The Orthodox Church, one of the three major branches of Christianity, includes the national churches of Russia, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Serbia, Greece, and Cyprus. These Orthodox churches agree on doctrinal essentials, but each has unique cultural and historical distinctives. Presently there are more than 200 million Orthodox believers around the world.

The word orthodox has two meanings among Orthodox believers.

  • First, the word means “true glory.” Church members believe the primary purpose in life is to give glory to God, which includes a worshipful attitude. The heart of such worship, for the Orthodox believer, is the Eucharist. The Lord Jesus is believed to be mystically present in the sanctified elements, and when participants receive them, their bond is deepened with each other and with Christ.

  • A second meaning of orthodox is “true doctrine” or “straight teaching.” Orthodox believers claim to live in continuity with the first-century church and the teachings of the original apostles. They believe they have been uniquely guided by the Holy Spirit in preserving and teaching the authentic Christian faith, free from man-made additions, distortions, and innovations.

The Orthodox Church has a rich history. Christianity, after its founding, soon spread far beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem, eventually moving into Hellenized (Greek) Gentile cultures, including Greece, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor. By the middle of the second century, Christianity spread into the Coptic and Syriac subcultures.

The Greek Fathers played a foundational role in the doctrine and practice of the Orthodox church. Included in this group are such notables as Athanasius (328–373), John Chrysostom (344–407), Cyril of Alexandria (412–444), Basil the Great (of Caesarea) (330–379), Gregory the Theologian (of Nazianzus) (330–390), and Gregory of Nyssa (d. 394). Among Orthodox believers, the writings of these Fathers are considered to be a part of tradition, just as the Bible is—and therefore both are authoritative.

History documents that the early Christian church was a martyr’s church. Christians were persecuted and martyred by one Roman emperor after another. All this changed, however, with the reign of Constantine (280–337). As a Christian himself, Constantine gave legitimacy and protection to Christianity. He also called the first ecumenical council of the Christian church in AD 325.

Constantine had an agenda in calling this council. At the time, Christians were experiencing significant divisions regarding doctrine and practice. Because this was not good for the empire, Constantine desired to bring unity to the church. He attempted to settle Christian differences by calling a council, inviting church leaders to assemble in his presence to agree on and clearly define correct doctrine and tradition. His reasoning was that if church leaders could be brought to unity, the people who followed them would soon imitate their example. He determined that whatever these church leaders decided by consensus, he would proclaim as law.

Constantine’s strategy seemed sound, but heresies continued to emerge in early church history, and more councils eventually became necessary following Constantine’s time. The second ecumenical council—the First Council of Constantinople (381)—was convened by Theodosius I to confirm victory over Arianism, a heresy that denied the Trinity and the full Deity of Jesus. The third ecumenical council—the Council of Ephesus (431)—was convened by Theodosius II to deal with the Nestorian heresy, which argued that the divine and human natures in Christ were not united.

The fourth ecumenical council—the Council of Chalcedon (451)—was held in response to the Monophysite faction (who believed the humanity of Jesus was absorbed into God’s divinity, thereby making Jesus solely divine). The council affirmed the doctrinally orthodox position that Jesus in the Incarnation was wholly divine and wholly human in one person.

This council also affirmed five official centers of Christianity—Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, each headed by a bishop, or patriarch. The patriarch of Rome (in the West) was considered the first among equals. Significantly for the Orthodox Church, the patriarch of Constantinople (in the East) eventually attained the status of second among equals.

The fifth ecumenical council—the Second Council of Constantinople (553)—was convened by Justinian I to settle a dispute involving moderate Monophysites. The sixth ecumenical council—the Third Council of Constantinople (680)—was convened by Constantine IV to deal with Monotheletism (the view that Christ had only one will). The council affirmed that Christ had two wills, with the human will subject to the divine. The seventh ecumenical council—the Second Council of Nicaea (787)—was convened by Byzantine Empress Irene to refute iconoclasm, which prohibited the use of images in worship.

