How does one correctly transition from the New Rite Church to the Old Rite Church? What is the process, what should one know, and from which sins (such as smoking) should one abstain?

ByThe Old Believers

The answer to this question largely depends on the individual’s specific life circumstances. It is one thing if the person is relatively healthy, young, and not in immediate danger of death, meaning they likely have time for a thorough preparation before joining. It is another matter entirely if the person is gravely ill, physically weak,…

What was the cause of the schism in the Russian Church in the 17th century?

ByThe Old Believers

The schism began with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov’s desire to reform the Russian Church through Patriarch Nikon, modeling it on contemporary Greek and Ukrainian practices. The 17th-century reforms affected not just a narrow circle of specialists but every member of the Church. They touched upon familiar and deeply ingrained elements: the sign of the cross,…

A Time to Gather Stones. -Viktor Buzhinsky

ByThe Old Believers

“Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and thy saints shall rejoice.” (Psalm 131:9) “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” (Psalm 13:2) In the Revelation of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, God addresses the seven churches of…

Darkening. -Viktor Buzhinsky

ByThe Old Believers

“Justice, justice shalt thou seek,that thou mayest live, and inherit the landwhich the Lord thy Godgiveth thee” (Deut. 16:20). “And to receive and profess the holy symbol, as the holy and God-bearing fathers at the First Ecumenical Council, which was in Nicaea, and at the Second Ecumenical Council, which was in Constantinople, wrote in Greek:…

The Log House Has Not Burned Down – It is Still Burning.

ByThe Old Believers

Part 1 V.V. Buzhinsky Two thousand years have passed since the Nativity of Christ, and a thousand years since the Baptism of Rus’. And the Lord has removed the delusion — the godless regime collapsed, doomed and with hardly any resistance. As has often been the case, we did not perceive what had happened as…

Why Do Christians Celebrate Sunday Instead of Saturday? (A Response to Seventh-day Adventists)

ByThe Old Believers

By Metropolitan Innokenty (Usov) Preface Only that faith or church is true and salvific which was founded by Christ Himself and the Apostles and which continues uninterruptedly until the last days. All other faiths, confessions, churches, sects, or religious societies are nothing but delusions or human inventions, even if they are based on Holy Scripture,…

On the Baptists. The Historical Origin of the Baptists

ByThe Old Believers

T.S. Tulupov Until the year 1054 A.D., the Greek Eastern and the Roman Catholic Churches were united in faith and formed a single Church. But in that year, all the Eastern Churches excommunicated the Roman Catholic Church for many innovations in faith that were contrary to the Word of God, and chiefly for the Catholics’…

On the Baptists: A Brief Guide for Engaging in Conversation with Baptist Sectarians

ByThe Old Believers

T.S. Tulupov When engaging in conversations with Baptists, it is best to begin from a historical perspective—that is, by indicating the time when the sect under discussion appeared and identifying its founder. After this, one should move on to clarifying the dogma of Holy Tradition, with the goal of firmly establishing the teaching of the…

On Holy Tradition

ByThe Old Believers

In discussions of questions of faith, Baptist sectarians acknowledge only Holy Scripture as the sole source of doctrine and always demand proof “from the line of Scripture.” Therefore, when conversing with them about Holy Tradition, one must first of all demonstrate the insufficiency of Holy Scripture as the sole source of doctrine, and explain to…