Theosis Part 1: Glowing with the Light of Christ

An important, though often misunderstood, aspect of Orthodoxy theology is the process of Theosis. What are Christians supposed to do after they "become Christians" or "enter the Church"? Can we actually become partakers of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4)? Frederica Mathewes-Green​ explains.

Division in Christendom: The Great Schism & Reformation

Denominations never bothered me as a Protestant. It was just a fact of life. But as I  read Church history and inched closer and closer to Orthodoxy, the reality of 30,000+ denominations began to hit home; it ceased to be merely a statistic or fact of life and turned into a cause for great mourning. The Great Schism and the Reformation are two famous examples in Church history where the brokenness of humanity wounded the witness of Christianity forever.

Perhaps the most striking thing I realized during that time was that, though I have Luther to thank for the revolt against indulgences and whatnot, I still was not in line with what he believe. That is to say, though Martin Luther is the hero of many Protestants, these same Protestants would vehemently disagree with his belief in infant baptism and the reality of Christ's presence in the Eucharist.

God had mercy on us and allowed us to join the Orthodox Church in 2013. Watch the video below and see what Frederica Mathewes-Green has to say.

Why Do Orthodox Christians Call Mary the Theotokos?

Orthodox Christians refer to the Virgin Mary by a number of different titles. The two most common are Theotokos and Mother of God. But why do we use these titles instead of simply referring to her as Mary—or Mary the Mother of Jesus? The short of it, is that the titles we give to Mary reflect our Christology; the titles we use for her are important in safeguarding the doctrine of Jesus Christ, who is fully man and fully God. I have written elsewhere about this topic and a little bit of the history behind it. But check if you are not really into reading about it, at least check out the video below.

The Sign of the Cross, Icons, and Tradition in the Orthodox Church

What are icons and why do Orthodox Christians kiss them? Icons are like family photos. Just like a deployed soldier may kiss a photo of his wife, we kiss icons of Saints who have fallen asleep in Christ.

Perhaps you are also wondering what the sign of the cross means. Check out this video where Frederica explains how Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross, what it means, and how she began to appreciate the Tradition of the Orthodox Church.

This video is part of an ongoing series entitled Welcome to the Orthodox Church produced the Theoria Youtube Channel .

Prayer to the Saints

Most Protestants are uncomfortable with the idea that Orthodox (and Roman Catholic) Christians "pray to the saints." Most of the discomfort centers around the word "pray." What does it mean to "pray to the saints?" Frederica Mathewes-Green explains, in the video below, that the word "pray," in English, used to just mean "to make a request." So, when we pray to the saints, we are, in fact, asking for them to pray for us. We are not praying to them like they are Jesus Christ.

 The Saints who have fallen asleep in the Lord are not dead, they are alive! For our God is the God of the living, not the dead! And they are with Christ, now, worshipping him and praying for us. Watch the video and let me know what you think!