You’ve got more solid Orthodox content online than you can probably work through in a year. The three big hubs are the Antiochian Archdiocese site, Ancient Faith Ministries, and the Orthodox Church in America’s website.
Start with antiochian.org. It’s our archdiocese’s official site, so you’ll find liturgical texts, daily scripture readings, prayers, and The WORD Magazine with articles on Orthodox life. They’ve got E-Quip, which is a free online course in Orthodox faith and life that goes pretty deep. If you’re trying to figure out what’s happening in the Divine Liturgy or need to learn a prayer rule, this is where to look first. There’s also a sacred music library if you want to learn the hymns we sing.
Ancient Faith Ministries at ancientfaith.com is probably the single best resource for inquirers and new converts. It’s Antiochian-affiliated and massive. They run Ancient Faith Radio, which streams 24/7, but more importantly they host dozens of podcasts. “Search the Scriptures” with Jeannie Constantinou will show you how to read the Bible through Orthodox eyes instead of with Protestant assumptions you might not even know you’re making. “Our Life in Christ” walks through the basics of the faith. “The Lord of Spirits” with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen DeYoung explores the seen and unseen world in ways that’ll make you rethink everything you thought you knew about angels, demons, and spiritual warfare.
Fr. Thomas Hopko’s talks are archived there. He was one of the great Orthodox teachers in America, and his “Speaking the Truth in Love” series is worth your time. Fr. Stephen Freeman writes and teaches there too. If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background, Ancient Faith has interviews and content specifically addressing the questions you’re wrestling with. Why do we venerate icons? What’s the deal with Mary? How is salvation more than a one-time decision?
Ancient Faith Publishing sells books too, and the podcasts often interview authors about their new releases. You can listen to a conversation about a book and then decide if you want to buy it.
The OCA’s site at oca.org has “The Orthodox Faith” series by Fr. Thomas Hopko (yes, him again). Four volumes covering doctrine, worship, church history, and spirituality. It’s online for free and it’s thorough. They’ve got a Questions and Answers section that tackles common inquirer questions head-on. “Steps to becoming an Orthodox Christian” is right there if you’re wondering what the actual process looks like.
Their Department of Christian Education site (dce.oca.org) has study guides, activity books about saints, and curriculum materials. Even if you don’t have kids, the saints’ lives and study units are helpful. The “Saints of North America” material introduces you to people like St. Herman of Alaska and St. Innocent, saints who lived and served on this continent.
Here’s the thing about all these resources. You can’t learn Orthodoxy purely online any more than you can learn to swim by reading about it. These sites are fantastic for answering questions, hearing the faith explained, and preparing yourself for what you’ll encounter when you walk into a parish. But Orthodoxy is lived, not just studied. The Divine Liturgy, the smell of incense, standing in prayer with the body of Christ, receiving the Eucharist from the chalice, that’s where the faith actually happens.
Use these online resources as companions to showing up. Listen to a podcast on your drive to work in the refinery. Read an article during your lunch break. But don’t let the internet replace the real thing. Come to a service at St. Michael’s. Talk to people after Liturgy. Ask questions. The online stuff is good, but it’s meant to support your life in the Church, not substitute for it.
One more thing. When you’re browsing Orthodox content online, stick with mainstream sources like the ones I’ve mentioned. There are fringe sites out there pushing rigorist positions or ethnic phyletism or old calendar schisms. If a site makes Orthodoxy sound angry, paranoid, or obsessed with who’s “in” and who’s “out,” that’s a red flag. The faith we’ve received is serious but it’s also full of mercy. These official archdiocesan sites and Ancient Faith represent that balance.
Start with one podcast and one article this week. See where it takes you.
