Church
Saint John the Forerunner
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH): a neutral profile of what this congregation describes about its beliefs.
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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 99 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
- Atonement Is Limited DefiniteStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist died to actually secure the salvation of the elect specifically (limited/definite/particular atonement), not equally for all persons.Estimated, not verified
- Atonement Is Unlimited UniversalStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist died for all people without exception, making salvation available to everyone (unlimited/general atonement).Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Is Symbolic OnlyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBaptism is a symbol/ordinance that publicly signifies a salvation already received by faith and does not itself convey saving grace.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Necessary For SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultWater baptism is ordinarily necessary for salvation; one is not normally saved apart from it.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism RegeneratesStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism itself effects regeneration / the washing away of sin, conferring saving grace through the act.Estimated, not verified
- Believer Remains Sinner SimulRejectsTradition defaultThe justified believer remains, throughout life, simultaneously righteous and a sinner (simul justus et peccator).Estimated, not verified
- Believers Baptism OnlyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBaptism is valid only when received by a person old enough to personally profess faith.Estimated, not verified
- Believers Works Truly MeritoriousAffirmsTradition defaultThe good works a believer does in grace genuinely merit an increase of grace and eternal reward before God.Estimated, not verified
- Calling Is Effectual IrresistibleStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThose whom God calls to salvation are infallibly drawn so that the call cannot finally fail (effectual calling).Estimated, not verified
- Christus VictorStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe atonement is principally Christ's victory over sin, death, and the powers of evil, liberating humanity from bondage.Estimated, not verified
- Conversion Is Instantaneous EventRejectsTradition defaultSalvation centers on an identifiable, often datable moment of conversion / being "born again."Estimated, not verified
- Decisional RegenerationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultSalvation is received by making a deliberate personal decision for Christ (e.g. praying to receive him / answering an altar call).Estimated, not verified
- Double PredestinationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod actively predestines some to salvation and others to damnation (double predestination).Estimated, not verified
- Election Based On Foreseen FaithAffirmsTradition defaultGod elected to salvation those whom he foreknew would believe (election conditioned on foreseen faith).Estimated, not verified
- Election Is UnconditionalStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod's choice of whom to save rests solely on his own will/good pleasure, not conditioned on any foreseen faith, merit, or response in the person.Estimated, not verified
- Election Unknowable In This LifeAffirmsTradition defaultWho is among the elect cannot be known with certainty in this life.Estimated, not verified
- Eternal Conscious TormentAffirmsTradition defaultThe finally unsaved suffer conscious punishment in hell that never ends.Estimated, not verified
- Eternal Security Once SavedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA person who is genuinely saved can never lose their salvation ("once saved, always saved").Estimated, not verified
- Eucharist Conveys GraceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Lord's Supper / Eucharist conveys real saving or sustaining grace to the worthy recipient, not merely a memorial.Estimated, not verified
- Expiation Not PropitiationAffirmsTradition defaultThe cross cleanses/cancels sin (expiation) but does not appease divine wrath (propitiation), because God needs no appeasement.Estimated, not verified
- Faith Plus Works RequiredStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBoth faith and good works (cooperating with grace) are jointly necessary as the means by which one is finally justified before God.Estimated, not verified
- Final Justification By Whole LifeAffirmsTradition defaultA future/final justification will be rendered "according to" the whole life lived in the Spirit, not on the basis of present faith alone.Estimated, not verified
- God Predestines IndividualsRejectsTradition defaultBefore creation, God predestined particular individuals to salvation.Estimated, not verified
- God Wills All To Be SavedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod genuinely desires the salvation of every single person without exception.Estimated, not verified
- Good Works Necessary For Final SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGood works/holiness are necessary not merely as evidence but as a real condition of final salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is Infused HabitualRejectsTradition defaultSaving grace is a created, habitual quality infused into the soul that elevates and heals it.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is IrresistibleStrongly rejectsTradition defaultWhen God gives saving grace to the elect, it cannot ultimately be resisted and infallibly accomplishes its purpose.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is ResistibleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod's saving grace genuinely offered to a person can be resisted and rejected by that person's free will.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is Uncreated EnergiesStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGrace is the uncreated divine energies of God himself, in which the believer really participates, not a created gift.Estimated, not verified
- Humans Can Choose God UnaidedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultHuman beings retain, even after the fall, a natural ability to take the first step toward God or to choose salvation without prior special grace.Estimated, not verified
- Inclusivism Other MeansAffirmsTradition defaultPeople who never explicitly hear of Christ can nevertheless be saved through Christ on the basis of responding to the grace/light they have.Estimated, not verified
- Infant Baptism ProperStrongly affirmsTradition defaultIt is right to baptize the infants/children of believers (or of the faithful community).Estimated, not verified
