorable Allen.
@@robertsoricelli3540 he is not an apostate and he's not teaching heresy.
Hank is finally found the fulfillment of Holy scripture in the Orthodox Church. You should too.
The word of God will always keep me from darkness .I had to go through error to the truth right divided .may the lord God guide you to who he thinks rightly divides the word of truth .
What a beautiful, anointed discussion...
Just now learned of your move to Orthodoxy, while coincidentally I have been considering the same. ✔️
welcome to the Orthodox Church is an EXCELLENT book. Reading for the second time now
Please pray for us! My wife wants nothing to do with Orthodoxy. Need a miracle. Dan and Cathy. Thank you!
🙏
Orthodox should flourish around the world!!! we need more education in different language.
I attended Hanks Sunday morning Bible study at SCC (now Vanguard University) around 1993. There I met Bob and Gretchen Passantino, who were guest speakers one morning, and got involved with their ministry (Answers In Action) as a direct result of Hanks ministry. And let me say this: Bob and Gretchen were an amazing apologetics duo that introduced me to Orthodoxy by way of announcing teaching events and festivals at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, CA. Bob had objections to Orthodoxy (i.e. Apostolic succession) and I didn't feel the need to convert. But Bob died near the end of 2003 and I was devastated at his loss. I had learned so much from him. He was like a father to me. The unexpected blessing that came from that was that I didn't feel as tethered to my Lutheran faith. So in 2004 I became a catechumen in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. It took me 4 years to convert, great sinner that I am. And I still think of myself as a catechumen to this day because there's so much I don't know about Orthodox theology and practice. What I do know is that I found healing of soul in Orthodoxy. And so my experience has come full circle with Hanks conversion. I would never have guessed the adventure in store for me when I attended Hanks Bible study in 1993. God used all those people and experiences, many of which I don't have time to mention here, to soften my hard heart and draw me into the communion of saints. And so I pray that God grant Hank and his family many years. Amen 🤗
I have to ask, what parish do you belong? I volunteer every year at the St. Paul Greek Festival even though I am a parishioner of St. Barnabas.
Hank there was a Matushka to a father deacon in a church in Little Rock, AR. whom was healed of tumors after receiving Holy Unction but then a week or so later her husband was killed in their front yard. We live in a fallen world and it is full of suffering which by the grace of God causes us to look to Him and not to ourselves. One day, as you know, we will have the fullness of understanding. Lord have mercy!
Before I make my comment about something said on the podcast, I would like to preface it by saying I am myself a former evangelical who considered Orthodoxy [as an evangelical I was / am a devotee of Francis Schaeffer and his publishing ministry, and was intrigued by the fact that one of his sons, Franky, I believe his name was, was received into Orthodoxy] for a time, and was a long time listener to Mr. Hanegraaf's broadcast while an evangelical in the military in my early twenties and thirties, but was subsequently received into the Catholic Church about ten years ago. So I have no axe to grind with Mr. Hanegraaf, I am grateful to him and his commitment to fidelity to the sacred Scriptures and am grateful for the part he played in my formation as an evangelical Christian. Like him, I don't believe I left any of my evangelicalism behind when I was received into the Catholic Church. Everything I had then, I brought with me and it is still present both in me and in the Church. So, thank you to Mr. Hanegraaf, his ministry, and to the Christian Research Institute and 'The Bible Answer Man' broadcast [and to Walter Martin CRI's founder, and his 'The Kingdom of the Cults'.]
As you can imagine my comment revolves around Mr. Hanegraaf's and Mrs. Matthews-Greene's discussion regarding the 'papacy' / the 'primacy of Peter' during their discussion about the role of "community memory" within Orthodoxy. The text of sacred Scripture which Mr. Hannegraaf quotes at I Corinthian's 15 regarding the Gospel, at vs. 5 specifically, distinguishes 'Cephas' from among the 'Twelve' at vs. 5. THAT name 'Cephas' is the key to understanding what the Catholic Church teaches regarding the 'primacy' of St. Peter among the Twelve, and why it maintains the 'Petrine primacy' among the Twelve, and maintains the primacy of the bishop who sits on the 'chair of St. Peter' as having a primacy among the world's bishops.
The reason why the word 'Cephas' is important [cf. John 1: 40-42] has its foreshadowing in Tanakh / the Old Testament. When YHWH / the LORD God called Abram and Sarai out of Ur of the Chaldees and led them into the wilderness, and entered into a covenant with him and made him the Patriarch of Judaism, He CHANGED HIS NAME from Abram to Abraham [cf. Genesis 17: 1-5]. When He extended his covenant to his grandson Jacob, having wrestled with God's messenger in the wilderness, He CHANGED HIS NAME from 'Jacob' to 'Israel' [cf. Genesis 32: 23-33, particularly vss. 27-29].
The other foreshadowing from the OT to consider is that from among the Twelve Tribes of Israel, later in Jewish history, ONE tribe was singled out FROM AMONG THE TWELVE, the tribe of Judah ["the scepter shall not pass out of the hands of Judah"] from whom would come the Messiah. There was both an equality of all being descendants from the patriarch Jacob AND a 'primacy', one from among the Twelve and ONLY FROM that one, that the promised Messiah would come.
So it is highly significant, in that first century AD Jewish historical-theological context just mentioned, that on their very first meeting [cf. John 1: 40-42], chronologically before the often discussed events at Matthew 16: 13-20 [Thou art Peter and on this rock....], Jesus, as YHWH / the LORD God did with Abram / Abraham and Jacob / Israel CHANGES THE NAME of Simon bar Jonah. NO OTHER APOSTLE among the Twelve has his individual name changed the way Simon does here at John 1: 40-42. Whenever the names of the Twelve are listed in the synoptic Gospels in the accounts that narrate their being chosen as the Twelve [cf. Matthew 10: 1-4; Mark 3: 13-19; and Luke 6: 12-16], Simon Cephas / Simon Peter's name is ALWAYS LISTED FIRST, and that WITH THE NAME Jesus gave uniquely to Him. We saw at John 1: 40-42 that it was his brother Andrew who meets Jesus Christ first, not Peter, so Peter's being listed "first" among the Twelve, in all three synoptic Gospels, is NOT CHRONOLOGICAL, it is a "first"-ness of PRIORITY. He and HE ALONE among the Twelve receives this name change, like the Jewish patriarchs.
It is significant, therefore, that when St. Paul is delineating the "Gospel" he preaches in I Corinthians 15: 3-8, the text which Mr. Hanegraaf quotes, and which is the basis of the discussion he and Mrs. Matthews-Green are using to discuss "community memory" but during which they are also denying the 'Petrine primacy', that St. Paul SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS the name 'Cephas' [cf. I Corinthians 15: 5a], the name given to he and HE ALONE from among the Twelve, and that IN THAT TEXT Cephas is mentioned FIRST and singled out as to who Christ revealed Himself to first, and THEN, the text says, "to the Twelve" collectively [cf. I Corinthians 15: 5b]. If the world's bishops were simply mean to think of themselves as collectively on the same level with an equal share in maintaining "community memory", but with no distinction between them, why doesn't I Corinthians simply mention them collectively? Why use the unique name Jesus gave to Peter and which no other Apostle individually received? Why single 'Cephas' out from among the Twelve? These textual clues, while subtle, are meant to suggest to their first century audience, to St. Paul, and to us the "community memory" of St. Paul and the Apostles, that while there IS an equal equality of their all being bishops, there is ALSO a primacy, 'Cephas', which Simon Peter held among the Apostles which was foreshadowed in the OT, with the changing of the patriarch's names, AND in the primacy of Judah from among the Twelve Tribes of ancient Israel.
