Rather, "theosis" (literally, "deification"), or the progressive transformation of people into full likeness to God, in soul and body, takes center stage. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, Orthodox Church in Harbin, China Reopens as an Orthodox Church, "When We Speak of Christ, We Must Start With Christ" - An Interview With Fr. Anxious to avoid the siege of his capital, Basil II turned to the Rus' for assistance, even though they were considered enemies at that time. Pretty good. And while it's true that my involvement with Judaism began with a Jewish boyfriend now my husband of 28 years and the father of our two children as Reform Jews, I would not have had to convert to participate in Jewish life and raise Jewish children. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A Christian representation of Vladimir I, who was the first Rus' leader to officially bring Christianity to the region. At times it can be a healing group especially during the Liturgical services in particular the Eucharist and the Holy Prayer Oil services. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. 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. As with liturgy, conversion to Orthodoxy is hardly a prerequisite for a renewed engagement with apostolic tradition. She is conscious of being the true Church founded by Christ. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. But that was too little, too late. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. 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. The genius of this principle is that it allows us to disagree with other believers, even vehemently so, yet in an edifying fashion with a degree of theological modesty and a perspective that seeks a deeper consensus within the bounds of true faith. Further, the Orthodox reject the idea of inherited guilt; we are guilty only for our own sins rather than for the inborn consequences of Adam's fall. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. 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." Whether you decided to do so because you are marrying someone who is a member of the church, or you simply decide to convert on your own, you might be overwhelmed as to where to start. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Scripture and tradition. So Christianity would not have been completely alien to the Rus, and even Vladimir's grandmother, Olga, would become enamored with Christianity. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. Missiological concerns surface here, too. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. On the Path of Love: From Islam to Christianity, Madagascar: Church Opens Huge Complex with Church, Schools, Orphanage, Old Folks Home, Australia: Orthodoxy Fastest Growing Church amidst General Christian Decline. Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. It is a good question, one I will answer in due course. Excellent comment Kosmas, I totally concur. As Philip said to Nathaniel, Come and see [John 1:46]. Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. And to share why I am not Orthodox. Your email address will not be published. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. Christians in the West variously trace their roots to Rome (Catholics), Wittenberg (Lutherans), Geneva (Calvinists), Canterbury (Anglicans), or Oxford (Wesleyans). Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? I assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Has Orthodoxy in these lands obscured the gospel, becoming merely a "cultural" religion thoroughly assimilated to ethnic identity? And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Orthodoxy provides a full-bodied, full-souled spiritual life that assumes that everything you do as a Christian makes you either more like God or less like Him, and because becoming like God is what salvation consists of, that means that everything you do is critical. Applies to RCC too. (2 Pet. If only they would realise that they are rotting corpses trapped in worshipping themselves. Orthodoxy has always affirmed that Peter was the "first among equals" (primus inter pares) ; but unlike Roman Catholics, the Orthodox have always denied that he held any "primacy of power" (primatus potestatis). Differences over clerical beards, the tonsure, and fasting also exacerbated the growing deterioration of East-West unity. Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. Heres a clue to a third possibility. These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. While Rome stumbled toward destruction in 476, Constantinople enjoyed relative theological and political stability for another 1,000 years, until it was sacked by the Turks in 1453. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor; plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. 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." 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. Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. Underneath were written the Greek words en toutoi nika, "In this sign, conquer." I love the Church, and so I find it difficult to understand how a person could not see the beauty in our faith, leaving it all behind. I appreciate this articles use of blunt honesty! At each point in their conversions, from initial religious seeking to settling into life as Orthodox Christians, Orthodox converts in Pittsburgh consistently relate a kind of on-going negotiation between self and other, as they research religious differences and experiment with practices and dogmas. In Protestantism there arose the doctrine of sola scriptura. Another issue is becoming Orthodox because one thinks the Church will reward them in some way for doing so. While Protestant evangelicals have never agreed on the precise meaning or mode of the sacraments, they have historically emphasized two related truths that diverge from the Orthodox understanding of the sacraments. (Some within Orthodoxy say there are 15, but this is a minor, internal debate.) Russia, 50-85 million The Orthodox Church is indelibly marked by the One who is its origin and source. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? 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. Second, whatever failings Western missionaries might bring to their work, and whether Orthodoxy likes to admit it, many Russians are responding very positively to a clear, contemporary presentation of the gospel by Protestant missionaries. The sacraments. In chrismation, performed immediately after rising from the baptismal waters, the priest anoints the infant with a special ointment, making the sign of the cross on various parts of the body, thus acknowledging the gift and seal of the Holy Spirit. Receive updates and announcements from Orthodox Witness. Even before entering the church one is taken aback by the unusual architecture-the glittering gold onion domes that sparkle like diamonds on a sunny day. Although it is difficult to gather firm figures, worldwide Orthodox Christians number about 150 million, with 3 million in the U.S. alonemore than most evangelical denominations. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. Toggle signature It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. Naturally, it is crucial to know what the Church teaches and acquire an Orthodox mindset on the intellectual level, so to speak, but it is equally crucial to grow in identifying with the People of God, the worshipping community, through fellowship. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. Like baptism, the Eucharist is administered to infants. A wooden pectoral cros, Pectoral Cross for Clergy If only you could get them to form two lines.). As independent churches, they are not bound together by any unilateral or monarchical organization, nor do they owe allegiance to a single primacy, as Roman Catholics do to the pope. 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. Converts to Orthodoxy usually precede their decision with voluminous reading and research, so their friends must endure agitated lectures on church history, ancient heresies, and what words mean. Orthodox believers see things very differently. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). 0. we'll be happy to answer it! Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. Eastern Christians would hear nothing of it. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Poland, 1 million Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. The move was far more than geographic. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. The Biblical Basis for Holy Tradition., On the Path of Love: From Islam to Christianity, Madagascar: Church Opens Huge Complex with Church, Schools, Orphanage, Old Folks Home, Australia: Orthodoxy Fastest Growing Church amidst General Christian Decline. We are looking forward to our journey in the church. Writing a book on Eastern Orthodoxy and working through the manuscript with my Russian students helped me to compare Orthodoxy and Protestant evangelicalism. The Eucharist is a true, propitiatory sacrifice. John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. ", Icons are not merely sacred art. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. His response: "I don't know.". Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. People often assume that most Jews by choice convert because they have a partner or spouse who is Jewish. 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. The percentage of foreign born Orthodox Christians is no larger than the percentage in the population at large. However, they rarely spent any time in Orthodox worship services or their local parish, developed no relationship with a priest, and did not engage their spouse or family in their studies and interest in the Church. 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. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. In fact, what Orthodox converts "vow to accept" diverges significantly from important, basic tenets of evangelical Protestantism. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Kate Forbes is young, smart, a woman (in the actual sense of the word), but fatally, an orthodox Christian seeking the top office in the land. Two points that have been hallmarks of evangelical identity deserve special scrutiny: the relationship between Scripture and tradition, and the relationship between Scripture and the church. We should expect nothing less of ourselves than total respect for and even love of the history, theology, and culture of Orthodoxy; still, two things ought to be said about Orthodox complaints about Protestant proselytizing. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. Disclaimers, Amon Sl Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism, The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. Many non-Jews become "Jews by choice" because they're spiritual seekers. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. This could take some timeperhaps a year or more, depending on a variety of circumstancesand should not be rushed. Just as we pray that Gods will, not our own, be done, so too we pray that we might embrace the faith in Gods time, not our own. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. Liturgically, the Orthodox ethos of a formal worship setting will attract some Christians, but to many other vibrant movements within evangelicalism it will have little if any appeal. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. In the opening pages of Book IV of Calvin's Institutes, for example, Calvin refers twice to the famous words of Cyprian (d. 258)so Catholic-sounding to our earsthat "you cannot have God as your Father without the Church as your Mother" (IV.1.1, 4). Without waiting for a response, Humbert exited the church and declared, "Let God look and judge." Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. But dont do it for all the wrong reasons. I cant be the only one to have done this. "I was A. On another front, under the leadership of founder Bradley Nassif, the Society for the Study of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism (SSEOE) holds meetings each fall at Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center for the sake of the two traditions learning from one another. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. 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. Chrysostom's liturgy says of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "Your own, from your own, we offer you, in all and for all." Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvelously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. Pray for the Lords mercy, and you can find the strength to endure to the end. Those who were clergy in a former denomination have no guarantees they will become clergy in the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. The other forms of tradition include the first seven ecumenical councils, which are acknowledged as normative and, by some, even infallible; patristic writings, especially those of the first four centuries; later councils; the Liturgy; canon law; and icons. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. According to The Saga of Erik the Red, there were Christians among the people whom Erik the Red brought to Greenland to settle it in the late tenth century. Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. It is no small thing for us to hold in common all the early, Christian creeds. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. This absorbed my attention so much that I was apt to expound my current level of comprehension to anyone who stood still in my vicinity. Orthodox Sep 9, 2019 #1 For those who converted like myself, why did you? 1. 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. Orthodoxy attracts seekers with her other-worldliness, with her holiness, with her worship, with her services and sacraments, with the form and content of her religious expression, with her iconography, with her chanting, with her mysticism, with her monasticism, with her life between heaven and earth. One feels that the Church is not just a worldly organization, but a divine-human organism. The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. Copyright 19962023. Wynona is a Catholic planning to marry an Orthodox man, but as she tells us, "my Catholic parish priest is not giving his consent for this marriage, so it will be held in an Orthodox church.". For employment at a seminary? Women and men who marry into the Orthodox Jewish faith are required to convertand both genders follow an identical process. