What on Earth is the Orthodox Church?

The Orthodox Church is the only Church on earth that can trace its history, teachings, and worship back to Christ and the Apostles in an unbroken historical line. In other words, the Orthodox Church is not just another Christian denomination; it is the ancient Christian Church. Only the deep spiritual well of the ancient Orthodox Church can satisfy the soul and bring about genuine human transformation!

If you are interested in learning more about the Orthodox Church:

• Watch Fr. Spyridon Bailey's "THERE IS ONLY ONE CHURCH - WHY ORTHODOXY?" & Fr. Peter Heers's "How-To Intro to Orthodoxy: A Practical Guide for Inquirers" below.
• Read the following excerpts from The Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware).
• View my list of Recommended Orthodox Websites, Books, and Videos.
• I also highly recommend reading the daily lives of the Saints from the Prologue of Ochrid. You can either buy a copy of the physical books or there is a free online version here. 
• Attend an Orthodox Church to experience the presence of God for yourself through the Divine Liturgy. Find a local parish here.

"The Darwinian theories imagined that they arrived at the solution of the anthropological question by accepting the mode of evolution. These theories, not being based on sound foundations, instead of solving the problem render it more enigmatic, because they denied the validity of revealed truth, viewed man as belonging to the same order as the irrational animals, denied his spiritual origin and attributed to him a very low origin." – St. Nectarios of Aegina

"Your birth, O Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life." - Troparia for the Feast of the Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

"Don’t believe at face value all kinds of nonsense without investigation: that something can come into being [of itself] from dust, and that people used to be apes." – Saint Ambrose of Optina

"When speaking against dreams, people do not prove the absurdity in their composition or in their individual parts, but only say, 'It's a dream,' and with that they resolve everything. It is the same with the theory of the formation of the world from a nebula and its supports, with the theory of abiogenesis and Darwin's origin of genera and species, and with his last dream about the descent of man. It is all like delirium." – St. Theophan the Recluse

"The Holy Fathers teach that the Father made heaven and earth through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Trinity made heaven and earth, and the Church sings, 'We glorify the Father, we exalt the Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit—the indivisible Trinity who exists as One—the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives, who grants light and life to the ends of the world' [Canon of St. Andrew]." – Orthodox Study Bible

Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

A picture from the Vigil this past Saturday for the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God @ Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Wayne, WV. According to ancient Church history, the Vladimir Icon was painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, who authored both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.