Amazing comment. I have not thought of that before. Thanks for sharing.
@@derechoplano Thank you for your gracious generosity. There are other things to be said from the biblical texts of sacred Scripture which suggest the same thing, but in consideration it was the text from I Corinthians 15 which Mr. Hanegraaf and Mrs. Matthews-Green were discussing, I limited my comments to those texts. It is, however, also worth examining the passage at John 21: 15-19 where after His resurrection and just prior to His resurrection, Jesus Christ entrusts the shepherding of His flock to St. Peter and no other Apostle [both "lambs" [baby sheep / new disciples, lay believers] and "sheep" [full grown sheep / mature believers, or those in positions of leadership in the ecclesial community]: feed...tend....feed.... We could also look at the structure of the entirety of The Book of the Acts of the Apostles. The whole first half of that book, the main protagonist is St. Peter, and although St. Paul plays a prominent role in the entirety of the second half of that book, St. Peter is the sole Apostle to receive the vision to include non-Jewish Gentiles into the Church [cf. Acts 10, 11] in the second half of the Book of the Acts of the Apostle AND leads the first ecumenical council of the Church, the council in Jerusalem [cf. Acts 15] with corroborating testimony from St. James.
Enjoyed this immensely the time just flew by and learned so much and feel better ! Amen
Hello Hank, I really enjoyed this episode and have been facinated with Orthodoxy every since visiting a parish with a boss a few years ago. I've recently incorporated fasting and daily Orthodox prayers into my life, and it has had a profound impact, helping me combat sin by the grace of God. I used to associate many apostolic traditions solely with Roman Catholicism, unaware that other ancient faiths share similar beliefs and practices. However, I'm grappling with all of their ecclesiology. I've noticed a tendency, akin to how Protestants overlook the East and see only the Roman Catholic Church as an alternative, for Eastern Orthodox believers to disregard the Oriental Orthodox churches and the Church of the East. It might be my ecumenical leanings from evangelical protestantism, but I find it challenging to accept the anathematization of ancient faiths in Ethiopia, India, Armenia, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere. I'm curious to hear your perspective on this matter.
Yes. There is a diversity of bodies under the rubric of Oriental @joeybwalsh Orthodox, which are historically non-Chalcedonian. The basic issues are outlined in this article > www.equip.org/article/how-was-orthodoxy-established-in-the-ecumenical-councils/
Who is Jesus? This is a vital question we all have to consider when striving for unity in the Church. There is something to saying Christ is fully divine and fully human in one person, this dual nature, which is absent in declaring Christ is one nature (miaphysite). The differences here make all the difference in the world.
Thank you so much for the reply, Hank. Do you believe it was a misunderstanding? They were labeled monophysites just as the Church of the East were labeled Nestorians and both reject those labels. Maybe I'm naive but it seems irrelevent for the common layperson who reads almost identical liturgy and prayers in the Oriental and Eastern traditions. It doesn't seem like the theological difference materializes in any practical way.
From the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. "The faith is the same but division came because of a misunderstanding that occurred among the church members at the council of Chalcedon. The Coptic Church was misunderstood at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. The Coptic Church was accused of following the teaching of Eutyches, who believed in Monophysis. This doctrine maintains that the Lord has only one nature; the Divine nature only. The Coptic Church refuses and rejects the teaching of Eutyches and believes that our Lord Jesus Christ is perfect in His divinity and perfect in His humanity."@@BibleAnswerMan
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I just found your TH-cam channel and I’m very excited listen to what you have to say! Thanks and blessings!
Love you, Hank! Keep up the great work.
I also go to Orthodox prayers once a week and read and listen to Orthodox material. More than 10 years now. But I do have questions concerning such Orthodox teachings as Theotokos, Mytarstva, Apotastasis, etc When I was going to a Biblical church (for nearly 10 years) I used to have an enlightenment for every doctrine, decisions, so as to depend on God, His leading, counselling as much as possible. But unfortunately I also can see that conformism is spread among careerist carnal Orthodoxs just as among Protestants and Catholics.
I still believe and wait on 1 Corinthians 2:10:
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
At 40+ years of age, I encountered God...then Christ...and then Hank on the radio. You schooled me on Christianity and guided me in my own study and faith journey. 25+ years later...what a surprise. Tonight, on TH-cam, I found you once again and was surprised to learn of your movement to Orthodoxy. During that same period of movement in your life, I moved from Protestantism to Catholicism. Nearly everything you love about Orthodoxy is what I love about Catholicism. I listened carefully to your discussion about protection of the Christian truth contained in the Orthodox worship/doctrine/prayers/sacraments. You did touch on the vigilence protecting your church practices and beliefs, and I did hear of an Orthodoxy authority that protects and rejects. Maybe not the Pope. But authority, nevertheless. That is as it should be. There is always an authority. It is just a matter of where it resides and how it exerts its influence. The Church Body since the Reformation suffers much in our many divisions. I pray, like so many fellow Christians, for great unity to be restored, bringing all of us back to the Church entrusted to us by Christ. God bless you in your faith and in your ministry to draw people into the beauty of the worship that is centered on sacramental love of God.
God leads every soul by a separate path... St John of the cross im an Orthodox Christian Baptized and confirmed 1958 I'm thankful God delivered you from Evangelical fundamentalism ...not doctrinal arguments but liturgical practice to experience the presence of the Lord Christo Enestes
I'm listening and I want!
Please read these scriptures.
Mark 16:16
Acts 2 38.
God Bless Y'all 🙏🙏🙏.
Very cool conversation!
Hank, I stumbled upon your TH-cam channel. Thank you for all your wonderful TH-cam and podcast.
I'm Eastern Orthodox; I am a member of St George Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church in Troy Michigan. When my daughter, granddaughter and I were just beginning our journey to Orthodoxy, we are converts in 2006, when I read, sharing with my daughter, the 12-point introduction to Orthodoxy by Matushka Matthew Green, sorry I don't know the Arabic word for a Wife of the Priest.
The 12-point introduction was so intuitive, with so much explanation that when I got to Church I knew what to expect.
Even though I have never met her, she is a person who envelops everyone, with love, who listens and watches her on TH-cam, you feel close to her, that she's is your Matushka.
Thank you for sharing.
Christ is in our mist and ever shall be.
Today is April 5th 2018; tomorrow we take the Lord down from the cross and in the evening we share our Lamentation.
Glory to Jesus Christ.
Christ is risen!
Trampling down death by Death.
Indeed he is risen!
Do not apologize for not knowing arabic words. Eastern Orthodox christianity is about eastern Europe countries and Greece. We do not understand arabic either. But I'm sure we have brothers and sisters in arab / muslim countries , too. God bless you!
The arabic word for priest’s wife is Khouria
Outstanding
“Scripture is written by a community and the authority is the mind of the community...” Before, such a statement wouldn’t have gone past Mr. Hanegraff without being questioned or challenged!
Absolutely. This is how error has crept into the church. NT authority rests in Jesus and the Apostles alone (Eph 2:20, 3:4-6, I Thes 2:6, II Pet 3:2). This authority was God's method of communicating to us under the Covenant of Grace. When the last book of the NT was written, there was no need for further special revelation or oral tradition. The teachings of the apostles were codified in scripture, and anything that happens subsequent to that is man's response to God's truth, but not authoritative. The "mind of the community" was never to determine new truth/traditions, rather it was intended to be the tool that drives the Body of Christ to align with revealed truth in scripture. The "mind of the community" is not authoritative in and of itself, but rather its authority derives from the degree to which it reflects scripture. The Holy Spirit guides the "mind of the community", but that guidance is not always heeded or is misunderstood. Centuries of church history have taught us what no creed, no organization, and no one person could ever. The body of truth is there for those who have an ear to hear. Let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Elevator2TheTop
Generally speaking the community, or a lay person, in daily life, is closer to the “mind of the community” folks than the scriptures. And for those who are not close to the scriptures there are social, ecclesiastical pressures to agree with the “mind of the community” when there is a variance with scripture. And in many cases the variance is not considered as such, because of the ignorance of scriptures.
