Church
Saint John the Forerunner
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH): a neutral profile of what this congregation describes about its beliefs.
Where to find them
Public details for this congregation.
No public contact details yetKnow this congregation's address or website? Point us to it.Suggest details
41.7361° N, 87.8713° WOpen map →TraditionGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH)About →
Sourcing statusTradition default
Beliefs on file1040 positions
Statement of faithNot on file
Where they stand
Each position below is labelled by how it was sourced, so you can weigh it for yourself.
VerifiedConfirmed by the church
From their statement of faithEstimated, not verified
Tradition defaultEstimated, not verified
Showing 91 of 1040 positions across 18 topics. Expand any topic to see the rest.
God & the Trinity55 positions
- Analogical LanguageStrongly affirmsTradition defaultHuman language about God is analogical: true but never capturing God univocally as it captures creatures.Estimated, not verified
- Apophatic PriorityStrongly affirmsTradition defaultWhat God is in himself is ultimately beyond human comprehension, so negative ("God is not...") statements are more reliable than positive ones.Estimated, not verified
Christ70 positions
- Assumed Fallen Human NatureStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist assumed a fully fallen human nature (subject to the effects of the Fall) in order to heal it from within.Estimated, not verified
- Assumed Unfallen Human NatureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist assumed an unfallen, sinless human nature, untouched by original sin/corruption.Estimated, not verified
Sin & the fall54 positions
- Adams Sin Brought Physical DeathAffirmsTradition defaultPhysical death entered the human race as a consequence of Adam's sin; humans were not originally subject to death.Estimated, not verified
- All Sin Deserves Death EquallyRejectsTradition defaultEvery sin, however small, deserves God's condemnation/death: there is no class of sin that does not by nature merit it.Estimated, not verified
Salvation65 positions
- Assurance Of Salvation PossibleRejectsTradition defaultA believer can have a settled present assurance that they are saved.Estimated, not verified
- Atonement Heals Human Nature TheosisStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe atonement's deepest purpose is to heal and divinize human nature (joining humanity to God), more than to settle a legal account.Estimated, not verified
The Holy Spirit55 positions
- Anointing For Special MinistryAffirmsTradition defaultThe Spirit grants a special "anointing" empowering particular individuals for ministry beyond the common indwelling.Estimated, not verified
- Assurance Is Normal For BelieversRejectsTradition defaultSettled assurance of salvation is normal and to be expected for genuine believers in this life.Estimated, not verified
The Church75 positions
- Apostolic Succession Required For Valid MinistryStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA minister's ordination is only VALID if conferred by a bishop standing in apostolic succession.Estimated, not verified
- Apostolicity Is Doctrinal Not SuccessionalStrongly rejectsTradition defaultApostolicity consists primarily in fidelity to apostolic DOCTRINE, not in an unbroken chain of ordinations from the apostles.Estimated, not verified
Sacraments & ordinances73 positions
- Anointing For Healing PracticeStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe church should anoint the sick with oil and pray over them for healing (per James 5).Estimated, not verified
- Anointing Sick Is A SacramentStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAnointing of the sick with oil is a sacrament conveying grace, healing, and forgiveness to the seriously ill.Estimated, not verified
Worship & liturgy65 positions
- Altar Call InvitationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA public invitation/altar call inviting people to come forward to receive Christ or rededicate is a fitting close to worship.Estimated, not verified
- Altar Oriented ArchitectureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe worship space should be ordered around an altar/holy table as its visual and theological focus.Estimated, not verified
Last things43 positions
- A Literal Mark Of The Beast Is ComingAffirmsTradition defaultA literal future "mark of the beast" will be imposed as a condition of economic participation.Estimated, not verified
- Apocalyptic Prophecy Read Literally FuturisticallyRejectsTradition defaultThe prophecies of Daniel and Revelation should be read primarily as literal predictions of still-future events.Estimated, not verified
Scripture57 positions
- Authority Creeds SubordinateRejectsTradition defaultThe ecumenical creeds and confessions are authoritative only insofar as they faithfully summarize Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Holy Tradition OrthodoxStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture is rightly read only within Holy Tradition: the Fathers, councils, liturgy, and consensus of the Church.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Magisterium InterpretsRejectsTradition defaultThe authentic interpretation of Scripture is entrusted to the Church's living teaching office (Magisterium), whose judgments bind the faithful.Estimated, not verified
- Authority No Creed But BibleStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe Church should bind conscience to "no creed but the Bible," rejecting man-made confessions as tests of fellowship.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Over Conscience IndividualStrongly rejectsTradition defaultAn individual believer may rightly stand on Scripture against the consensus of the Church when conscience so requires.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Scripture Plus Tradition CoordinateStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture and apostolic Tradition together form one deposit of God's Word, both to be received with equal devotion.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Sola ScripturaStrongly rejectsTradition defaultScripture is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice for the Church.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Apocrypha Useful Not CanonRejectsTradition defaultThe apocryphal books are profitable for reading and edification but are not authoritative for establishing doctrine.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Church DeterminesStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Church, exercising her God-given authority, determined and authoritatively defined which books are canonical.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Church Recognized Not ConferredRejectsTradition defaultThe Church recognized the canon that God had already constituted, rather than creating or conferring canonicity.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Closed CompleteStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe canon of Scripture is permanently closed; no new books can be added.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Deuterocanon ScriptureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe deuterocanonical/apocryphal books (e.g., Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, 1-2 Maccabees) are fully canonical Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Ethiopian Enoch JubileesRejectsTradition defaultBooks such as 1 Enoch and Jubilees belong in the biblical canon.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Marcion NarrowStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe Old Testament should be rejected or radically subordinated because its God differs from the God revealed in Jesus.Estimated, not verified
