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THE
EVANGELICAL ORTHODOX CHURCH
QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS
As a communion of local churches, our mission is to
proclaim and to live out, in the Church and in the world, the
reconciliation that is ours in Jesus Christ, to the end that God might be
all in all and glorified above all. (Colossians 1:15-20, 1 Corinthians
15:27-28).
Our desire is to be faithful to the evangelical commission of our
Lord and the specific tenets that are typically associated with the
Evangelical tradition: proclamation of the Good News, an active personal
relationship with God through Christ, and the zealous preaching and
teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Our desire is also to be orthodox ,
authentically centered in the historic faith, worship, and practice of
the One undivided Church of the Apostles, drawing upon a diversity of
riches from the deep well of Christian Tradition.
How would you characterize your local
churches?
We are committed to establishing churches bearing these
12 characteristics:
Grace: Our
God deals with us according to His grace-unmerited favor and transforming
power. We are grateful recipients of this grace and are called to
cooperate with it and manifest it in the world.
Community: This
means being committed to each other in the Lord, holistically engaged in
and fully sharing one another's lives. As those reconciled in Christ, we
have the only true basis for community.
Vision: We
are called to be light shining in the darkness, a living demonstration of
the blessing and order of God's reign, carrying out the ministry of
reconciliation in each unique local setting.
Empowered,
Serving, Leadership: Church government is accomplished by
godly bishops, caring presbyters and deacons, as well as committed
people, equipped to carry out together the will of God.
Care: Each
congregation is called to be responsible for the physical, emotional,
intellectual, and spiritual needs of its people in every way possible
before relying on other institutions or agencies.
Spiritual
Discernment: Christ promised His sheep would know His voice
and the Spirit would guide them. Therefore, counting on God to lead us,
the whole church is involved in discerning His will.
Good Works: Faith
without works is dead. We are called to put faith into action,
individually and collectively, through preaching the Gospel and caring
for the poor, the sick, and the broken-hearted.
Godliness: We
are responsible for our conduct, which should adorn the gospel we preach.
Therefore, our words and our actions are to express the holiness for
which God has redeemed us.
Orthodox
Theology: We are bound to believe, teach, and practice
those doctrines which are laid down in Scripture and clarified by the
ancient councils, creeds, and writings of our ancestors in faith.
Worship: The
primary purpose of our lives is the worship of the Triune God in spirit
and in truth through thanksgiving and offering, which is centered in
Christ's own once-for-all offering.
Hope: Our
hope rests in the promises of God, in the return of Christ, and in the
eternal kingdom.
Unity: We
long for the Church to manifest again the unity that it has in Christ. It
is every Christian's duty to labor to that end, locally and
extra-locally, that our witness in the world might not be hindered.
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How would you
describe a typical worship service in your church?
Worship
in the EOC strives to hold in balance liturgy and spontaneity, antiquity
and modernity, exuberance and dignity. All of our forms of prayer and
worship are primarily based on those which were developed during the
earlier, undivided centuries of Christian history. As a grand procession,
our Sunday worship service includes the reading and preaching of
Scripture, liturgical and Evangelical hymns, songs of praise, intercessory
prayers for the whole world, and finally concludes in partaking of the
Lord’s Supper or Holy Eucharist. Throughout the Liturgy the music,
imagery, and symbols involve one’s whole being in receiving and
manifesting the Kingdom
of God which has
come to us in Jesus Christ!
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Can you give
some examples of what you mean by signs, symbols, and imagery?
The cross, icons, water, incense, oil, bread, and wine
are ancient Christian symbols. When we make the sign of the cross, we are
expressing our belief in the Holy Trinity whose triune work makes
possible our salvation, and in the cross of Jesus Christ through which
that salvation has been accomplished for us. The icons are "windows
to heaven" that help us see the spiritual reality of entering the
heavenly Holy of Holies. In Scripture the use of incense signifies the
prayers of God's people - both on earth and in heaven - rising up before
God. Water, of course, is the symbol of baptism and Christ's death,
burial, and resurrection. Bread and wine are the sacraments through which
we receive the life-giving Body and Blood of Christ. The ancient practice
of raising our hands in worship symbolizes our surrender to the will and
purpose of God, and the offering of ourselves in
praise and adoration to Him.
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Doesn't the
liturgy stifle the life and flow of the worship?