Evidences from Old and New Testament times show the variances grow, without any course correction, and over time it becomes an alternate path with the “mind of the community” being de-facto because most people follow it
That' who he meant as the Community. The Apostles ehmmm were members of the Church you know😛. It wasn't "sm else than the Church" that wrote the Gospels.
I am so interested, it has to be said that Christianity is so divided. Protestantism is also so divided. I am so fascinated!!
🙏
Welcome
Hank brother when I had a tumor that deseapear. I went to some charismatic churches to have people pray for me.
Maybe the healing we are praying for comes, and is not a physical healing of our bodies which are temporary, but a deep healing of our soul as one grows in Christ while wrestling with cancer in this life. Something that life changing or shattering, could draw one in deeper to Christ, cause us to pray more and to attend services more growing in Him as we face the end of our earthly body and look to life with the other faithful who went before us. Just a thought, but I do not know.
Why has it been only 1500 years that Christians believed in the body an blood? That isn't old enough. If I'm really interested in church history, and want the mind of the original church, I don't want something that new. I want whatever the 1st century church believed.
It has been 2000 years Calvin, Zwingli, the Swiss brethren, and John Smyth changed its meaning to only something symbolic
@@atanasiogreene8493 it is symbolic, it's also truly his body and blood for the believer. The Catholic notion of literal transformation in the hands of a priest has lead to worshipping teh "host" as God, so bravo for the "wisdom" of your church in not understanding anything
@@jrb2565 What's the difference? Seeing it as the body and blood of Christ, and believing it as a literal transformation are the same things.
@@Canukhed
Hi Daniel. I think I highlighted the difference, in that Catholicism developed a superstition regarding the role of and necessity of a "priest" to "perform" this transmutation and eventually regarding the "host" itself to be God incarnate
This is completely foreign to Christianity and is categorically not what early church writers are describing.
The bread and wine are sacred because they are consecrated as Christ's body and blood for the believer
They still remain bread and wine. This is not difficult to understand - Augustine understood it. But Catholics do not
@Dissonant Timbres
Yes, the offering of thanksgiving, no infant baptism, any prophet can give thanks for the bread and wine as they are able - as you say, it's all there.
Hank, Years ago I called up the Bible Answer Man show, and asked you if God is our Father and Christ is our brother, who is our mother? You gave me a very dismissive Evangelical answer. I am glad that you can now see Mary as Theotokos! I am a traditional Catholic that assists at Latin mass. Would love to see if your journey gets us on the same page. :-)
How can it? The Roman Catholic Church is apostate from the start.
Are you kidding? Well, I "hope" the then "bible answer man" said something like - You think Paul was talking about Mary in Galatians 4:26? Catholics and Orthodox seriously think that Isaiah 66:8,9 is referring to Mary?
Oh my goodness
I had come in on the evangelical and non denominational church. (Just another of the many Protestant denoms), I worked for years with pastors as a music minister, and in the last two years came to orthodoxy. I chant for an Antiochian church now. As Mandalorian says; this is the way.
I do agree that it makes more sense to pay more attention to the teachings of the church fathers who were the closest to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. However, I do not think that God was taken by surprise by the two schisms. I believe these men-caused divisions that gave birth to the Protestant church are being used by God. They are able to reach people that would not approach Orthodox and Catholic churches due to rituals and liturgies. Several of those traditions and rituals are not mentioned in the new testament. However, nothing wrong with them as long as they are not used as a measuring stick. As an evangelical, I am thinking deeper about the meaning of Eucharist and the significance of worship. I do also agree that these two important sacred acts have been downplayed in the evangelical churches. They are not being given due attention. Also, the freedom of interpreting the bible in many ways cannot be classified as a positive trait either. Thanks, Hank I have learned so much from you over the years and will continue to do so until God calls you to be absent from this world. "In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity"
I still listen to Mr. Hanegraaff, ever after his conversion, because I respect and learn greatly from his biblical knowledge.
I grew up first Catholic, then protestant confused. Now, I'm not Orthodox, nor Catholic, nor any other "denomination", and I refuse to be in the Protestant camps. I'm just born again, repented and chose to convert to Christ. I am a wicked person at times when I forget God, but I am always under His Grace and Mercy because of Jesus Christ, and He always brings me back, and the more He sustains me, the less I forget Him. I believe the Bible. I don't believe in using icons, raising Mary to a higher statehood than any other saint, nor trying to please God through objects and ceremonies, but through prayer and obedience (when I don't fail at that also) and remembrances of Christ and His works. Mary is NOT the mother of God, but she was the young vessel used by God to bring Emmanuel. Petitioning dead saints just says the works of Christ were not good enough, and were found lacking. This is no different than confessing Christ as Lord and Saviour with a contrite heart and a repentant attitude, but then purposefully committing sin, which is, in and of itself, calling Jesus Christ a liar. For some reason, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox adherents follow the same system of forming their own worldviews independent of the Bible, as did the Mormons and the JW's. You all confess Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of the Jews, and the Saviour of the Gentiles, and Him alone is Salvation for all people given. Yet, you all have something within that is not in the Bible. You all teach the Bible or a corrupted form of it, with or without additional texts. You all make the Bible more complicated than it really is. You all know it's history, but you all have an inept way of taking something that was plain in the early church before the last apostles died out, and forming it into the image of your own understanding in order to guard your environment. Go back to the ministry of Jesus Christ, and obey His first command: REPENT. ❤
Much the same!
As a Protestant looking for the “TRUTH” I have no doubt that I truly found the “TRUTH”!
Hi Hank and will be praying that things go well for you with your health. I have enjoyed for quite a long time your excellent
explanations as to why Scripture debunks so many of the false teachers theories about a rapture and dispensationilism (Darby &Schofield)
and the false religions and false gospels which have arisen in very recent centuries but wonder why a man like you with so much
understanding of the Word of God should go over to another religious system at this time of your life. It has always been my belief that God guides sincere believers to a right understanding of the bible through his Holy Spirit and surely He has not mislead you all these
years or if so it is very confusing to those seeking truth because surely God would not do that. Despite your many years of study
perhaps you should question why after so long you need to believe different things and surely confuses many people and makes them
doubt the accuracy of what so many contradictory religious teachings there are, supposedly revealed to these various teachers by God
I don’t think Jesus makes people sick with cancer today anymore than He did in His earthly ministry. And I think that Sis. Frederica’s representations of Catholicism was somewhat exaggerated at times, especially concerning the Catholic view of praying to the Saints. But, otherwise, I really enjoyed this! Blessings Hank.
Though I am interested in the Orthodox faith, the churches here in my area hold their services in native languages, so I don't know how I could participate in any meaningful way.
Hank,
Congratulations on finding the Orthodox Church from your Catholic brother in Christ.
John
Where in Scripture does it say you can ask a deceased saint to pray for you?