Meanwhile, out of the five centers of Christianity mentioned earlier, only Rome (the West) and Constantinople (the East) were destined to remain in power. By the middle of the seventh century, the other three centers diminished as a result of being overcome by Islamic armies.

The East-West split#

During these years the division between the Western and Eastern churches increased. Cultural differences were unavoidable because the East was Greek in speech and attitude, and the West was Latin and Roman in speech and attitude. Political differences and doctrinal disagreements also widened the divide for years. Western theology had been heavily influenced by Augustine of Hippo (354–430), while Eastern theology was influenced by the Greek Fathers.

Another bone of contention related to the so-called Filioque clause. Recall that in John 15:26, Jesus said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” Based on this verse, the original Nicene Creed noted that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. However, the Western church added the Filioque clause to the original text. Filioque is a Latin term meaning “and the Son.” Hence, the Western version of the Nicene Creed says the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Eastern church rejected this insertion because John 15:26 provides no warrant for it. This issue caused a rift between the Roman pope Leo IX (1049–1054) and the patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius (1043–1058).

Further friction emerged due to the consensus that soon developed in the Western church that the entire church should be ruled by a single ecclesiastical institution with a single head (the Roman pope). Understandably, Michael Cerularius, Constantinople’s patriarch, would not go along with this consensus. In AD 1054, the estrangement between the two churches became permanent when the Roman Catholic pope and Constantinople’s patriarch excommunicated each other and their followers. From this point forward, the Roman Catholic Church of the West and the Orthodox Church of the East have remained separate wings of Christianity.

Emergence in the United States.#

Fast-forward to the eighteenth century. In 1741, the Russians discovered Alaska, and the Church of Russia (part of the Orthodox Church) founded a Christian mission there in 1794. About a century later, in 1891, a single Orthodox congregation was founded in San Francisco. The Orthodox Church had a humble beginning in the United States.

The late nineteenth century, however, brought a massive immigration of Orthodox believers from Greece, Russia, the Balkans, Asia Minor, and the Middle East. During this time, various national Orthodox churches exploded on American soil. These churches enabled the immigrants to keep connection with their homeland, language, and customs while adjusting to their new environment. Today there are some five million Orthodox believers in the United States.

Distinctive Ideas in Orthodox Churches#

  • The Bible contains all the books of the Catholic Bible (including the Apocrypha) plus three additional books.

  • Scripture is without error in matters of faith only.

  • Scripture is interpreted according to church tradition—primarily the seven ecumenical councils that met from AD 325–787.

  • The Nicene Creed is central.

  • In the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, God became a human being so that human beings could become deified (sharing in the divine nature of God).

  • Mary conceived Jesus virginally and remained a virgin perpetually. She was assumed bodily into heaven.

Beliefs#

The Nicene Creed#

The Nicene Creed is at the very heart of Orthodox theology. It is recited whenever the Orthodox liturgy is celebrated.

Rejection of Roman Catholic doctrines#

Orthodox believers reject distinctive Roman Catholic doctrines, including the pope as the sole vicar of Christ on earth, papal infallibility, the treasury of merits of the saints, indulgences, and purgatory.

The Bible and tradition#

For Orthodox believers, authority is rooted in tradition. Tradition refers to that which has been passed on and given over from the time of the apostles to the present. It is believed to include the Bible, the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils (especially the Nicene Creed), the writings of the Greek Fathers, the writings of the Latin Fathers prior to the eleventh century, and the testimony of the divine liturgies.

The Bible is important, but it is viewed as a book of the church to be interpreted by the church. After all, both the Old and New Testaments emerged within the context of the believing community (the church) and thus can only be understood within the context of that believing community. The Orthodox Church is viewed as the guardian, custodian, and interpreter of Holy Scripture.