- Canon New Revelation LdsStrongly rejectsTradition defaultScripture includes additional latter-day revealed books beyond the Bible (e.g., the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price).Estimated, not verified
- Canon Old Testament Authority EqualStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Old Testament is fully and equally Scripture alongside the New Testament.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Open ContinuingStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe canon of Scripture is open in principle: God may add new authoritative written revelation in the present or future.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Orthodox WiderStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBooks beyond the Roman Catholic canon (e.g., 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, 1 Esdras, and in some churches 4 Maccabees or Enoch) are rightly received as Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Protestant 66Strongly rejectsTradition defaultThe canon of Scripture consists of exactly the 66 books of the Protestant Bible.Estimated, not verified
- Canon Self AuthenticatingRejectsTradition defaultThe canonical books are self-authenticating: believers recognize them as Scripture through the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, not by the Church's decree.Estimated, not verified
- Function Norms All DoctrineLeans toward affirmingTradition defaultEvery doctrine the Church teaches must be testable by, and answerable to, Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- General Revelation SupplementsAffirmsTradition defaultGod's revelation in nature and conscience gives reliable, though limited, knowledge of God independent of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Allegorical DefaultAffirmsTradition defaultAllegorical and figurative interpretation, rather than the literal-historical, should be the default key to Scripture's deeper meaning.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Fourfold Spiritual SensesStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBeyond the literal sense, Scripture carries genuine spiritual senses (allegorical, moral, anagogical) intended by God.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Historical GrammaticalLeans toward rejectingTradition defaultThe proper method of interpretation seeks the single intended meaning of the human author in his historical and grammatical context.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Literal Sense PrimaryLeans toward affirmingTradition defaultThe literal sense (the plain, intended meaning) is the foundation and control for all other senses of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Literalism DispensationalStrongly rejectsTradition defaultProphetic texts should be read as literally and concretely as possible, including a future literal fulfillment of national/territorial promises to Israel.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Redemptive Historical Christ CenterStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAll of Scripture finds its unifying meaning in Christ and the unfolding plan of redemption, and should be read Christocentrically.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Scripture Interprets ScriptureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultObscure passages of Scripture should be interpreted in light of clearer passages ("the analogy of Scripture").Estimated, not verified
- Herm Tradition Rule Of FaithStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture must be interpreted according to the Church's "rule of faith" / received tradition, which constrains permissible readings.Estimated, not verified
- Herm Typology LegitStrongly affirmsTradition defaultOld Testament persons and events are divinely intended types that prefigure New Testament realities.Estimated, not verified
- Inerrancy Historical Narratives FactualStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe historical narratives of Scripture (e.g., the exodus, the conquest, the bodily resurrection) record events that actually happened in space and time.Estimated, not verified
- Inerrancy Phenomenological LanguageStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture's descriptions of nature (e.g., the sun rising) are ordinary phenomenological language and do not constitute scientific error.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Barthian Becomes WordStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe Bible is not in itself the Word of God but becomes the Word of God in the event of God addressing a person through it.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Concursive Human PersonalityStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod so worked through the human authors that their own personalities, vocabulary, and circumstances genuinely shaped the text while it remained God's word.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration DegreesStrongly rejectsTradition defaultSome books or passages of Scripture are more fully inspired than others.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration DictationRejectsTradition defaultGod dictated the words of Scripture to the human writers, who functioned essentially as scribes or stenographers.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Extends To WordsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultInspiration extends to the actual words of the original text, not only to the general ideas or concepts.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Holy Spirit AuthorStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Holy Spirit is properly called the divine author of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Illumination OnlyStrongly rejectsTradition default"Inspiration" refers only to the heightened spiritual insight of gifted human authors, comparable in kind (if not degree) to other great religious writing.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Plenary WholeStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAll parts of Scripture are equally inspired, not merely the doctrinally central or "religious" portions.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Redletter PriorityStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe recorded words of Jesus carry greater authority than other portions of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Inspiration Supernatural OriginStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Christian Scriptures originated through a genuine act of God, not merely human religious reflection.Estimated, not verified