Prayers for saints is dealt with in this article > www.equip.org/questions-answers-orthodoxy/ Listen also to the Hank Unplugged episode with Jean-Claude Larchet > www.equip.org/unplugged/the-theology-of-illness-with-dr-jean-claude-larchet/
@@BibleAnswerMan Still no Biblical references given to support this heretic ritual. Like all the dead believers (apostles and other saints) Mary was a sinner, like all of us, and no part of scripture gives account of Mary being "deified", or even made higher than the rest of the church in any form or manner. Nowhere in the Bible does it call Mary the mother of God, but that she will give birth to God's Son, because of the Holy Spirit. At the most, Mary found favour in God, but so did Abraham, and David, and the disciples of Jesus Christ, and many others, yet none of them are made to rise above all other creatures, nor are any of them deified. The ancient Greek and Roman gods were just deified leaders, kings, and religious relics, who died and their followers gave them high status' in the heavens in order to call them gods and to worship them. Even the sons of Noah were deified by some of the people after their deaths. So, just because they were the fathers of the nations, does not make them any more important in heaven than the least of us who also believe in Christ.
@@BibleAnswerMan I can say that because Jesus Christ sees me as His own, then I can say that He also finds favour in me, and with the Holy Spirit, uses me according to His will. Yet, I am not deified, and risen up above all else in Heaven, like you've done to Mary. I can also say that I am a child of God, or as described in the Old Testament, a son of God, but not THE Son of God. Therefore, I am no greater than you, or Abraham, or even a new babe in Christ who still has not drank spiritual milk, yet. Should I, then, be deified for a short time by that new believer, because I am much greater in knowledge and wisdom and understanding of God's favour on me!
Everytime I try to decide what church to attend I get very stressed out. I begin to feel like maybe believing in Jesus isn't enough and I need to do more? It's only when I believe Jesus alone is enough that I feel peace. Maybe I need to chant certain prayers, fast a few times a week believe that the bread and wine transform into literal flesh and blood... Praying to Saints? I don't know. I find religion very stressful. Is this the gospel? I was once in a religion that taught that faith without works is dead and that we should have fruit. The end result was a religion of uncertain people in fear of judgement. Waiting for God to come and beat them or throw them away from himself. Spit them out as vile warm water for being lazy slaves not having done enough. Chanting, icons, relics, bones, paintings then new paintings? God is a spirit and we must worship in spirit. Why do we need all the physical items and mystics? If a tradition becomes a burden or a measuring stick is it valuable...
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Interesting discussion. It was the Eucharist that brought me to orthodoxy after 20 years of studying theology. Specifically the validity and beauty of pedocommunion...and it was all ”downhill” from there. For me, one of the greatest testimonies to the validity of the Orthodox Church is its consistent unbroken practice of pedocommunion. Its importance is often overlooked. But it's no coincidence that the Orthodox are the only ones who still practice the Eucharist in the same way, and with the same UNITY, that the apostles did. Baring children from the Eucharist is the most visible and obvious sign that Roman Catholics and protestants are estranged from the Church. The Eucharist is the meal of unity and has always been the visible sign of unity in the church. It is no surprise that those who are estranged from the Church also “estrange” their own children from their “Eucharistic” meals. They are fundamentally divided and as a result, they even divide their own children in the very meal that is supposed to be the very act of unity in the Church. Paul commanded the Church to eat together, undivided, when they met together for the liturgy. He said “therefore wait for one another...”. It was essential that the the entire Church ate together. So much so that Paul told them to wait for one another. And this always includes the Children. Thus any Eucharist wherein children are excluded is not a Eucharist at all. It is, in fact, a cursed meal. It is an atrocity. It is the exact opposite of what Paul commanded. St. Ignatius was also very clear about the importance of unity in the Eucharistic meal, and was very clear about Eucharistic meals not done in unity. So for me it is not a tertiary issue, but is one of the clearest signs of the authenticity of the Church.
Pray for me.
Hank I was raised Roman Catholic and made Chrismation on the 1 St called apostles day November 30th 2015 in a tiny congregation in Candler NC with Fr.Matt Leonard from st.Margerette Mary's RC Christian church's blessing in that I Needed to be in a small group setting etc.
.
Fr John Zboyovski our Reverend at Saints Joseph and Andrews Now my brothers and sisters from RC Christians don't get it they say it's a play on words i e ...St Joseph the most chaste spouse ...that name given at my Confirmation while a canedate to become a brother in the Holy Land friary in Wash DC in 1996 the year a miracle in getting to say hello to Mother St.Terresa of Calcutta at the shrine of the imaculate Conception...Now I see the 'right teaching "St .Joseph the betrothed"...I'd like to point out all the differences ...I'm sure you've noticed the distance from the eastern church to the western side of Roman Catholicism...ps I was listening on k wave radio Camp Pendleton CA. to the Bible answer Man while in the Marine Corps in the early ninety's it was what later in life as a O.T.R.Trucker we would call Rubber necking an accident seen ..you just can't stop yourself from seeing someone else's failure...my mother lost her battle with Cancer on aug.3rd 2001 it was almost as bad as what we Marines experienced in Somalia Operation Restore Hope ...St.Paul said it best ? if I have not love ;what does all things profit me....to just be a sounding epic gong failure??? I am truelly saddend that your brothers have turned on you in their fAith holding on to sinking sand ...letting go of power is never easy ...Brother hold fast never give up on where God is moving you and as St.Job stated " Though he slay me I will trust in him "...for only Christ Jesus Messiah Yashua is imortal ;and that that has been done through us from The Holy Spirit will remain..1st Thesolonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing".. Lord Jesus son of God Have mercy on me a sinner...Semper Fidelis CPL.Fiacco Dean Joseph Joel Amen
@ 16:10 I Beg to differ. The Community did not write the scripture. The Apostles of Jesus wrote scripture. They did so in fulfillment of the promise of Jesus that the Holy Spirit would come and bring to their minds all that Jesus had taught. (John 14:26) That promise was not to each believer in the community, it was only to the Apostles. The community did not choose which books should be in the New Testament, they only recognized which books God had inspired in fulfillment of the promise in John 14:26. There is a massive difference between choosing the books and merely recognizing the books God had inspired.
It’s when the church puts tradition over scripture it’s a problem and sometimes orthodox has. I was baptized as a baby into the Greek Orthodox Church and there are problems.
@Eyesofmars2040 can you expound on the problem you have with the baptism tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy?
Holy Scripture is part of the tradition of the Church. Is isn't separated from tradition
Praying to saints to intercede and elevating/idolizing Mary? Please tell me, where can I find that in the Bible as something we Christians should do? Thank you.
Hank addresses your question on this episode of the Bible Answer Man broadcast > www.equip.org/broadcast/islamic-terrorism-persecuted-christians-qa/
The prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). This is why we pray to the saints, because they are righteous people who are in heaven with God right now. The Blessed Virgin Mary herself foretold how the Church would revere her: "Henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed." (Luke 1:48).
@@gigachad2221-g4n
Shall "call me blessed" does not equal "shall call on me for salvation"
Catholics and Orthodox really don't do well with nuance
@@jrb2565 Of course you can gain salvation when the most holy godbearer mother mary the mother of god saves you with her prayers to our god.
@@ellastrantellenas278
This sort of platitude doesn't come from any teaching of the Apostles or scripture and an intercessor obtaining salvation for others was never the intent of the original term Theotokos
At minute 26 Fredericka says - we (Greek Orthodox Church) wrote the Bible. I disagree with her: John the Apostle - Jew, Peter - Jew, Paul - Jew, James - Jew, Jude - Jew, Luke - debated either gentile Christian or hellenized Jew, author of Hebrews - Jew - he had a lot of knowledge about the Mosaic Temple. Please tell me how the Greek Orthodox Church wrote the Bible.
Are not John, Peter, Paul, James, Jude, Luke, Mark, and Matthew members of the Church?
