I am a wholehearted member of (and officer for) the [Orthodox Presbyterian Church](https://opc.org). Given the rise of Eastern Orthodoxy in the West, I am often asked what that 'Orthodox' means in the name of our denomination?
Here is a helpful answer: ["Orthodox" Revisited - Part 3](https://opc.org/qa.html?question_id=37). In sum:
- strictly etymologically, it means "right worship"
- in this use, however, it means 'right teaching" and was chosen in contradistinction to the Modernist-ridden mainline Presbyterian denomination out of which "we" were thrust in the early 20th century. There was an earlier name chosen, but the mainline & Modernist Presbyterian denomination actually _sued_ "us" over it for being "too similar." So, as a bit of a cheeky response, "we" said--"OK, fine: so you guys can be the 'Presbyterians'--and (since we have not moved away from the actual doctrines of the historic, Protestant, and Presbyterian church) we'll be the 'Orthodox' Presbyterians." (ha!)
- No, it does not bear any relation to the 'Eastern Orthodox' denomination / tradition _per se_ , though we certainly share with them agreement on the early Ecumenical creeds, etc.
freeborn | ἐλεύθερος
npub1ak…r0gwg
2025-01-02 19:32:18
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npub1ak5kewf6anwkrt0qc8ua907ljkn7wm83e2ycyrpcumjvaf2upszs8r0gwgPublished at
2025-01-02 19:32:18Event JSON
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"content": "I am a wholehearted member of (and officer for) the [Orthodox Presbyterian Church](https://opc.org). Given the rise of Eastern Orthodoxy in the West, I am often asked what that 'Orthodox' means in the name of our denomination? \n\nHere is a helpful answer: [\"Orthodox\" Revisited - Part 3](https://opc.org/qa.html?question_id=37). In sum:\n\n- strictly etymologically, it means \"right worship\"\n- in this use, however, it means 'right teaching\" and was chosen in contradistinction to the Modernist-ridden mainline Presbyterian denomination out of which \"we\" were thrust in the early 20th century. There was an earlier name chosen, but the mainline \u0026 Modernist Presbyterian denomination actually _sued_ \"us\" over it for being \"too similar.\" So, as a bit of a cheeky response, \"we\" said--\"OK, fine: so you guys can be the 'Presbyterians'--and (since we have not moved away from the actual doctrines of the historic, Protestant, and Presbyterian church) we'll be the 'Orthodox' Presbyterians.\" (ha!)\n- No, it does not bear any relation to the 'Eastern Orthodox' denomination / tradition _per se_ , though we certainly share with them agreement on the early Ecumenical creeds, etc.",
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