why convert to orthodox christianity

After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. Have something to add about this? All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. 5:12). Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. Orthodox Sep 9, 2019 #1 For those who converted like myself, why did you? I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. 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. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. Christ is thus "the Offerer and the Offered, the Acceptor and the Distributed," all in such a way that nothing is added to his once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. 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. Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? 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. Before you start the process of converting, you will want to speak with a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. These groups mostly came over willingly. The Search for Authority and the Fear of Difference, Nostalgia Without Memory: A Case Study of American Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace: American Conversions to Orthodox Christianity, New York Times Article on Calvinist Revival., If Not Sola Scriptura, Then What? As historians mostly suppose, Vladimir's turn to Orthodox Christianity was more about the improvement of Russians' connections with Christian states than about sentiments: for Rus, Byzantium. Christianity had, in fact, penetrated "Russia" by the early 900s, when at least one church had been built in the ancient city of Kiev. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. 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. 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. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. Early on in the life of the Christian church, the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West began to diverge. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. many mercenaries would convert to Christianity. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! 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. Wynona doesn't indicate why the parish priest has done this, but it would appear from the context that the priest objects to her marrying an . Here, according to Ronald Roberson's 1993 book The Eastern Christian Churches, is a list of these churches and their approximate sizes: Constantinople, 3.5 million Scripture and tradition. The numbers are staggering! I assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! So Christianity would not have been completely alien to the Rus, and even Vladimir's grandmother, Olga, would become enamored with Christianity. 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. He shares his witness of it. This should trouble evangelicals (as well as other Protestants), especially when it is combined with the Orthodox idea of who constitutes the church and how one enters the church. 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. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. 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." But that was too little, too late. Although my parents intentionally raised my brother and me without a focus on . I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). 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. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 20/11/2008 - 11:15am. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed "the pillar and foundation of the truth" ( 1 Tim. One thinks, for example, of those committed to full ministerial status for women, the centrality of lay ministry and spiritual gifts, charismatically inclined groups, seeker-sensitive churches attempting to reach baby boomers or Generation X'ers with novel worship formats, and so on. There are other problems as well: overlapping jurisdictions, lack of communication across jurisdictional lines, and a tendency to isolate ourselves from communities in which we live. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. Christimates 1 day ago. There I was, a Protestant theologian teaching in the former Department of Scientific Atheism in the land where Eastern Orthodoxy had reigned for over 1,000 years. What steps would I take to become an Orthodox Christian? I appreciate this articles use of blunt honesty! Wow, like it very much. 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. Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter from Fr. In some places in the world, Orthodoxy is the primary Christian game in town (as in Russia and Serbia), and it is inextricably wedded to the local ethnic culture. Submitted by Fr. She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. Your email address will not be published. Orthodox Christians and some Eastern Catholics baptize by triple immersion upon invocation of the Trinity; the only time the Orthodox Church permits other forms of baptism is in the case of an emergency. One can find people who interpret this ecclesiological exclusivity more leniently; in fact, some would argue that the best Orthodox scholarsGeorge Florovsky and John Meyendorff, to name twowould allow for such leniency. And to share why I am not Orthodox. Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy? Albania, 160,000. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. People often assume that most Jews by choice convert because they have a partner or spouse who is Jewish. However, because I've never been really exposed to . And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. But the little guy is not going through a phase. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. It depends on where you put the emphasis. 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]. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. Excellent comment Kosmas, I totally concur. The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. Copyright 1997 Christianity Today. You haven't "arrived" in this life. 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. Her name is right belief. Her admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution has been noted even by non-Orthodox admirers, as one of her strongest attractions and sources of strength. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. 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." Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St. Elisabeth Convent. And for Orthodoxy, this argument from holy tradition is of great significance. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. 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. For example, it is understandable that evangelicals feel that the Orthodox doctrine of the church is too "high." 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. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. But this really begs another question: "Essential" for what? Your email address will not be published. Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. I can't be the only one who's observed a friend converting to Orthodox Christianity and noticed them instantly, literally overnight, losing their sense of . Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor. 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. 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 sailed to Greenland with a priest to convert the people. Handcarved Let us know if corrections need to be made. Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? Thus, while the Protestant principle of sola scriptura places Scripture above tradition, for Orthodoxy the two are complementary means of one organic whole through which the Spirit of God speaks. The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. Russia, 50-85 million This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. Rather, for Orthodoxy the whole people of God is the protector of apostolic tradition. 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. Twitter | Much like a divorce where numerous and complex problems fester for years and then coalesce around a single event, the defining moment for a distinctly Orthodox identity came with the Great Schism of 1054. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. In the 950s, Olga, the grandmother of Vladimir, was . And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. 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. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. I cant be the only one to have done this. 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. Geoff. For example, if a person goes through a great deal of hardship, sacrifice, and turmoil in order to join the Churchas in the case of former clergy in a different communion, or when ones family does not approvethey might feel that the Church owes them for converting. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. Their new group who were so "excited" to have them isn't interested/has no role for them as clergy. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. Why should we welcome that? For good and ill, it is a classic "cultural religion," and comprehending Orthodoxy is an indispensable key to understanding those countries, cultures, and people. 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. I responded by writing back: "Because I am committed to key distinctives of the Protestant evangelical tradition.".

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