Bible Answer Man - Hello, yes they were believers in Christ. So, they were members of the church. Just like all believers are in the church. However, her statement was that her church - the Orthodox church gave us the Bible. I agree with Hank that the Bible was written before 70 AD. It was written long before the icons, incense, and rituals of the Orthodox Church. Thus, for her to say “we did that” and mean that her church gave us the Bible seems an equivocation of terms.
Is there not one Church? If we belong to the same Church, then do we not all receive the Bible from the Church?
Bible Answer Man
Let me try to state this in a clear way. Just because the scriptures comes to and through a group at a point of time, it does not authorize their traditions and practices for all of time.
Take for example the veneration of Mary. It is not strongly noted in historical writings until the 4th century. Mary is mentioned 20 times in the New Testament and the last mention is in Acts 1. There is no veneration of her in the New Testament.
For Federicka to say “we gave you the scripture” is like the Jews who worshiped the queen of heaven in Jeremiah’s day saying they gave us Moses. Yes, those Jews have the right to say their origin is from Moses, but they cannot justify their traditions or practices based on their origin. Why? Because they had added or altered their worship due to their traditions and they no longer followed the Scripture.
@@brianstokes4065 we are the Church that has an unbreaking Apostolic Succesion hence we get to say that we wrote the Gospels. You Prots dont even recognise the concept and the Caths lack it since their mysteries - and thus their priesthood - bears no Grace since they commited Schism. As much as you are squabbling about it you know perfectly fine that the Apostles, the Early Church or actually the Church for half its lifetime (first 10 centuries) didn't believe any of your non-sense.
And as for the Mother of God (that's what Theotokos means) the hate of Protestants against her is disgusting. Christians always praised the Most Holy and of course as any sentient loving being who understands that the Church is a living Community asked from the MOTHER OF THEIR SAVIOUR to join them in their requests from their Lord to save them.
You MUST visit Mount Athos.
I d like to add to what Frederica said about Holiness. One meaning in greek has a sense of wholeness. ,Gods purpose is to recover and build up our true identity in Christ. People get the wrong idea that holiness means moral perfection without sin. I believe thru spiritual practices of prayer and worship we enter closer to God and experience healing of the soul(made whole).Out of which flows compassion understanding ,etc.The same concept iget the meaning is what The Angel Michael said to Satan in battle with Satan Im from the Holy one who no one can compare . ThIs the passage reveals the unique character of GOD ...who is like him?..we are made in His image and there is no one like you, no one like me ,no comparison ... God wants us to discover our true unique identity in him that is unique and whole by his work on the cross and grace from above.Rember Jesus said the woman that was healed of the flow of blood...Your faith has made you whole.
to John MacArthur remember he who is not against Me is for Me , just a thought, and no man can know it all ,
hank to me must be a little confused about what he is saved from, I think I'm leaning toward john , after reading a lot of what eastern orthodoxy believes , still I don"t know it all either. can some one be condemned for believing in some controversial doctrines?
Let's pause and ask ourselves what do we mean by condemened? I assume you mean. Tossed into hell? And if that is the case...step back, think about what the father did for us...he sent his son to die for us, God IS LOVE right? that being said...would love itself "condemn" you for not believing certain views? In a world with 1 million denominations and sects and traditions and religions and bibles , then add the millions of ways to interpret each and every word (all claiming to be the truth), ... no brother...God is much more loving and forgiving and understanding than any of us in 2020 understand. Hank swallowed his pride, questioned what he had believed and even taught, and God used that...opened his heart and mind to a NEW understanding of himself. So my advice is to not be so dogmatic, accept that you may be wrong...humbly ask God to show you the truth, you may be surprised where he takes you.
Lord bless
We are saved from sin, death and the devil. It is very clear in eastern orthodoxy.
The amount of ads is insane
Mr. Hanegraaf, Iam an orthodox christian from Bulgaria and I have a question for You. First of all - I admire You and all of your work. My question is so simple - everyone is talking about of Eastern Orthodoxy, but actualy I have never heard about Western (or whatever else) Orthodoxy. So, why the words Eastern and Orthodoxy allways come togeder ? Actualy, there is only one Orthodoxy (almost) in the world. Best regards - Stanislav.
Your question is addressed in the following article… www.equip.org/questions-answers-orthodoxy/
Hank I have to say , weren:t you saved when you were a main stream evangelical?
Didn't Jesus say, I will SEND you the Holy Spirit. Must that necessarily mean that the Holy Spirit is lesser than the Father & the Son? The Father sent the Son ( John 3:16). Did that mean the Son is lesser than the Father? In 1 Corin 15 the Son puts all things under the Father at the end of ages. Does that mean the Son is less in any way than the Father?
He did
I've heard the same story from Catholics and Protestants who say the same of their faith traditions, same as it ever was...
Just started to listen to Hanked unplugged. Subscribed and will start to listen to each episode daily.
This Orthodoxy life is a little foreign to me as a non-denominational believer in Yeshua (Jesus).
I wonder if attending anything other then Orthodox Church. If I am not living the true Christian life. Since I’m taught only belief in Jesus regardless of what church I attend that is fundamental in the essential Christian doctrine? Is there a podcast episode answering this?
All denominations come as the result of sin. There is still the necessity for all Christians to seek the unity that Christ prayed Christians have in John 17.
The Christian is to be part of a healthy well-balanced church, but the present moment finds the Church fragmented and divided with new division occurring practically every day. Yes, the Christian can be in an authentic expression of the church, but there must be moves towards reconciliation for people who make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior. Christ prayed that we be one, so if He is Lord and Savior, how then shall we live?
See this article…
www.equip.org/articles/what-denomination-should-i-join/
Check out these videos…
th-cam.com/video/LhTfCkqPppQ/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/cBhUGBA0Qno/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/j4mGAn_epbk/w-d-xo.html
Are all your books prior to Orthodox conversion worth reading?
Yes! Read all of them.
Please see the following articles…
www.equip.org/questions-answers-orthodoxy/
www.equip.org/article/left-christian-faith/
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"
I have no idea what you're talkin about. Hank is converted to the Christianity as described in the Bible: Orthodoxy.
I suggest you do the same.
If Christ Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross, validated by His resurrection, why do we Christians continue to use the words dead died etc. Let us use Jesus's word asleep ( to us), and to the loved one who has "passed" from sight, gone on into the glory of God that is both in and around us. 🤗
@henrieecen2938 Thanks for the input.
Hank you should go all the way and look at the Catholic Church. God bless and heal you brother.
You are right because all roads lead to Rome.
The Ads are too many and obnoxious
Hank what a blessing you are to me !!
Thanks for standing up for the truth even if it’s not popular
I do have one question it seems to me you don’t like people interpreting the Bible without the history and the thinking of what our forefathers believed which with that I agree also
But if we are to do what the early church did why don’t we do what they did in Acts2 verse 44 and 45 and imitate their practises
As the Hutterites still do today or is that too radical for you?
The gist of your question is addressed in the following article: www.equip.org/articles/was-the-early-church-communist/
Warren Nozaki
Research
Dear Brother Hank you found the truth before you got cancer! Its been several years since you touched The Lord's Recovery! The ministry of Watchmen Nee and Witness Lee is not just another religion like were you have ended up today .
Anyone know how Hank is doing today?
@Timothy Deneffe Hank is doing well. His cancer is in remission. See Hank’s Health Journey Playlist > th-cam.com/play/PLyyR05FPp3pRluBL-LT5oOuRHSHA4nS46.html
Did the early Apostolic Church keep the Sabbath and the Feasts of Leviticus 23? Why doesn’t the Orthodox Church? These two points are keeping me from fully accepting Orthodoxy.