Actually, the liturgy does just the opposite. With people
who are alive in their faith it ensures that all the components of
worship are present. It also provides a structure for freedom of
expression as the Spirit moves, yet allows worship to be a common
movement of the people gathered, promoting a majestic and orderly
atmosphere for giving praise and glory to God. The life and flow of
worship is always mutually dependent upon the grace of God and the
delight of God's people who freely offer themselves to Him.
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How do you view
the holy Scriptures?
We stand with the Apostle Paul, who teaches, "All Scripture
is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, correction, reproof,
and instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16). In matters of
interpretation, we hold with the fifth century Vincent of Lerins who wrote that in the Church itself, "the
greatest care must be exercised to hold that which has been believed
everywhere and always by all." While we believe the Bible is
profitable for personal instruction, we also believe it belongs to the
whole Church and is not intended to be interpreted without accountability
to the Church.
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What do you
believe concerning salvation?
We
confess with the historic Church and Biblical witness that there is
salvation in none other than Jesus Christ, who has reconciled us to God
through His own incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. He bids
us to come to him in faith and be washed in the waters of baptism,
through which our sins are remitted and the gift of the Holy Spirit is
received (Acts 2:38). We confess with the Apostle Paul that this
salvation is initiated by God and accomplished by his grace, but that we
must cooperate with His grace in faith and continually work out our
salvation as He works within us. (Phil. 2:12-13)
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Where do you
stand on the current moral and ecclesiastical issues affecting today's
society?
The Church must be at one and the same time a place of
mercy and healing and a place where God's standards of purity are upheld.
Therefore the Evangelical Orthodox Church affirms:
That all human beings have the right to life from the
time of conception until natural death, and, therefore, abortion on
demand and euthanasia are sinful and murderous. We also believe this is a
complex issue that must be addressed on many levels, and that compassion
and mercy must guide our actions.
That God's creative distinction for mankind is male and
female in their sexuality, and that only the marriage between a man and
woman was instituted and blessed by God. Furthermore, sexual intercourse
outside the context of heterosexual marriage is sinful, and homosexuality
is contrary to the essential design of God. We recognize, however, that
people sincerely seeking after God struggle with various sexual issues.
Therefore, we strive to make our local churches havens of healing rather
than places of condemnation and rejection.
That offices and ministries are available to both men and
women in the Church. The offices of bishop and priest are filled by godly
men and the office of deacon and deaconess by godly men and women. Many
other ministries in the Church are also exercised by both men and women.
We oppose the notion that equality of value necessitates equality of
function, and we uphold the balance between equality and differentiated
order that God established in the beginning.
That the integrity
of the family is to be preserved by the sanctity of marriage, and that
the best solution to marriage problems is not divorce, but loving care,
loving discipline, and self-sacrifice in the context of Christ's Church.
We also recognize that less than ideal choices must sometimes be made
without fear of abandonment by the Church.
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What form of
church government do you follow?
Following the New Testament model, we adhere to the
historic practice of the four orders: bishops (overseers), presbyters
(pastors/priests), deacons, and the laity. The bishops oversee the EOC,
safeguarding her unity, doctrine, worship, and discipline. The priests
and deacons shepherd local parishes, protecting, providing, teaching,
caring for and governing those entrusted to them. The fullness of church
government is realized by the congregational "Amen" - the
hearty assent by the Christian community to the will of God.
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How does one
enter the Evangelical Orthodox Church?
Membering with an Evangelical
Orthodox Church is not so much a matter of joining but of entering. There
is a process that one enters into based on historical precedent. After
hearing the Gospel and responding in faith to Jesus Christ, a new
believer is enrolled in a catechism class in order to learn the
essentials of the Christian Faith and prepare for baptism. After
catechism the new believer is baptized in the name of the Trinity and
received into the church. For those previously baptized, catechism is
more of an orientation to life in the EOC. They are then received into
the church through a formal service for that purpose.
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A closing word
from our council of bishops.
We are pleased you have taken the time to read about the
Evangelical Orthodox Church. If you have never visited one of our
churches, we invite you to come and see what we are all about. Regardless
of your status in this world or of the road you have walked thus far in
your life, God loves you with an amazing love, a love that is touchable.
It would be our joy if He would allow us to be part of His touch of love
in your life.
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eoc@sasktel.net
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