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity . 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. Icons. Buddhists are called to meditate. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Not a few evangelicals in the last decade have forsaken Protestantism to join an Eastern Orthodox church. In time, you will be welcomed sacramentally into the Church and continue your ongoing path to the Kingdom of God. While discovering the truth of Orthodoxy is exciting, we need to learn a gracious balance when dealing with our friends, family, workmates and others with whom we have contact. Small bodies of Orthodox believers exist in other places as "autonomous" but not "autocephalous" churches (Finland, Japan, former Czechoslovakia, etc.). I kept finding myself in conversations with nice people who wanted to assure me that this very thing I was so excited about in Orthodoxy is something they have in their church as well. In fact, it promises a Cross and joining with Christ in both suffering and humiliation. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) Included in this liturgy is an anathema on all those who reject icons. As we said, conversion is a love affair. The more familiar I became with Orthodoxy by serving in a local parish, on a parish council, and as an altar assistant, the more I saw others approach the Church, test the waters, and walk back out the narthex door. Sara Villate, 10, by a menorah during Hanukkah. The priest censes them and elevates them in processions. The blog includes recent news and ministry updates of the Convent, as well as other information about Orthodox Christianity that may be useful to those who are either making their first steps in church or want to learn something new about our faith. 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. Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. Orthodox Christians believe you must be converted every day- every day - and everyone must start with this step if they desire to make spiritual progress and be saved. Thus, when an Orthodox believer once asked why his church did not do more doctrinal teaching, his priest responded, "Icons teach us all that we need to know." Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. What was the impact of Vladimir I converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity in the region of Byzantium? Her name is "right belief". Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. In an encyclical letter of 1848, the Eastern patriarchs stated this most emphatically: "Infallibility resides solely in the ecumenicity of the church bound together by mutual love. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. 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. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Handcarved Or again, it is one thing to guard the doctrine of sola scriptura, but quite another to ignore or disdain two thousand years of tradition; surely there is a dangerous arrogance in imagining that we do not need to listen to the wealth of biblical wisdom from the patristic writers. Because of my interest for eastern culture, negative views on catholicism (I live in a mostly catholic country) and protestantism and my fascisnation for the Orthodox Church, i decided to convert to just that. For me, the one and only valid, core reason is because a person desires to be part of the one, true Body of Christ. As former Campus Crusade staff member Gillquist put it, why have so many "Bible-believing, blood-bought, Gospel-preaching, Christ-centered, lifelong evangelical Protestants come to embrace this Orthodox faith so enthusiastically?" Schisms had already occurred in the Christian church, and others would occur later, but the Great Schism was the first of such major consequence. Thats just a fraction of a thorough march through what happened at the first Council of Nicaea, and why it was important (including Arius unpleasant death from digestive indisposition: his bowels were torn by a divine hookin a repulsive manner his soul came out). Legislation pending in Russia, for example, could, if implemented, curtail Western missionary enterprises. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . I hope so. Indeed, what Protestant converts to Orthodoxy have often sought is not only a conscious continuity with the historic, apostolic past, but also a richer experience of God's majesty and mystery through a more liturgical worship setting. Sad, very sad. Four important areas deserve ongoing dialogue. The sum of all parts wont add to the total. Alexandria, 350,000 The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. 20). In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. But perhaps our theology of the church is too "low," much lower than our Protestant forebears would have it. They conceded a special honor to the Western papacy but insisted that the bishop of Rome was only the first among equals. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? Heres a clue to a third possibility. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. I can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. As if this were not quite enough, during the Fourth Crusade, Western forces stormed Constantinople in 1204 and ransacked the Church of the Holy Wisdom, an unimaginable act of desecration from the viewpoint of Orthodoxy. Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. In Matthew 16:18, Christ speaks about building His church that "the gates of Hades will not prevail against". Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". Some have even ended in apostasy. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. There is a certain chemistry involved, which one cannot so easily verbalize. Why Convert to Orthodox Christianity? For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. One who would claim that he or she wishes to embrace the faith but doesnt want to get involved with other people and their lives falls short in his or her understanding of the Church as the People of God and, as such, has yet to make that internal conversion that must take place before one is received into the Church. Because we confess and believe in the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, this means we are not looking for a Church that fits our own preferences and ideals, but rather one that teaches us what our preferences should be. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. You haven't "arrived" in this life. Speaking out against a government that is massively exterminating believers, would only lead to greater persecution. Then bear your cross,, Please, include documents that can be downloaded or printed.
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