My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
The Orthodox Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed ("Symbol of Faith") begins with the words,
"I BELIEVE…". [First Ecumenical Synod in Nicea (A.D. 325) and the Second Ecumenical
Synod (A.D. 381) in Constantinople.
In the Orthodox Church the creed is called the Symbol of Faith which means the "bringing together" and the "confession" of the faith. The Orthodox Church is celebrating the 1700 year anniversary of the First Ecumenical Synod in Nicea this year. It is a most significant celebration for Christendom because it was through these two Synods, the First and Second Ecumenical Synods or Councils that the whole Symbol of Faith was ultimately adopted throughout the ENTIRE CHURCH. It was put into the first person form "I BELIEVE" and used for the formal and official confession of faith made by a believer (or his/her sponsor-godparent) at his/her baptism. It is also used as the FORMAL STATEMENT OF FAITH by a non-Orthodox Christian entering the communion of the Orthodox Church. Also, the Symbol of Faith became part of the life of Orthodox Christians and an essential element of the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church at which each Orthodox Christian formally accepts and renews his baptism and membership in the Church. It is repeated before Holy Communion. All other hymns and prayers of the Divine Liturgy are plural, beginning with "we" but only the Symbol of Faith begins with "I". It must be understood that to be an Orthodox Christian is to affirm the Orthodox Christian faith but not only in words, but in the essential meaning of the Symbol of Faith. This confession implies all that has been expressly developed from it and built upon it in the history of the Holy Orthodox Church over the many centuries down to our present day.
Church history reveals that the unity was threatened by significant internal conflict, primarily due to heresies that challenged its core doctrines, such as the nature of Christ's Divinity, and the Holy Trinity. Major issues included the spread of heresies such as Arianism, the iconoclastic controversy, and the filioque heresy, which led to the Great Schism between the Latin West and the Orthodox East. "Even the briefest survey of the heretical movements in Christianity from the first days of the Church's existence is profitable in that is shows, side by side with the common teaching of the Universal Church, the "RULE OF FAITH," how various were the deviations from the truth, and how very often they assumed a sharply aggressive character and evoked a bitter battle within the Church…But the Church–with the help of the epistles of bishops, the exhortations and excommunications of local and regional councils (and, beginning with the 4th century, ECUMENICAL SYNODS OR COUNCILS), brought the "rule of faith" unshaken out of the battle and preserved Orthodoxy unharmed. Thus it was in the first thousand years."
"The second millennium has not changed this situation. In these years the deviations from Christian truth, the divisions and sects, have been many more than in the first millennium. Certain currents hostile to Orthodoxy are no less passionate in their proselytism and hostility to Orthodoxy that was the case in the epoch of the Ecumenical Synods. This means that it is essential to be vigilant in preserving Orthodoxy. A special vigilance in defending dogmas is required now because of a false path which has come from Christian circles outside the Church; this false path, while it seeks to attain a seemingly good aim, is unacceptable for the Orthodox Church: It is disdainful with regard to the dogmatic side of Christian faith in its striving to realize the unity of the whole Christian world."
Protopresbyter Michael Pomaxanski writes: "The term "INVISIBLE" can refer only to the Heavenly Church. The Church on earth, even though it has its invisible side, like a ship a part of which is hidden in the water and is invisible to the eyes, still remains visible, because it consists of people and has visible forms of organization and sacred activity.
Therefore it is quite natural to affirm that these religiisous organizations are societies which are "near," or "next to," or "close to," or perhaps even "adjoining" the Church, but sometimes "against" it; but they are all "OUTSIDE" THE ONE CHURCH OF CHRIST. Some of them hae cut themselves off, other have gone far away. Some, in going away, all the same have historical ties of blood with her; others have lost all kinshi, and in them the very spirit and foundations of Christianity HAVE BEEN DISTORTED. None of them find themselves under the captivity of the Grace which is present in the Church, and especially the Grace which is given in the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church. They are not nourished by that mystical table which leads up along the steps of spiritual perfection.
The tendency in contemporary cultural society to place SALL CONFESSIONS ON ONE LEVEL IS NOT LIMITED TO CHRISTIANITY; on this same ALL-EQUALLING LEVEL ARE PLACE ALSO THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS, ON THE GROUND THAT THEY ALL "LEAD TO GOD," and besides, taken all together; they far surpass the Christian world in the number of members who belong to them.
All of such "UNITING" and "EQUALIZING" views indicate a forgetfulness of the principle that THERE CAN BE MANY TEACHINGS AND OPINIONS, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH. And THE AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN UNITY–UNITY IN THE CHURCH–CAN BE BASED ONLY UPON ONENESS OF MIND, AND NOT UPON DIFFERENCES OF MIND. The Church is "THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH" (I Timothy 3:15)."
The contemporary Orthodox theologians must adhere to the dogmas of Our Holy Church and not trivialize, ignore, distort or deviate from the truth. We, as Orthodox Christians have been blessed to be members of the Church of Christ and due to the Holy Fathers of the Church who under the inspiration and Grace of the Holy Spirit gave us the authentic Christian faith which all must protect and preserve as they gave it to us. Outside the Orthodox Church and specifically among the heterodox Christians, the Christian Gospel has been damaged beyond repair. Many have been reduced to powerful and influential cults [ie. Mormons, Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses, etc.) which distort who our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is, and furthermore, promote and spread antichristian propaganda and misinformation and disinformation. These heretics and blasphemers seek to undermine authentic Christianity and prevent the spread of the AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN GOSPEL AND CHRIST'S MESSAGE OF SALVATION TO THE WORLD.
[Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 