Although there are over 200 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, 4 million of whom live in the United States, their history, beliefs, and practices are unfamiliar to most Americans. This book outlines the evolution of Orthodox Christian dogma, which emerged for the first time in 33 A.D., before shifting its focus to American Orthodoxy--a tradition that traces its origins back to the first Greek and Russian immigrants in the 1700s. The narrative follows the momentous events and notable individuals in the history of the Orthodox dioceses in the U.S., including Archbishop Iakovos' march for civil rights alongside Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Orthodox missionaries' active opposition to the mistreatment of native Inuit in Alaska, the quest for Orthodox unity in America, the massive influx of converts since the 1960s, and the often strained relationship between American Orthodox groups and the mother churches on the other side of the Atlantic. Erickson explains the huge impact Orthodox Christianity has had on the history of immigration, and how the religion has changed as a result of the American experience. Lively, engaging, and thoroughly researched, the book unveils an insightful portrait of an ancient faith in a new world.

This book examines Christian converts to Orthodoxy who served as exemplars and leaders for convert movements in America during the twentieth century.

Over the last two decades, the American academy has engaged in a wide-ranging discourse on faith and learning, religion and higher education, and Christianity and the academy. Eastern Orthodox Christians, however, have rarely participated in these conversations. The contributors to this volume aim to reverse this trend by offering original insights from Orthodox Christian perspectives that contribute to the ongoing discussion about religion, higher education, and faith and learning in the United States. The book is divided into two parts. Essays in the first part explore the historical experiences and theological traditions that inform (and sometimes explain) Orthodox approaches to the topic of religion and higher education—in ways that often set them apart from their Protestant and Roman Catholic counterparts. Those in the second part problematize and reflect on Orthodox thought and practice from diverse disciplinary contexts in contemporary higher education. The contributors to this volume offer provocative insights into philosophical questions about the relevance and application of Orthodox ideas in the religious and secular academy, as well as cross-disciplinary treatments of Orthodoxy as an identity marker, pedagogical framework, and teaching and research subject.

This is a book about the struggle of Orthodox Christianity to establish a clear identity and mission within modernity--Western modernity in particular. As such, it offers penetrating insight into the heart and soul of Orthodoxy. Yet it also lends unusual, unexpected insight into the struggle of all the churches to engage modernity with conviction and integrity. Written by one of the leading voices of contemporary Orthodox theology, The Orthodox Reality is a treasury of the Orthodox response to the challenges of Western culture in order to answer secularism, act ecumenically, and articulate an ethics of the family that is both faithful to tradition and relevant to our day. The author honestly addresses Orthodoxy's strengths and shortcomings as he introduces readers to Orthodoxy as a living presence in the modern world.

John Meyendorff, in his own words, "has dedicated most of this life to teaching and to investigating the past of Christianity, studying the ways in which the faith of the Church was confessed throughout the ages by the Fathers of the Church." It was during a more recent period -- from January 1965 to December 1984 -- that he was also editor of a church monthly, The Orthodox Church, in which he published signed editorials reflecting upon the growth and development of Orthodoxy in America. For him, this work was a blessed challenge. Indeed, he was forced to relate the permanent and unchanging faith of the Church to the changing circumstances of our recent history, and to the birth of a new Orthodox Church on the American continent. The editorials reprinted in Vision of Unity ask the question: Can we survive in chaos and disunity? They are presented in two sections: 1. the issue of Orthodox unity in America, and 2. the basic principles of Church structure. Throughout, the Church is revealed as a "conciliar" Church, the Church of all people, clergy and laity, old and young, men and women -- the "Catholic" Church, of all nations and generations. Book jacket.

To many Americans, Eastern Orthodoxy is limited to such ethnic immigrant communities as the Greek, Russian, Syrian, and Coptic churches. The Greek Orthodox Church is primarily known for its annual festivals. The Evangelical and Orthodox worlds are basically isolated from each other. To many Christians, Eastern Orthodoxy is simply Roman Catholicism without a Pope. But beginning in the 1980's, thousands of evangelical pastors, missionaries and artists converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church in America has now experienced the largest mass conversions in its history. Dr. Robert Morey (PhD., DMin, DD, MDiv., BA) has spent over five years investigating the truth claims of Eastern Orthodoxy. With meticulous research and massive documentation, Dr. Morey has traced the historical and philosophic origins of its doctrines and rituals, and has now written the definitive Evangelical response to Eastern Orthodoxy. This work has already received international recognition for its careful scholarship, logical analysis, and biblical insight into the history and teachings of Eastern Orthodoxy and will be considered the classic Evangelical response to the Eastern Church for many years to come.

A clear introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy and key aspects of the tradition. Includes new content and an updated bibliography.

Father Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God podcast and blog, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.