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What is a tithe, and to whom should it be given?
Read more: What is a tithe, and to whom should it be given?A tithe is one-tenth of all income that every Christian offers to God. The tithe is a divine institution and was mandatory for every Jew: “And all the tithe of the land […] is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.”(Leviticus 27:30) It was designated for the support of the Old Testament priesthood and…
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What about those outside the true Church? Will they all perish?
Read more: What about those outside the true Church? Will they all perish?We should not presume to take God’s judgment into our hands. We do not know who will perish or who will be saved—that is God’s domain: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.”(James 4:12) We should focus on our own salvation: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”(Philippians…
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Can salvation only be attained in the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (РПСЦ)?
Read more: Can salvation only be attained in the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (РПСЦ)?The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church is the modern name for the Church founded by Christ Himself. In the Creed, we profess: “I believe… in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” By this, we affirm that we preserve the same true faith that once existed throughout the entire universe. We do not require any correction…
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Could Metropolitan Ambrose have been received into the Church not as a bishop but as a priest, since the Bible states that “the lesser is blessed by the greater”?
Read more: Could Metropolitan Ambrose have been received into the Church not as a bishop but as a priest, since the Bible states that “the lesser is blessed by the greater”?We believe and confess that an Orthodox priest, in relation to a heretical bishop, is by no means “lesser,” but—by virtue of his belonging to the True Church of Christ and his authority to bind and loose sins—he is “greater” than a heretical bishop who has not joined the Church of Christ. While there is…
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Why is the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (RPSC) the true Church of Christ, and not the New Rite Church? After all, many call Old Believers schismatics.
Read more: Why is the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (RPSC) the true Church of Christ, and not the New Rite Church? After all, many call Old Believers schismatics.The Holy Fathers call schismatics (heretics of the second rank) those who introduce novelties into Church tradition, thereby separating themselves from the unity of faith. The Orthodox Old Believers not only introduced no novelties but actively resisted the innovations attempted by Patriarch Nikon and his like-minded followers. The holy martyr Protopriest Avvakum wrote in his Fifth…
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Why can there be only one true Church?
Read more: Why can there be only one true Church?We believe in “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church,” as stated in the Symbol of Faith. This dogmatic teaching should, in principle, suffice for any Christian. After all, we do not doubt other dogmas, just as a mathematician does not question the axioms of the geometric system in which they work. However, human reason naturally…
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What is the meaning of the concept “Moscow is the Third Rome, and a fourth there shall not be”? Are Russians somehow special or better than others?
Read more: What is the meaning of the concept “Moscow is the Third Rome, and a fourth there shall not be”? Are Russians somehow special or better than others?The medieval Russian concept was slightly different and more comprehensive in its original form. Its essence can be summarized as follows: the First Rome, the Orthodox kingdom, fell into heresy; the Second Rome (Constantinople) fell to the Turks; now the last Orthodox kingdom is Moscow, the “Third Rome.” If Moscow were to fall, there would…
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Can one not be Orthodox and simply believe in God in their soul?
Read more: Can one not be Orthodox and simply believe in God in their soul?It is quite common to hear statements like this: “I am Orthodox, baptized, but I don’t go to church. I don’t trust priests. But I believe in God in my soul. I wear a cross. I’ve been taught not to steal or wish harm on others. I believe that’s enough. After all, the main thing…
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A Brief History of the Old Orthodox (Old Believer) Church. -F.E. Melnikov
Read more: A Brief History of the Old Orthodox (Old Believer) Church. -F.E. Melnikov–UNDER CONSTRUCTION– Introduction Three hundred years ago, Russia professed a single Christian, Orthodox faith and formed a single true Orthodox Church. At that time, there were no heresies, no schisms, no divisions within the Russian Church. For more than six centuries, beginning from the Baptism of Rus’ in 988, the Russian Church enjoyed inner peace…
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Russian Old Belief: Traditions, History, and Culture. -Dimitry Urushev
Read more: Russian Old Belief: Traditions, History, and Culture. -Dimitry UrushevFrom the Baptism of Rus Old Belief is, by definition, inseparably linked to history. Old Believers have always been distinguished by a profound historical memory. For them, not only recently glorified Russian saints but also the biblical patriarchs and prophets were real, living people, forming an integral part of the Orthodox world. In recounting the…