Hank answers your question here in these articles…
www.equip.org/article/what-is-the-connection-between-sundays-the-sacraments-and-our-resurrection/
www.equip.org/articles/president-bartlets-fallacious-diatribe/
Short answer, nope. But that's not a reason to accept the "Orthodox" Byzantine Roman Empire
At or about minute 46 or 47 - they start talking about praying to the dead. I understand their arguments - absent with the body present with Lord. They also say the person is alive in the Lord. However, we never have a positive example of this practice in Scripture. We do find that the children of Israel were forbidden to talk/pray to the dead. If God is all powerful and all knowing, why do I waste time talking to a mere saint?
The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:16-18 prays for Onesiphorus who had passed away. That may be the closest we can find of an example of praying for the dead in the Bible. There is also the example in the Rich Man and Lazarus where the rich man in Hades petitions Abraham to intercede for his brothers, that they might avoid coming to this place of torment.
@@osbujeff1 Hello, I believe your reference is in 2 Timothy. Not once is Onesiphorous said to be dead. Paul simply talks about him in the past tense. To think that Onesiphorous is dead because Paul talks about him using the past tense and prays a blessing on him appears to be a non-sequitur.
@@brianstokes4065 ...a non sequitur only if Onesiphorus was alive! Praying for mercy for the family makes sense only if the children had become orphaned and the wife, widowed.
@@osbujeff1 I pray for households/families often. The men of families are not dead. You assume there are orphans and a widow. Orphans and a widow is not mentioned in the text. It is an assumption.
@@osbujeff1 2 Timothy 1:16-18 There is only an assumption that Onesiphorus was dead, but the text does not say that. The text is saying the he is not where Paul is, and is somewhere else in need of prayer. He was probably still alive. This is the exact technique that evolutionists follow. They have a belief, and so they create evidence out of nothing to support that belief, and they throw out any other evidence that contradicts their belief. I would rather read the bible and let it and the context it provides prove itself to me, and let my worldview to be based on that, not on what I prefer to believe first.
Anyone who has followed Hank's takeover of CRI and the despicable things he's accused of doing should continue to speak out about the character of this man and force him to deal publicly with the accusations. What say ye Hank?
@Warren Wilson ~ hogwash.... See www.equip.org/PDF/BTS2010.pdf
This is frankly shocking to me. Wow.
What would the Greek Orthodox Church look like If it became full of formally Evangelicals? 🤔 Anyone care to give your thoughts? (John B)
Eastern Orthodoxy, for the most part, maintain a longstanding observance of a particular liturgy. An Eastern Orthodox congregation comprised of former evangelicals will worship together with the cradle-to-the-grave Eastern Orthodox congregations, all following the liturgy which has been passed on through the generations.
It is evangelicalism that tends to be consistent in making innovations to the order of worship. This is generally true for churches that have traditional and contemporary worship styles.
To understand more about Eastern Orthodoxy, please consult Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity by Frederica Mathewes-Green > www.equip.org/product/welcome-to-the-orthodox-church-cs/
Is there any clear Biblical example of asking the physically dead to pray for us?
That question is addressed in the video. For more details, please consult Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity by Frederica Mathewes-Green | www.equip.org/product/welcome-to-the-orthodox-church-cs/
@@BibleAnswerMan I must have missed it in the interview. Basically what I heard is -because we are spiritually connected in Christ, why would we not be able to communicate with those who are not alive physically. Unless I missed something (totally possible) that sounds more like human logic without a clear scriptural foundation. I did find that the interview did clear up some other misconceptions, thanks.
I'm struggling to understand why the need to join the Orthodox Church, considering the things that seemingly don't sit well biblically like the emphasis on the dead, Mary etc..
Why run to religiosity, why run to men? Run to Christ, the risen Lord, and stay there.
Me too! I can't understand, what's the deal with all that icons, repetitive prayings, pray for dead people, and antibiblical stuff
Well, as a former evangelical who found and converted to Orthodoxy about a decade ago let me explain: 1) It is because you are a typical evangelical and knows next to nothing of Church (early Christian) history. There was the Church BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT. Athanasius is also the first person to identify the same 27 books (in about 369 AD) of the New Testament that are in use today; up until his Easter letter, various similar lists were in use. However, his list was the one that was eventually ratified by a series of synods and came to be universally recognized as the New Testament canon. The first epistle wasn't written until 20 years after the Crucifixion of Christ. 2) The New Testament is from the Early Chruch. On top of this, your OT is the revised Jewish, highly edited version from about 1100 AD. It has been scrubbed by the Jews because they couldn't stand up to the Septuagint (which is the OT that Jesus used). 3) Finally, you are reading western protestant editor's Bibles where they have intentionally mistranslated words. 4) Luther threw out a bunch of books that he made some mistakes on. One of the reasons, for example, he threw out books for was they he felt they needed to be originally written in Hebrew. Unfortunately, due to discoveries in the early 20th century, we know he was wrong about a couple of books. He also was wrong on some late books. Since the OT had been translated to Greek in 300-250 BC, the last few books were originally written in Greek. Why would you write them in Hebrew when you have already translated the books up to this point in Greek??? Hope this helps. The Orthodox Church really is the Church that Christ set up through His Apostles.
Thanks for responding. Since I was born of God by His mercy and grace through the Lord Jesus Christ I have been seeking to do His will as revealed by His word, and as of yet have not been called to join the Orthodox Church. Rather I have enjoyed my relationship with the Lord and don't agree with some of the things that go on in Eastern Orthodoxy. But I shall see what the future holds. Blessings
I hope you will keep looking into it. A good place to start is the councils and creeds of the first thousand centuries that hashed out the doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation and refuted heresies. All this information is extremely relevant today in understanding how to interact with different worldviews in a pluralistic society.
Most Protestants in my experience accept a vaguely orthodox understanding of Trinity and Incarnation but do not really see the relevance of thinking about them. Orthodoxy fleshes our the implications of the theology in their practice.
Check out the 7th council’s response to iconoclasts for an understanding of the use of icons. Calvin and Luther even disagreed on the use of religious images and the fallout seems to be that Protestants do not know how to understand art or make any kind of quality art that can influence the secular culture rather than the other way around.
Orthodox believe Jesus can be depicted as a man because he entered creation as a man and paintings confirm the truth of the incarnation. It’s extremely important theologically. They don’t depict the father as an old man, however, because the father never incarnated as a human. Confirming the incarnation and the implications of that for how God is redeeming all of creation and aspects of human culture is extremely rich, deep, biblical theology that I can’t do justice to here but once I learned it I was shocked how much I had been needing it as a Protestant.
Orthodox think in many ways Protestants are in practice almost gnostic dualists or docetic in their iconoclasm and rejection of the physical side of worship when Christ became man to redeem his creation including the physical side. Getting a firm grasp on the creeds and heresies will make this much clearer.
Please keep learning!
Indeed. At first I thought a vague comment I saw stating Hank converted to Orthodox chrurch was fake news. Alas it is not. Its like finding out a good friend of yours has died. So confusing and massive dissappoint as I can no longer count on any input or advice he has given since after 2017. Hard to believe
Wow I used to be orthodox, I don’t know what to think anymore, I’m even pastoring a church, I’m really bewildered
Find a local Orthodox Priest and tell him what you wrote in this comment; yours is not the first time we've heard this. Even pastors and teachers need someone to talk to. (Or there's a site called "Good Guys Wear Black" has podcasts and blog).
