Gary Neal Hansen

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You are here: Home / Archives for First visit to an Orthodox Church

First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 6): Hearing vs Multi-Sensory

June 6, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

hearing vs multi-sensory

In this series I have pointed out a bunch of key differences between worship in the Protestant West and in the Orthodox East — architecture, candles, icons, processions and so on. I fear, though, that even with all these things in mind, many Protestants will have a hard time on a first visit to an […]

Filed Under: Community, Worship Tagged With: First visit to an Orthodox Church, hearing vs multi-sensory

First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 4): Jazz vs Ballads

May 11, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 3 Comments

jazz vs ballads

I asked one Orthodox priest what he thought the typical newcomer would experience when visiting the Liturgy. His response: Chaos! He was joking. His congregation has a lot of free-range children. But I think he was right. Once the service begins in that icon-filled space, your typical Protestant is hard pressed to make much sense […]

Filed Under: Community, Music, Worship Tagged With: First visit to an Orthodox Church, Jazz vs Ballads, Time vs Eternity

First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 2): Passageway vs Preparation

April 24, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 4 Comments

Passageway vs Preparation

Last week I started writing about how to have a really excellent first visit to an Orthodox church. I think you need to be aware of several differences — just six or so — between the Christian East and the Christian West. The first one is outside, when you look up and see a dome […]

Filed Under: Community, Worship Tagged With: First visit to an Orthodox Church, Narthex, Sign of the Cross

Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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