In this dogmatic essay, Archbishop Gregory Afonsky expounds upon thirty years of research and teaching in the field of ecclesiology to demonstrate the divine origin of the Church and its importance in the life of a believer. Countering the sentiment that a Christian is saved independently of community, the author insists that following the footsteps of Jesus Christ entails a journey within His Body. By participation in the Body of Christ, a believer experiences the nourishment of the Holy Spirit and shares in the Divine Life. Reasoning that the Church is the Kingdom of God in our midst, Archbishop Gregory argues that the ekklesiapresupposes visibility, a presence that challenges individualism, relativism and secularism. Indeed it is a manifest bulwark that accosts the very gates of hell.