JC.... you didnt know what you had apparently..... you have traded the treasure to self-anoint yourself as a priest when you are actually a wandering star.... he who doesnt gather scattereth abroad..... ppl like you frustrate me as all i want is to be ortthodox.... but it takes time and effort.... yet many cradles dont have a clue that they are sitting on the gold mine of faith... prideful, self-willed... rejecting governance.... you left the pillar and ground of the truth to go 'do your own thing' ... by your own statement... you are 'bewildered' ... not a very good position to be shepherding a flock.... maybe you should steer that flock towards orthodoxy where the priests are not 'bewildered' but do have real authority
You're not sure what you believe??
stumptacular You say you want to be Orthodox, yet without a thought or knowing this man’s story you’re quick to judge and call him prideful? What a condemnation! You have no idea what his story is. If you truly belong to the faith, rejoice that he’s seeking at all. Remember the Prodigal Son and show grace, brother.
Orthodoxy saved you from yourself?
I was confused also. I did not hear him talk about Orthodoxy saving himself.
The Lord is very simple.
Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sons and receive the
Holy Spirit and live a godly life.
Follow the scriptures and be a follower of Jesus Christ. Don't be entrapped with denominations.
If people don't preach what is written then don't sit under their teaching.
Study the Scriptures daily and let the Holy Spirit guide you.
That's it.
Is Saint Nectarios omniscient? Can St Nectarios hear thousands possibly millions of prayers simultaneously?This is why I don’t trust the traditions of men! Why are you aquatinting God’s glory to dead men? All healing come from God by His own good pleasure . Orthodox believers must be born again! You can’t do a work of self righteousness as a way to be in heaven. Repent and believe the gospel! It is by Grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone!
Good question.
1)No the Saints aren't omniscient, only God is.
2)Yes the Saints can hear all the prayers of people simultaneously, because they might not be everywhere at once like God ONLY is, but they are granted by God the ability to be "ever-moving" (αεικίνητοι) like the angels are.
@@eleftheriosmas show me in the Bible
@@MrMfloor why? I don't want to persuade you for anything. I just wanted to tell you that you were wrong in your assumption that in order for the Saints to be able to hear the prayers they would have to be "omniscient" or any other attribute solely belonging to God.
The rest are the vanilla known differences we have which if you cared about you could search yourself.
Why do we need to understand church history or orthodox traditions? How is it different from the reformed evangelical understanding of worship or salvation? Honest question.
I have never come across any Reformed theologian who dismisses the importance of understanding church history. Moreover, many evangelicals are ignorant of church history, and would greatly benefit from knowing the subject.
All Christians are to know why they believe what they believe, especially the essential doctrines of historic Christianity. I do not think any Reformed theologian would object to that. Part and parcel to this is understanding the different theological perspectives that are out there - Protestant (Reformed Theology being one of many different Protestant theological traditions), Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, etc. CRI has produced numerous article on this subject, which are available on equip.org.
Hank Hanegraaff offers answers to common questions about Eastern Orthodoxy here...
www.equip.org/questions-answers-orthodoxy/
See also
www.equip.org/article/left-christian-faith/
www.equip.org/article/how-was-orthodoxy-established-in-the-ecumenical-councils/
www.equip.org/articles/jesus-as-god-in-the-second-century/
www.equip.org/articles/what-really-happened-at-nicea-/
Warren Nozaki
Research
Since the Church was established 2000 years ago, understanding its history is quite important to properly evaluate which Church is the true one from all those that make the claim. You may arrive at different conclusions, which is fine, but the only way to do it PROPERLY is through Church history. Why do you believe what you believe? What is it you believe? Why do you do what you do? Why should you do it? These are important questions one must know.
@@AlmondWillow I don't think we should think of any one church as the one true church of God, as if all the others are false. Christianity was spread by proclaiming the basic tenets of our faith which is the gospel, and no one church was responsible for world missions. But, if you mean there are false churches out there, yes I agree. But I would go through the Bible to answer that and the other questions you mentioned.
@@sjohn640 Jesus said he came to establish a Church, not many. Throughout his life he emphasized that there is one path, not many. The Apostles themselves demonstrate this by convening a council when they faced issues, rather than telling people "This isn't the gospel, do what you want in the name of Jesus!"
@@AlmondWillow I think we believe the same thing but are on different pages here. But just so I understand you clearly, Do you personally believe the Eastern Orthodox church is the only true church on earth? And, do you believe a person can only be fully saved (that is saved unto heaven in the afterlife) through the Eastern Orthodox church?
He is DECIEVED.
In, Matthew it says there will be a time of GREAT DECEPTION IN THE LAST DAYS THAT EVEN THE ELECT CAN BE DECIEVED.(I THINK IT IS MATTHEW 27 OR 24.
@ 24:27 Remember that the Pharisees had a "living tradition" during the time of Jesus and He was totally unimpressed by their traditions. He always pointed them back to scripture and away from their traditions.
As long as they rely on their own understandings of scriptures, they will not see "traditions" as a problem. Even though they confess Jesus Christ with a heart of flesh, those "traditions" are stones still bound in that flesh.
@@Canukhed Sadly, you are correct. I pray God opens their eyes.
@@pastormarkm & @Daniel D Kitteringham. Your comments encouraged me.
For others reading, I’ll go ahead and leave this here:
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? Jesus answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, ^Hearken unto _me_ every one of you, and understand.*
You are the Pharisees here who stand on the letter in a sly way and pretend that by that passage all kinds of tradition are suddenly condemned as hypocricy. The Holy Tradition is obviously the only way for the Church to be the Church. If you believe sth and you dont believe to that the other day but to the opposite, then you are not a believer, certainly not a bearer of the unchanging, everlasting and absolute Truth of Christ but a mere joke, like your fake gazillion churches who change believes and practices day after day are.
What atonement theory does Hank hold? And does he explain it anywhere?
@Stephen ~ Your question has been passed on to Hank.
Regarding the theories of the atonement, Timothy Ware offers this helpful insight:
“Where Orthodoxy sees chiefly Christ the Victor, the late medieval and post-medieval west sees chiefly Christ the Victim. While Orthodoxy interprets the Crucifixion primarily as an act of triumphant victory over the powers of evil, the west-particularly since the time of Anselm of Canterbury (?1033-1109)-has tended to rather think of the Cross in penal and juridical terms, as an act of satisfaction designated to propitiate the wrath of an angry Father.
Yet these contrast must not be pressed too far. Eastern writers, as well as western writers, have applied judicial and penal language to the Crucifixion; western writers, as well as eastern, have never ceased to think of Good Friday as a moment of victory. In the west from the 1930s onwards there has been a revival of the Patristic idea of Christus Victor, alike in theology, in spirituality, and in art; and Orthodox are naturally very happy that this should be so” (Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity [United Kingdom, Penguin Books,1963], 223).
Imploring the saints to intecede isn't that what Christ is for???? "One intercessor between God n man and that man is Jesus the Christ" i don't understand the logic so when we die people will ask us to pray for them???? N also the Eucharist im questioning that it would have explained it in the bible just like being born again. So now this is about Hanks experience idk y'all
She said it's real so i should believe because she said n said they'd been doing this for years? So does this make others from other churches wrong or what hank used to say in his books wrong?
I am with you here, traditions are steeped in human touches which is useless to me in the light of a true personal a relationship with Jesus Christ. Faith implores his total sufficientcy . To be connected to the true Vine leaves no room, influences ,or go betweens.
No no no, you've got it all wrong. They will only ask you to pray for them IF your one of the "specials" they have added to an arbitrary list based on who liked you or how popular you are. And then they assign you an arbitrary earthly province in place of a god/goddess like "the sea" or "general practice medicine"
John 20:22 is the spirit of Jesus christ.
Matthew 20:22 is the spirit of God almighty.