God#

God is Almighty, faithful and true, and absolutely holy. He is characterized by goodness, truth, love, wisdom, knowledge, unity, purity, joy, and simplicity. An important emphasis in Orthodox theology is that God is a mystery who is utterly transcendent and wholly beyond the reach of finite human minds. He is “wholly other,” and His true essence cannot even begin to be captured in finite human words. In view of this, the very contemplation of God involves wonder, marvel, and awe. Although God in His essence is beyond human comprehension, He can be known in the context of His activities in the midst of the faith community. He can be known experientially as He acts in concrete historical situations.

The Orthodox Church affirms the doctrine of the Trinity—that is, there is one true God, and within the unity of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons who share the same divine essence or substance. There is one “what” (divine essence) and three “whos” (persons). Each is related to the others in a bond of love. Each shares in the presence and activities of the others. No person of the Trinity acts independently of or in isolation from the others.

Jesus Christ#

Jesus is Lord, Savior, and Messiah. He is the only-begotten Son of God, of one essence with the Father. The Incarnation of Jesus is the core event of divine revelation. He was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. Absolute Deity was united with full humanity (body, soul, mind, and will) so that both maintained their distinct characteristics, all the while being brought together in a single person: the God-man, Jesus Christ. Anyone who denies either the absolute Deity or the full humanity of Jesus is outside the confines of Orthodoxy. After dying on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father.

The Holy Spirit#

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the Lord and giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and is of the same divine essence as the Father and the Son. He seeks to manifest Jesus to every person in every age. He also seeks to unite believers to Christ, enabling them to share in the divine nature and empowering them to love.

The church#

The Orthodox Church considers itself the one true church on earth. Church members view their church as the only Christian church that has been kept pure and undefiled from heresy. It is viewed as the kingdom of God on earth, glorifying God with its correct doctrine and correct worship.

There is no single overarching governing body of the church, as is the case in Roman Catholicism. Each expression of the Orthodox tradition—whether the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, the Ukrainian Orthodox, or some other jurisdiction—has its own bishop who is independent of all other Orthodox bishops. Each national body is said to have its own “autocephalous hierarchy.” (Autocephalous refers to being governed by one’s own head bishops.) In each, there is a synod of bishops overseen by an elected archbishop.

There are three orders in ministry—deacons, priests, and bishops. Deacons assist priests in parish work and in administering the sacraments. Priests carry on the work of ministry in local parishes. They are allowed to get married before ordination, but marriage is forbidden following ordination. Bishops are chosen from among monastic communities and live under a lifelong vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Unique to Orthodox worship is its liturgy, which celebrates Christ’s Incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Through participating in Orthodox liturgy, one communicates with God, learns about God and His ways, and even becomes more Godlike. The liturgy makes use of many varied artistic expressions, including unique architecture, icons (of revered persons and events), music, incense (representing prayers), candles, sculptures, poetry, and the like. By making use of such artistic expressions, one experiences God in worship, experiences the kingdom of God on earth, and moves from the external realm of the material world to the inner world of spiritual mystery.

The sacraments#

The seven sacraments are also called mysteries: baptism, chrismation, holy communion, marriage, anointing the sick, confession, and holy orders. Baptism celebrates Christ’s death and resurrection, and participants become regenerated (baptismal regeneration). Chrismation is the same as confirmation. During this ritual, the participant receives the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Holy communion, or the Eucharist, is the sacrament of sacraments and mystery of mysteries. It is believed that the Holy Spirit descends on the elements of the bread and wine by liturgical invocation. At consecration by the Holy Spirit through the priest, the elements are mystically changed into the body and blood of Jesus. Those who participate share a banquet of the kingdom of God. Only those committed to Christ in the Orthodox Church through baptism and chrismation may participate.

In the sacrament of marriage, human love is transformed into divine love, and one’s union is sanctified and made eternal. In the sacrament of anointing the sick, human suffering is consecrated with Christ’s suffering. In the sacrament of confession, believers repent and receive forgiveness. In the sacrament of holy orders, continuity is maintained in the church from the first century to the present in terms of its bishops.