- Justification Is ForensicStrongly rejectsTradition defaultJustification is a forensic, declarative act in which God legally pronounces the sinner righteous, distinct from the inner process of being made holy.Estimated, not verified
- Justification Is TransformativeStrongly affirmsTradition defaultJustification is fundamentally a real inner transformation (the infusing of righteousness that actually makes a person righteous) not just a verdict.Estimated, not verified
- Justified By Faith AloneStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA person is justified by faith alone (sola fide), apart from any contribution of their works to the ground of justification.Estimated, not verified
- Lordship SalvationAffirmsTradition defaultSaving faith necessarily includes submission to Christ as Lord and a commitment to repent/obey, not mere intellectual assent.Estimated, not verified
- Lost Salvation Can Be RegainedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSomeone who has fallen from grace can repent and be restored to salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Penal SubstitutionRejectsTradition defaultOn the cross Christ bore the penalty/punishment that sinners deserved, satisfying God's justice in their place (penal substitution).Estimated, not verified
- Postmortem Purification OrthodoxAffirmsTradition defaultThere is some real cleansing, growth, or change in the soul's condition after death (apart from a juridical "purgatory").Estimated, not verified
- Prayers For Dead Affect SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultPrayers, Masses, or almsgiving by the living can benefit the salvific state of the dead.Estimated, not verified
- Purgatory ExistsRejectsTradition defaultAfter death, many of the saved undergo a purifying state ("purgatory") before entering full glory.Estimated, not verified
- RecapitulationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist saves by "recapitulating": living out and reversing in himself every stage of human life that Adam corrupted, healing human nature from within.Estimated, not verified
- Repentance Required For SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultRepentance (a real turning from sin) is required for salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Righteousness Imparted InfusedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe righteousness of justification is infused into and becomes intrinsic to the believer, growing as they cooperate with grace.Estimated, not verified
- Righteousness ImputedRejectsTradition defaultThe righteousness by which a believer is justified is Christ's own righteousness credited/imputed to them, external to and not produced by the believer.Estimated, not verified
- Sacramental Initiation SavesStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA person is incorporated into salvation chiefly through the Church's sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation/chrismation, Eucharist) rather than a personal decision.Estimated, not verified
- Sacraments Are Means Of GraceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod ordinarily dispenses saving grace through material sacraments/mysteries as effective channels.Estimated, not verified
- Sacraments Work Ex Opere OperatoAffirmsTradition defaultA rightly performed sacrament conveys its grace by the very fact of being performed (ex opere operato), not depending on the worthiness of the minister or recipient's merit.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation By Membership In True ChurchAffirmsTradition defaultSalvation is ordinarily found only within the one true visible Church; to be saved one must belong to it.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Can Be LostStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA genuine believer can fall away and forfeit salvation (apostasy / conditional security).Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is Lifelong ProcessStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSalvation is fundamentally a lifelong process of being saved rather than a single completed event.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is MonergisticStrongly rejectsTradition defaultSalvation is accomplished by God alone working in the person (monergism); the human will does not cooperate in the new birth.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is SynergisticStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSalvation involves a genuine cooperation between God's grace and the human will (synergism).Estimated, not verified
- Sanctification Is ProgressiveStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAfter conversion the believer grows in holiness gradually over a lifetime (progressive sanctification).Estimated, not verified
- Satisfaction AnselmianRejectsTradition defaultChrist's death rendered satisfaction to God's offended honor/justice for the debt of sin (Anselmian satisfaction).Estimated, not verified
- Semi Pelagian First StepStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe human can make the first move toward God (e.g. an initial desire or assent), after which God supplies the grace to complete salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Soul Sleep Until ResurrectionStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe dead are unconscious ("sleep") until the resurrection rather than immediately experiencing reward or punishment.Estimated, not verified
- Theosis DeificationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe goal of salvation is theosis/deification: the believer becoming "partaker of the divine nature," really sharing in God's life.Estimated, not verified
- Total Depravity InabilityLeans toward rejectingTradition defaultFallen humans are so corrupted that, apart from grace, they are entirely unable to turn to God or choose saving good (total inability).Estimated, not verified
- Treasury Of Merit IndulgencesRejectsTradition defaultThe Church can apply the superabundant merits of Christ and the saints (the "treasury of merit") to remit temporal punishment, e.g. through indulgences.Estimated, not verified
- Union With Christ Is CentralStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSalvation is best understood as participation/union with Christ, from which both justification and sanctification flow, rather than as a primarily legal transaction.Estimated, not verified
- Universal ReconciliationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultIn the end God will reconcile and save all people (and possibly all creatures), so that none are finally lost.Estimated, not verified
- Word Is Chief Means Of GraceRejectsTradition defaultThe preached/read Word of God is the primary means by which saving grace is given, with sacraments subordinate or secondary.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
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
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