The Story of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska

They were the first to introduce Christianity to Alaska. How did they do? They were effective, compassionate, and dedicated to sharing the gospel with Native Alaskans. The Russian fur traders may have had insincere motives in bringing in the Russian Orthodox missionaries, but it seems the missionaries themselves came for the sake of the gospel. Many of the Orthodox and Native beliefs were already in alignment and the Native people quickly considered themselves Russian Orthodox. Father Herman is the most famous of the Bishops known as a defender of native people and with a simple humility that laid the foundation for the early years of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Alaska. Many changes happened when the United States purchased Alaska and the Protestants moved in which is critical for understanding the history of the church in Alaska.I also review the theological distinctions of the Eastern Orthodox Church as compared to the Catholic Church in it's historical context.Alaska has quite the mixed bag of denominations and good place to start is to understand them. Today, we seek to understand the Russian/Eastern Orthodox Church in Alaska!Contact the show at [email protected] Logo was created by Evan Van KirkMusic was created by Isaac Bedingfield