Sin and salvation#

The sin of humanity’s first parents does not pass on a sinful, corrupt nature to human beings. There is no inherited guilt. Children remain innocent until they personally choose to sin. However, the very fact of becoming mortal invariably brings about sin. Sinfulness is a consequence of mortality. By being mortal, humans have a yearning for sin because their appetites and bodily needs must be satisfied. As a result of the sin human beings individually commit, a barrier is erected between them and God that they cannot cross by their own efforts.

Human beings cannot possibly do away with this barrier by their own self-efforts, so God made a path to humanity through the Incarnation of Jesus. The Incarnation reopens the bridge to God for human beings.

A key aspect of salvation in Orthodox theology involves Christians sharing in the divine nature with God. In this view, God shared fully in human life through the Incarnation so that believers might be enabled to share fully in the divine life. This is called deification (theosis). The idea is that “God became man so that man might become God.” This does not mean humans actually become God ontologically (so that the Trinity is no longer a Trinity but encompasses innumerable persons within the Godhead). Rather it has to do with the believer being transfigured into the image and likeness of God through a life of virtue that is rooted in one’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The backdrop to this idea is the teaching in Genesis that humans were created in the image and likeness of God. As a result of the fall, humans lost their likeness to God but still remain in possession of the image of God. This image includes humanity’s rationality and freedom. The Orthodox Church teaches that Christians are presently in the process of seeking a restoration of the lost likeness. This likeness involves assimilation to God through Christian virtue and hinges on our moral choices. By following the teachings of the Orthodox Church, people can be restored in their Godlikeness. This likeness is a goal toward which human beings must perpetually aim.

The end times#

Christ will one day come again to judge the living and the dead. Those who reject God’s gift of life in communion with God are allowed to experience the fruit of their choice—that is, living eternally with the devil and his angels. For those who love the Lord, His presence will be infinite joy, paradise, and eternal life.

Orthodox Church in America#

Founded: 1970 Members: About 900,000 Congregations: Unknown

Beginnings#

Princess Olga, a Christian ruler over Kiev, was baptized in the Orthodox faith in AD 875. Her high-profile commitment to Orthodoxy caused the Orthodox Church to become widely known throughout the Ukraine, the center of the original Russian state. Her grandson, Vladimir the Great, eventually accepted Orthodox Christianity in AD 988 and commanded that all in his kingdom do the same. His religious proclamation caused Orthodoxy to become the official religion throughout the Ukraine. It was only a matter of time before Orthodoxy spread throughout the rest of Russia.

As noted earlier, the Russian Orthodox church eventually penetrated American soil by way of Alaska. In 1794, eight Orthodox missionaries from Russia traveled to Alaska (then a part of Russia) and made a profound impact on the native Alaskan population, bringing many to the Orthodox Christian faith. In 1840, a Russian Orthodox bishop was assigned to the area.

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Within five years (1872), the seat of American Orthodoxy moved from Alaska to San Francisco. At that time, the church was known as the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America. Parishes soon emerged throughout the United States. The denomination thrived as a result of immigrants pouring in from central, eastern, and southern Europe, as well as the Middle East, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1905, the headquarters for the denomination relocated to New York City.

The denomination reached a milestone in 1970 when the patriarch of Moscow (His Holiness Alexis) granted the Russian Orthodox church in America the freedom to operate as an independent, indigenous body. At this time the name of the denomination changed to the Orthodox Church in America. The denomination then invited all the various national Orthodox church jurisdictions to join with it in unity. The denomination now embraces the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate, the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese.

Beliefs#

The beliefs and practices of the Orthodox Church in America are in keeping with those of other Orthodox Christians, holding firmly to the Nicene Creed.