- Interpretation Private Judgment LegitRejectsTradition defaultIndividual believers, illumined by the Spirit, are competent to interpret Scripture for themselves.Estimated, not verified
- Necessity Scripture For Knowledge Of GodStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture is necessary for a saving and reliable knowledge of God that nature alone cannot provide.Estimated, not verified
- Perspicuity ClarityRejectsTradition defaultThe essential teachings of Scripture, especially the way of salvation, are clear enough that ordinary believers can understand them without a specialized interpreter.Estimated, not verified
- Perspicuity Requires ChurchStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture is sufficiently obscure that private readers will go astray without the Church's authoritative guidance.Estimated, not verified
- Scripture Layperson Should ReadStrongly affirmsTradition defaultEvery believer should read the Scriptures directly in their own language.Estimated, not verified
- Scripture Living Voice TodayStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThrough the Holy Spirit, Scripture speaks directly and personally to the believer today, not merely as an ancient record.Estimated, not verified
- Scripture Unique Above Other Sacred TextsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Christian Scriptures are uniquely God's word in a way that the sacred texts of other religions are not.Estimated, not verified
- Scripture Word And Sacrament BalanceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultScripture's authority is exercised chiefly through its public proclamation and the sacraments, rather than primarily through private reading.Estimated, not verified
- Sufficiency Regulative WorshipRejectsTradition defaultOnly what Scripture positively commands or warrants may be included in the Church's worship and government.Estimated, not verified
- Sufficiency ScriptureRejectsTradition defaultScripture contains all things necessary for salvation and for the faith and life of the Church; nothing essential is lacking.Estimated, not verified
- Text Critical EclecticLeans toward affirmingTradition defaultThe best New Testament text is reconstructed by weighing all manuscript evidence (an eclectic/critical text), even where this differs from the historic printed editions.Estimated, not verified
- Text Disputed Passages AuthenticAffirmsTradition defaultLonger disputed passages (e.g., Mark 16:9-20, John 7:53-8:11, the Comma Johanneum) are authentic parts of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Text Formal EquivalenceAffirmsTradition defaultBible translation should follow the original wording and structure as closely as possible (formal/word-for-word equivalence).Estimated, not verified
- Text Kjv OnlyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe King James Version is the only fully reliable English Bible, and modern translations are corrupt or doctrinally dangerous.Estimated, not verified
Revelation, creation & science33 positions
- Adam Special Creation From DustStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe first human was specially and directly created by God from the dust, not biologically descended from earlier hominins.Estimated, not verified
- Angels Created BeingsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAngels and other spiritual beings are part of God's created order, made by God.Estimated, not verified
Life & bioethics67 positions
- Abortifacient Contraception WrongStrongly affirmsTradition defaultMethods that can prevent implantation of an already-fertilized embryo (e.g., certain IUDs, emergency contraception) are morally equivalent to early abortion and impermissible.Estimated, not verified
- Abortion Gravely Wrong In PrincipleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultDeliberately ending a pregnancy by killing the unborn is in itself a grave moral wrong.Estimated, not verified
Sexuality & marriage53 positions
- Abortifacient Contraception WrongStrongly affirmsTradition defaultContraceptive methods that may act after fertilization (potential abortifacients) are morally wrong even if other contraception is permitted.Estimated, not verified
- Annulment Recognizes Invalid MarriageAffirmsTradition defaultSome unions that appeared to be marriages were never valid marriages, and the church can rightly declare them null (annulment).Estimated, not verified
Society & politics55 positions
- Active Nonviolent Resistance ObligatoryAffirmsTradition defaultChristians should actively resist injustice through nonviolent means (protest, civil disobedience, noncooperation), not merely abstain from violence.Estimated, not verified
- Almsgiving Is A Binding ObligationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGiving to the poor is a binding moral obligation, not optional charity, and to withhold from the needy is a sin.Estimated, not verified
Angelology Demonology58 positions
- Angelic Fall Caused By PrideStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe angels fell primarily through pride: refusing subjection to God / seeking to exalt themselves.Estimated, not verified
- Angelic Fall Predates Human FallAffirmsTradition defaultThe angelic rebellion occurred before the fall of humanity, and the serpent's temptation issued from an already-fallen angel.Estimated, not verified
Anthropology55 positions
- Body Essential To PersonStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe body is essential to being a complete human person, not an accidental or dispensable container for the soul.Estimated, not verified
- Body GoodStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe material human body is intrinsically good as created by God.Estimated, not verified
Covenant Law Israel32 positions
- Abrahamic Covenant Foundational And OngoingStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Abrahamic covenant is foundational and its promises remain operative for the people of God today.Estimated, not verified
- Believers No Longer Under Laws CondemnationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBelievers are entirely free from the law's condemning function but remain under its directing function.Estimated, not verified
Mariology Saints75 positions
- All Believers Are SaintsRejectsTradition default"Saints" in the New Testament sense means all believers, not a special canonized class.Estimated, not verified
- Altar Relics Required Or ProperStrongly affirmsTradition defaultIt is fitting (or required) that altars contain the relics of saints.Estimated, not verified
Churches nearby
Other congregations in the directory near this one.
Want to study this church's tradition at the source? Bible Gateway Plus or Logos Bible Software pair well with any statement of faith.
Keep exploring
See where the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH) tradition typically lands, or take the quiz to get your % match with every church.