Acts 2 is the spirit of God almighty as they 120 in the upper room.
enjoyed this ..however i do struggle with the idea of a faith passed down through memory ....memory can easily be corrupted by language and interruption over the ages and time,ie stories been exaggerated etc ..while I enjoyed this, I do think it does away with the fallen "human
element' or human nature, that has its influence with icons and
traditions and ceremonies . Always God is interested in content". in our
lives,and in our hearts , and man replaces it with a statue, icon or a
religious ceremony or tradition. Its spiritually easier to keep a
tradition. or if we can say a word ,rather than do a deed, we will say
the word. With icons and religious ceremonies the human element does
come into play.I know by experience as a child, that the statue has a
definite effect on us, as it does with pictures and icons. A statue is
humanised we think that the statue is really the personification of the
person, or a icon replaces truth..... “The hour is coming, and is now
here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is
spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth.”..... . I am not suggesting that is the case with all believers.
If these things lead us to God soley, great . These issues can be
witnessed with the Isarelites in the old testament , and Jesus spoke of
traditions " null and voiding the word of god". The history of the
Israelites can be mirrored in the new testament church. God sent
prophets to preach and warn the people to worship him alone and return
to his truths and the Apostles having to teach again the truth, because
of the wandering away from the truths set down". I can see this in the
protestant church today . Remember Always God is interested in content".
in our lives, and in our hearts These issues can be shown witnessed
in the early church, with the Papacy and Rome becoming corrupt. From
this historically we can see that many of Saints started orders to try
to turn people back to gods truth .St Francis of Assisi was one of those
saints..this is just my humble opinion, and from reading church
history, which I enjoy, it is something that seems prevailent. I have
tasted of Catholicism and Protestantism in my life, I love the Word of
God and its witness of God and truth. But frankly I have had enough of
the Tons of doctrines and teachings in the protestant church, may god have mercy on us all
The thing all preachers, teachers, ministers of every kind need to be concerned is, are they preaching the true gospel? According to Paul in Galatians 1: 6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who
called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
According to Jesus the gospel has a name. Mt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
In Acts 2:14-21 Peter begins his gospel message with the prophet Joel talking about the Holy Spirit being poured out on all people. Then he switches to a message about Jesus Acts 2:22-33. Then back to the Holy Spirit Acts 2:33. Then back to Jesus Acts 2:34-36, and then what those who heard him (Peter) needed to do Act 2:37-39. Three things were required after they believed the message about Jesus; 1. repent, 2. be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and 3. receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Remember Peter said this was for everybody, Acts 2:39. This is the original gospel of the kingdom message.
The message (good news) isn't just about Jesus, it's about the Holy Spirit too. Why? Because 1. The kingdom of God is in the Holy Spirit, Rom. 14:17. 2. The kingdom of God belonged to Israel until Jesus took it away from them and gave it to the church, Mat. 21:43. 3. The power the church needs to do kingdom work is in the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:8. 4. The church was supposed to continue the work Jesus did after he left, John 14:11-12. 5. The apostles, prophets, and other believers, did just that throughout the book of Acts. 6. The gifts of the Holy Spirit; Heb. 2:3-4 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This
salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
What gospel are they preaching in your church? If they only preach about Jesus that's not enough, that's not the gospel of the kingdom. There's a false doctrine being taught called "cessationism" which states that the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit ended. There are no more miracles, or signs and wonders, no Spiritual gifts. Some say the gospel is just about Jesus today, not the kingdom.
What does Jesus say? It's the gospel of the kingdom from beginning to end. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar preaching a different gospel. It's nothing but a great deception from the devil who's trying to stop the advancement of the kingdom of God.
Mt. 12:30-32 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not
gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Who's side are you on? Who are you going to believe?
Why these labels?
Explain "labels"?
I really enjoyed this. But, Jesus doesn’t give people cancer.
Completely open-minded until 47 minutes then absolute heresy.
Hank you say orthodoxy saved you from your self , I thought the Lord saves you from your own self and the things that bothers you
about secular evangelical christianty , especially in America ,
Orthodoxy: true faith of Christ, short term for true Church of Christ
What I have found lacking with any of these discussion is a "chain of evidence." Another way to say this is "What is the case for Eastern Orthodoxy?" How does one trace the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church back to the beginning of Christianity. I can look at the Bible and find plenty of references which demonstrate the earliest writings. I can look at the Bible itself and determine how the Doctrine of the Trinity was arrived. I can look at the Old Testament and deduce how the clergy of the Western and Eastern churches arrived at their current dress. However, for much of the remaining practices, well, it strikes me to more of a preference more than an actual teaching. One just has to look at the differences between the East and West how the Eucharist is celebrated. The Host is hugely different.
One of the reasons given by Mr. Hanegraaff, not in this video (2018 - Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff about his conversion to Orthodoxy TS 1:28), is the transactional nature of Evangelicals. The example given is "I say a prayer, and now I have a card that gets me out of hell and gets me to heaven." Every sect has a starting point. The Evangelical path is not as rigid as the Protestants (I, a confirmed Lutheran), or East or West Orthodoxy, where the administration of the faith seems more important.
Mr. Hanegraaff goes on to say that we can partake in the Devine Nature through the Presence of Christ during the Eucharist celebration. I'm not sure how this is advantageous over the presence of God in our lives everyday?
There has to be something more convincing something more authoritative.
@Robert Macfarlane > Good question! Your message will be passed on to Hank.
The role of tradition in the Christian life is discussed in the following Hank Unplugged podcasts…
www.equip.org/unplugged/never-give-up-with-k-p-yohannan/
www.equip.org/unplugged/sola-scriptura-with-nathan-jacobs/
Scripture never take a secondary role in anything.
There are still practices that are regularly observed in Christian worship (even in Protestant churches), which nobody ever suggests were developed out of a whim. We want to say that they are received from Christ to the apostles to us. Our present worship then reflects the worship of the first Christians. We open with an invocation and close with a benediction. We sing. We hear the preaching of the Word. We pray. We baptize. We partake in Communion. These things are done within a particular order on Sunday. Yet, there is never really a New Testament passage or verse that demands these things be done on Sunday morning in the exact order as appears in the order of service. Neither do any biblical writers tell us that order of services need to be printed out for worshippers. Nor do they demand that copies of the Bible need to be kept for visitors. Nor do they command Christians to take copies of their own Bible to the Church for use when the pastor is giving instruction in the Word. Yet these and others are traditions taken on by Christians in worship to the Lord. Our prayer is they connect us to the heat of Christ and what He intended the Church, albeit these teachings were unwritten by the early Christians.
Justification by faith alone. Tulip Augustin, Luther and Calvin. Sola fide. But, we are justified works. The works of Jesus Christ finished at the cross & resurrection. Clothed in righteousness of God. "Imputation is the gospel." - RC Sproul
2 Corinthians 5, 19 & 21 Romans 4, 1-8. ☮ Hank.
When will they remember that Jewish/Hebrew converts wrote the New Testament scriptures- not Eastern Orthodox priests.
The apostles weren't priests, they were bishops. Orthodox bishops.
I don't see why them being Hebrews would affect that. There is neither Greek nor Hebrew, all are one in Christ Jesus, as saint Paul says.
@@user-ii3zs2gr6u "Orthodox" bishops? No. Orthodox simply means tradition. They were the ones who broke traditions.
I am an orthodox Christians from Indian. Our community is one the most ancient orthodox church. We had a lot of Jewish converts initially and apostleThomas is our spiritual father as he came to Kerala and was therre till is passed. All the seven churches he established is orthodox churches
@@Canukhed oh now you know better Greek than anyone too?😛 Orthodox means "of the correct faith" and is being used since the beggining of the Church to identify itself against the heterodox "of other faith" heresies.