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America#

Founded: 1895 Members: More than 100,000 Congregations: 255

Beginnings#

Antioch has an interesting biblical history. It was a strategic city in the Roman province of Syria, and it was one of the first cities to be evangelized by the apostles. It was also the city in which believers in Jesus were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). This occurred around AD 42, about a decade after Christ died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead. The followers of Jesus had previously referred to themselves by such terms as brothers (Acts 15:l,23), disciples (Acts 9:26), believers (Acts 2:44), and saints (Romans 8:27). But now, in Antioch, they are called Christians. In view of the “ian” ending (meaning “belonging to the party of”), the Antiochians apparently viewed Christians as “those who belonged to the party of Christ.”

We noted earlier that the fourth ecumenical council—the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451)—recognized five official centers of Christianity: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, each headed by a bishop or patriarch. Christianity obviously gained a stronghold in Antioch, and the form of Christianity that took root there was of the Orthodox variety.

Fast-forward to the late nineteenth century. During this time, large numbers of Antiochian Christians immigrated to North America. They first affiliated with the Syro-Arabian Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church (Arabic became the language of Antioch early in its history). Then, in 1895, a Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Society was established by Antiochian immigrants in New York City. Dr. Ibrahim Arbeely, a prominent Damascene physician, served as its first president. This marks the beginning of what would eventually evolve into the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

Arbeely used his skills of persuasion to convince Raphael Hawaweeny, both a clergyman and a professor of the Arabic language in Russia, to relocate to New York City to establish and pastor an Arabic-speaking Orthodox church. Hawaweeny met the challenge, came to New York City, and was promptly consecrated as an Orthodox bishop in 1904. He was a man with a mission and engaged in wide travels across the United States, gathering scattered immigrants into Orthodox parishes. He also published liturgical books in Arabic for use in these Antiochian Orthodox parishes.

For a time the denomination suffered a rupture as a result of various factors, including the emergence of World War I in 1914, the sudden, premature death of Hawaweeny in 1915, and the Russian revolution in 1917. These factors brought financial and administrative chaos to the Orthodox churches in the United States and caused the various ethnic Orthodox churches to divide into ecclesiastical factions. It would take some 60 years before the rupture was healed. In 1975, Metropolitan* Philip Saliba of the Antiochian Archdiocese of New York and Metropolitan Michael Shaheen of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Toledo (Ohio) signed Articles of Reunification. This brought restored unity to the Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States and Canada.

Today the mission of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is to bring America to the ancient Orthodox Christian faith. In so doing, they seek to join and cooperate with other Orthodox jurisdictions.

Beliefs#

The beliefs and practices of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America are in keeping with those of other Orthodox Christians, holding firmly to the Nicene Creed.

Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America#

Founded: 1921 Members: More than 67,000 Congregations: Unknown

Beginnings#

Cyril (d. 869) and Methodius (d. 884) were brothers and Greek missionaries who were sometimes referred to as “apostles to the Slavs.” Christianity emerged in the ninth century among the Serbian people due to the efforts of these brothers.

As the Serbian Orthodox church grew, it was difficult for its members to maintain independence and autonomy. From the founding of the Serbian church until the early thirteenth century, the patriarchate of Constantinople maintained control over it. In 1219, however, the church managed to attain independence and autonomy from Constantinople’s control under the leadership of Archbishop Saint Sava.

The freedom was short-lived. From the fourteenth through the early nineteenth centuries, the Serbian people found themselves under the control of Muslim Turks, and the church understandably suffered severe persecution during this time. In the nineteenth century, Muslim control weakened, and the Serbian church was revived.

A massive immigration of Serbians into the United States began in 1890, primarily motivated by a less-than-desirable political climate in their homeland. Finding no already existing Serbian churches, these immigrants initially worshipped in Russian Orthodox churches. In 1892, Archimandrite Firmilian arrived in America and began to organize Serbian Orthodox churches, first in Jackson (California), then in Chicago, and then in Douglas (Alaska) and in McKeesport, Steelton, and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). All these parishes remained under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox church.

