(To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). * Similarly, Protestants like Thomas Oden, Donald Bloesch, and others have shown that one need not join Orthodoxy to immerse oneself in the patristic past with joy, gratitude, and a sense of accountability to that "great cloud of witnesses" of the last two millennia. An Orthodox priest who lectured to standing-room-only crowds at Moscow State once described Orthodox theology to me as "music made in the conservatory," whereas he described Protestant theology as "music made in the honkytonk bars. Almost everyone around me was a Baptist. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. When you are the only Norse guy and most of your lands are Slovianskian, it makes more sense to convert yourself than to convert them. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. Many people believe the Church is a social group gathering or a place to network with other like minded people. In the words of contemporary Orthodox theologian Thomas Hopko, "everything in the church flows out of the waters of baptism: the remission of sins and life eternal." Similar differences and disputes existed within early Christianity, but disputes within Christianity extended also to the place of Mosaic Law or Old Covenant in general in Christianity. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. In the end, they concocted a list of reasons for not converting. After being dunked in this sea of hymnography for a few years I began to recognise an underlying unity among all the elements of Orthodoxy the worship, the fasting, the exhortations to humility, the companionship of the saints, all of it. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. When the media seized on John Paul II's statement, they not only missed his main point, they missed a wider story. Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. Today 23 percent of all Orthodox Christians in the United Statesabout one in fourare converts, as are 30 percent of the clergy and 43 percent of seminarians. Has Orthodoxy in these lands obscured the gospel, becoming merely a "cultural" religion thoroughly assimilated to ethnic identity? Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. . In other words, one cannot embrace Orthodox Christianity without embracing Orthodox Christians. Her allegiance to the perennial truths of Christianity is appreciated by sincere seekers. This may be to some extent true but it is much more than that. The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. Hymns like these offer quite a theological education to anyone who comes to services, and if you didnt catch it all, theres a good chance theyre going to sing it two more times. Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. He senses that its something much more profound than that, as he is turning into a different person, the adult he is destined to be. This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behavior. Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. In Protestantism there arose the doctrine of sola scriptura. Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. Conversion may be unnecessary if you're open to a Reform wedding: Reform Judaism permits interfaith marriages, though roughly half of all Reform rabbis still abjure officiating at them. I responded by writing back: "Because I am committed to key distinctives of the Protestant evangelical tradition.". Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. But if you are still intrigued and drawn to the Orthodox Church, considering all of these disclaimers, then do so with faith, reverence, and a healthy fear of God. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). Well, was it so? Once inside, a Western Christian experiences sensory overload: the near absence of chairs or pews, dim lighting, head coverings for most women, icons and frescoes covering almost every inch of space on the walls and ceiling, a massive and ornate iconostasis separating the priest and the worshipers, the smoky smell of incense and hundreds of candles burning in memory of the dead, the priest resplendent in his ornate vestments and enormous beard, and worshipers repeatedly prostrating themselves, kissing the icons, and making the sign of the cross. Also, while evangelicals wholeheartedly embrace the full-orbed New Testament descriptions of the work of Christ (reconciliation, ransom, redemption, forgiveness, adoption, etc. The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. But the Church is not dependent upon any one convert or their family, nor will the Church reward people (beyond the mysteries and salvation) for converting. While evangelicals might be eager to argue there is no biblical warrant for icons, for the Orthodox it is enough that icons have always been a part of church tradition. The basic framework of services like the Divine Liturgy or Vespers doesnt change much, but every day of the liturgical year provides prayers for saints and feasts that can be added to that framework. It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. The Orthodox Church has been, for me, the ultimate revelation of what it means to be "in Christ"; my upbringing in Evangelical Protestantism has not only helped me appreciate this now, but was very much preparing me for this all along [1]. Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. The Eucharist is a true, propitiatory sacrifice. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. When we realize that every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle or a matter of conscience, then we are freed to engage fully people with whom we actually have profound differences without compromising our own theological commitments. Pray for the Lords mercy, and you can find the strength to endure to the end. we'll be happy to answer it! Made using e, Book Cover for the Epistle Why have so many Evangelical ministers embraced the Orthodox faith? It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. Vladimir agreed, in exchange for a marital tie; he also agreed to accept Christianity as his religion and bring his people to the new faith. Similarly, a person can read a dozen books on Orthodox Christianity, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually encounters the Church as the worshipping People of God. While this exclusivism is not unique to Orthodoxy, with this self-understanding it is easy to see why the Orthodox Church in countries such as Russia is extremely unhappy about Western, Protestant missionary incursions. Missiological concerns surface here, too. After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. Let us know if corrections need to be made. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. At the 1996 meeting of sseoe, Orthodox representative Stanley Harakas said that the Orthodox, who have lived for 70 years in Russia under Communist oppression, are in a state of weakness, unable to rebuild churches and barely able to educate their parishioners. 3:15 ). On June 16, 1054, Pope Leo IX's legate, Cardinal Humbert, delivered a Bull of Excommunication to the Orthodox Patriarch Michael Cerularius on the altar of the Church of the Holy Wisdom at Constantinople while the patriarch prepared to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, condemning him and his court. It is why I think a number of people have a list of groups they have been in here. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. As a young convert to Orthodox Christianity myself, I can testify that confession and Communion have filled my life meaning and have directed me when I have felt lost. Converting to Orthodoxy. What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. The Eucharist, according to the Divine Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom (the normal liturgy for Sundays and weekdays), is "for the purification of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, [and] for the Kingdom of Heaven.". Catholicism and Orthodoxy are not alike in their views on the nature of theological authority; it is nevertheless correct to say that Orthodoxy, like Catholicism, views Protestantism in a similar negative manner. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. A Aristocles Merarches Joined Apr 23, 2003 Messages 10,031 Reaction score 1 Points 0 Location Pittsburgh Aug 5, 2006 #4 Matthew777 said: With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. Many would find themselves back in Rus with their new faith and establishing Churches (Spinka, 42-44). ", Icons are not merely sacred art. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. The final declaration of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicea (787) that ratified the use of icons appealed to the "written and unwritten" tradition of the early church. The Global Methodist Church welcomes Scott Jones, who led Methodists in Texas and had advocated for the extreme center and staying at the table., Emily McFarlan Miller - Religion News Service. Facebook | Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? The basic theological impetus for the ever-virginity of Mary (besides the fact that it is presumably historically true and would have been passed down from the early days of the church) is the fact that Mary was profoundly sanctified by her role as the living sanctuary in which God dwelled (quite literally) for nine months and from whom he Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. Copyright 19962023. A radical conversion to Christianity. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. Experience Church Services. I hope so. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. In the 950s, Olga, the grandmother of Vladimir, was . You haven't "arrived" in this life. To support our efforts, join us as a member . And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Talk With an Orthodox Priest. Legislation pending in Russia, for example, could, if implemented, curtail Western missionary enterprises. The independent Orthodox Church in America (OCA) desires to function as a fully "autocephalous" church, although as yet the oca has not been officially recognized by most of the thirteen patriarchates. There are no doubt some ways that he is the same person he will always be, and there are ways Orthodoxy and every other church has significant points in common, not least that we love the same Lord. For instance, John of Damascus (675-749), Orthodoxy's most famous systematic theologian, epitomized the Orthodox ethos when he wrote in his The Orthodox Faith, "we do not change the everlasting boundaries which our fathers have set, but we keep the traditions just as we have received them." Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). For taking Communion together? What are we to make, for example, of the Orthodox liturgy in Russia today, which is recited in ninth-century Slavonic, a language very few Russians even understand? Her name is "right belief". When Martin Luther burned the books of Catholic canon law at Wittenberg's Elster Gate on December 10, 1520, he symbolized an important Protestant distinctive. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. The Orthodox Church has existed since the day of Pentecost and when we truly believe and become truly attached, not merely by baptism or chrismation, not merely by our presence but by our actions and our inner convictions, then and only then do we truly become connected to the Church, to Jesus Christ the Saviour and therefore to the Trinitarian God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. Modern speculation is simply just that, speculation, and . 1. Instead, Orthodoxy believes that the church stands above the Scriptures, which is why, as noted, Orthodox believers agree to "accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation that was and is held by the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East, our Mother." Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! When you convert, you must verbalize your commitment to live in accordance with all of the Torah 's commandments as they are explained in Torah law. already I have lost many people I thought were friends but so be it! Any objective historian can discover that the permanence of Orthodoxy is due to the preservation and the passing on of the apostolic faith unadulterated, pure. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. Discussion online about converts to Orthodoxy in America includes papers and blogging by writers in venues such as Public Orthodoxy of the Fordham Orthodox Christian Studies Center, the allied Orthodox Theological Society of America, and various blogs and social media. Why should we welcome that? But one insightful reader asked a penetrating question: "Your book does a fine job comparing the two traditions; why have you not converted to Orthodoxy?" This period of instruction, discernment and spiritual formation also affords you with the opportunity to develop and strengthen your relationship with the parishs clergy and faithfulthose with whom you will worship in Spirit and truth and with whom you will share in fellowship as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so hes either sullen or angry. