“Have love; for what salt is to food, love is to every virtue.”
Saint Euthymius the Great
Class Lessons
Instructions: After you have registered with Fr. Deacon Haralambos (Charles) by contacting him via email, you can begin the first lesson. Read and view the material presented on the lesson page. When finished, copy the questions and paste them into an email. Add your brief answers below the questions and send to Fr. Charles. The link for his email will appear on the Question page. You will shortly receive a reply from him with a few comments added for clarification. Remember these questions are not a Test so use your heart to answer. When you receive this back from him, you can go onto the next lesson. In this way you can go through the class at your own pace.
For those who want to become members of the Orthodox Church at Saint George, you will need to arrange to meet with FatherTom Pistolis, the Dean of the Cathedral, for final instruction after you have completed this class. You must have completed all the lessons.
Be sure to include all your questions in your responses. It is important to have them all addressed.
Note about AI:
Since AI is becoming a common tool I need to add a comment about using AI in these lessons. It can be a helpful tool when used wisely. I often use it myself as a learning aid and for research. However, it’s not truly beneficial to your spiritual growth if you rely on it to write out your study answers. I’m not suggesting you do this, but I want to caution that while it may offer quick results, it will ultimately weaken real learning. When you take the time to express your understanding in your own words, even after using AI for background study, you begin to make the truths your own. This is how learning becomes transformation. It also allows your mentor to walk with you in dialogue, helping to shape your understanding and deepen your faith. Over time, relying too much on AI can actually dull your reasoning and weaken your critical thinking skills.
Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral
406 N. Acadamy Street
Greenville, South Carolina
864-233-8531
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Lesson 1 - Introduction
In the first lesson you will find a brief introduction to the course. Then there will be questions relating to your religious background. This is necessary to have the proper context for your answers and questions.
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Lesson 2 - Sacramental worldview
Understanding the Orthodox sacramental worldview in contrast with our culture’s secular worldview.
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Lesson 3 - Scripture and Holy Tradition
The foundation in the Church is found in Holy Scripture as well as Holy Tradition. You will learn where it came from and how to study.
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Lesson 4 - Faith as a Lived Relationship with God
This first step is faith. This is the foundation of an Orthodox Christian life. In this lesson you will learn about the true nature of faith.
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Lesson 5 - Creation
In this lesson we review the way God has created everything out of nothing and all He created is good. You will learn how this provides the foundation of our understanding of Him and what He expects of us.
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Lesson 6 - Ancestral Sin
In this lesson we learn about why we need to be saved. This is found in the story in Genesis about Adam and Eve.
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Lesson 7 - Path to Salvation
In this lesson we will learn how the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ saves us? .
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Lesson 8 - Preservation of Apostolic Doctrine
In this lesson we review the history of the Church. You will learn how the Truth about God and His Son has been preserved unchanged in the Orthodox Church.
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Lesson 9- Orthodox Way of Life
Having completed our study of doctrine we now turn to the life of an Orthodox Christian. In this lesson you will learn about the passions that make it difficult to become like Christ. You will learn the reason behind the ascetic practices that are part of an Orthodox way of life.
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Lesson 10 - Orthodox Prayer: Journey Toward Communion with God
An essential discipline in our life is daily prayer. In this lesson you will learn how to pray according to Orthodox tradition handed down to us from the Apostles.
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Lesson 11 - Fasting in Orthodox Tradition: A Spiritual Discipline
Another important discipline taught to us by Jesus is regular fasting. You will learn how and when to fast.
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Lesson 12 - Orthodox Worship
In this lesson we cover Orthodox worship. You will learn about the Divine Liturgy and the liturgical life of the Church.
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Lesson 13 - Repentance: A Journey Back to God
The Orthodox life is one of continual repentance. In this lesson you will learn about the sacrament of Confession and how to prepare for it,
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Lesson 14 - Death and Final Judgment
What happens at death? How do we need to prepare for this certainty? These and other questions about this great mystery will be answered in this lesson.