Almost three decades later, in 1921, the Serbians separated from the Russian Orthodox church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada was formally organized, with the full approval of the Serbian patriarchate of Yugoslavia. Five years later, in 1926, the Serbian church consecrated its first American bishop, Archimandrite Mardary Uskokovich.

In 1963, the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada eventually reorganized into three separate dioceses: the Diocese of the Eastern United States and Canada, the Diocese of the Mid-West United States, and the Diocese of the Western United States. In 1983, a separate diocese was created for Canada alone.

Despite the autonomy of the Serbian church, it still maintains hierarchical and spiritual ties to the Serbian Orthodox patriarchate in Belgrade.

Beliefs#

The Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America agrees doctrinally with other Orthodox churches.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America#

Founded: 1922 Members: More than 1,500,000 Congregations: Unknown

Beginnings#

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is one of the largest Orthodox religious bodies in America. The Christian church emerged in Greece in the earliest years of Christianity. Indeed, as noted earlier, Christianity quickly spread beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem, soon moving into various Hellenized (Greek) Gentile cultures, including Greece, which became a vital center of Christianity.

The Greek Orthodox church penetrated North America when a small Greek Orthodox colony was set up near Saint Augustine, Florida, in 1768. About a century later, in 1864, some Greek merchants founded Holy Trinity Church (a Greek Orthodox church) in New Orleans.

After these humble beginnings, the Greek Orthodox church in America experienced an explosive influx of immigrants from Greece and Asia Minor from 1880 to about 1920. This caused a significant escalation in the number of Greek Orthodox parishes in the United States. The number of Greek Orthodox parishes grew from 35 in 1910 to 150 by 1920. Overseeing each of these parishes were priests who came to the United States with the approval of either the patriarchate of Constantinople or the Church of Greece.

Why two different sources of authority? A confusing shift of authority occurred from 1908 to 1922. First, the Greek Orthodox churches in America were under the supervision of the patriarchate of Constantinople. But this authority was transferred to the Church of Greece, perhaps due to the political instability among the Balkans. Meanwhile, by 1922, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese had been formally incorporated in New York City during a visit of the Metropolitan Meletios from Athens. That same year, after Meletios was elected as the new patriarchate of Constantinople, he reversed the 1908 decision and restored the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church in America back to the patriarchate of Constantinople.

In any event, the new denomination experienced significant growth due to the efforts of Archbishop Spyrou of Corfu, who became the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America in 1931. Under his leadership, the denomination grew to include more than 280 parishes.

Since 1999, Archbishop Demetrios, the sixth archbishop of the denomination, has led the church in America. The denomination remains under the broad jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Beliefs#

The beliefs and practices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are in keeping with those of other Orthodox Christians, holding firmly to the Nicene Creed.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA#

Founded: 1924 Members: 50,000 Congregations: 118

Beginnings#

Ancient tradition reveals that the apostle Andrew made his way to what is now Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, and preached the gospel there. It would be many centuries later, however, before Christianity took a firm root in this part of the world. As noted earlier, in AD 875, Princess Olga, a Christian ruler over Kiev, was baptized in the Orthodox faith. Her high-profile commitment to Orthodoxy caused the Orthodox Church to become widely known throughout the Ukraine. Her grandson, Vladimir the Great, also accepted Orthodox Christianity (in 988) and commanded that all in his kingdom do the same.

Almost a millennium later (the early 1920s), the Ukrainian church found its way to American soil through immigrants. Metropolitan John Teodorovych arrived in America in 1924 and became the first bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. He had been consecrated in the episcopate in Kiev in 1921 and shepherded the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA until he died in 1971. Following his death, Archbishop Mstyslav, who immigrated to the United States in 1950, shepherded the church until his death in 1993. Metropolitan Constantine then took over the reins.

Today the Ukrainian Church of the USA has churches in 25 states in the United States.

Beliefs#

The beliefs and practices of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA are in keeping with those of other Orthodox Christians, holding firmly to the Nicene Creed. One distinction is that this denomination stresses that music in the church should be strictly vocal and not instrumental.