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. Is the church made up of those who have been "regenerated" by infant baptism in an Orthodox church institution, or by those who have experienced new birth and been justified by grace through faith? Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? It also must be noted that embracing the faith involves a running to Christ and His Church as the Ark of Salvation, rather than a running away from somethingother than sin. "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." Turning to Jesus brings you to God, and you begin to understand His plan of salvation. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. Our digital archives are a work in progress. Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. However, because I've never been really exposed to . Others are already involved in a Jewish community. The beauty and majesty of her liturgical services celebrating the majesty and mystery of God continue to be a major attraction to many seekers of a religious experience that transcends the mundane reality and elevates the spirit to the divine realm. The Orthodox Churches share with the other Christian Churches the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. In 858 Photius was appointed as Orthodoxy's new patriarch at Constantinople, replacing Ignatius, who had been exiled and later resigned his duties. For example, their local parish was too ethnic; the priest wasnt nice or outgoing; their spouse wasnt interested; they found logical inconsistencies in the writings of the fathers; and so on. Persons wishing to become Orthodox of their own free volition, without any direct or indirect pressure from anyone, should firstly meet with a Priest of the Church. Originally the creed read that the Holy Spirit proceeded "from the Father"; a later Western interpolation (why, where, and by whom are not known), ratified at the Council of Toledo (589), added filioque to indicate that the Spirit proceeded from the Father "and the Son." The first four enjoy special honor due to their antiquity. At the time, I was so occupied with comprehending this strange thing called Orthodoxy that I emphasized the differences, and was impatient with kindly big-tent suggestions. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Evangelicals urge the necessity of personal conversion through the faith and repentance of the individual believer, as opposed to the Orthodox idea of regeneration by the sacraments. The basic framework of services like the Divine Liturgy or Vespers doesnt change much, but every day of the liturgical year provides prayers for saints and feasts that can be added to that framework. There most certainly will never be a "Southern" or "Confederate" Orthodoxy".And yet another reason not to join is the hopes of having a base of operations for a goofy political ideology. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existed thats what amazed me. In Russia, the largest figure usually cited for the Orthodox Church is 85 million people (some estimates are as low as 50 million), which means 100 million Russiansmore than half the countryare not affiliated with Orthodoxy. There is a distinct set of conservative converts to Eastern Orthodoxy, which depending on your perspective either left, or was left by, Roman Catholicism in the Great Schism of 1054. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. As we said, conversion is a love affair. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. Administered to infants who are fully immersed three times, baptism effects the "bath of regeneration" by which a person is born again, wholly cleansed from both original and actual sins, and, consequently, saved from guilt and punishment. Thatwould be interesting. If only they would realise that they are rotting corpses trapped in worshipping themselves. Moreover, evangelicals have some important lessons to learn from Orthodoxy. It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . The Orthodox Church in America, with roots in Moscow and about 85,000 adherents . Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. Overall, is the Orthodox church growing in America or is it slowly dying, as the older cradle Orthodox are dying and fewer cradle Orthodox either convert to other churches [primarily Protestant churches] or morph into Deists or worse?. When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. As we move constantly between Unity and Trinity in God, so we must move between the parts and the whole in the Church, the whole being infinitely more than the sum of the parts. While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. many mercenaries would convert to Christianity. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. Why didn't Henry VIII go Orthodox, and what would happen if he did? Do we mean essential for salvation? Rather, Orthodoxy affirms a single source of revelation, holy tradition, of which Scripture is the preeminent among several forms. Learn About the Religion. To the extent, however, one could intellectualize the reasons for converting, he or she would probably summarize them along these lines: In our ever-changing world, in the constant re-design of services and re-evaluation of beliefs, Orthodoxy stands as a mountain of granite, unshakable by fads and movements and political correctness. But the little guy is not going through a phase. Conversion involves a change or transformation in vision, direction and heart, one rooted in repentance and the acknowledgement of Our Lord as the One Who is truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who came into the world to save sinners. Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. His response: "I don't know.". The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Orthodox spiritual life gives central prominence to the sacraments. Granny and Pops and Uncle Pete love the little guy, and theyre going to be kindly and patient with him because hes going through a phase. De Maistre, Billington says, was "convinced that Russia was an instrument chosen by Providence for the salvation of Europe." He was "fascinated by the possibility of converting this vast land to Catholicism." He launched a program towards that end.