Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Women and men who marry into the Orthodox Jewish faith are required to convertand both genders follow an identical process. Telegram | In 1993, I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church. But that was too little, too late. Orthodox Sep 9, 2019 #1 For those who converted like myself, why did you? Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his efforts seem to have entailed no lasting consequences, since the Primary Chronicle and other Slavonic sources describe the tenth-century Rus' as still firmly entrenched in Slavic paganism. A person can read a dozen books on swimming, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually gets into a pool. When the media seized on John Paul II's statement, they not only missed his main point, they missed a wider story. * The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. that freedom of practice for faith groups should be "defended" in Holyrood's proposed ban on conversion practices and that she believes a trans woman is a "biological male who identifies as a . Romania, 19.8 million 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. Albania, 160,000. Young teens go through a few years when they are trying to understand their own unique identity, and trying to establish it in the face of well, it would be one thing if they had to establish it in the face of hostility, because, even though that would be hard, it would be bracing and clarifying. 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. 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. 5:12). Take Russia as an example: First, the majority of Russians are non-Christian and unevangelized. ), since the Reformation, justification by faith and substitutionary atonement have enjoyed pride of place in our understanding of the doctrines of sin and salvation. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. Instagram | But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. (Some within Orthodoxy say there are 15, but this is a minor, internal debate.) They are the efficacious means by which God transmits his salvific and sanctifying grace to us. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. Despite efforts at reunification, to this day the Catholic and Orthodox churches remain estranged. 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. 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. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so hes either sullen or angry. Orthodoxy affirms the real, physical presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist (as do Catholics, Lutherans, and many Anglicans), yet unlike Catholicism it is content not to explain how this happens. I do not wish to antagonize anyone and if there is a place online where I might go to better have my questions answered, please. Your email address will not be published. Twitter | While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. In fact, much of what is basic to Christianity: the nature, sources, and interpretation of God's revelation to us, the meaning of the church and its sacraments, the doctrines of sin and salvation, and even how one enters the kingdom of God. As I realized what the big difference is,I grew more insistent, I'm afraid. The Actual Conversion to Judaism: Conversion to Judaism has a few components, which are undertaken under the supervision of an established beit din: Accepting the yoke of the commandments. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. Now let's hear from Frederica. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? Facebook | In fact, what Orthodox converts "vow to accept" diverges significantly from important, basic tenets of evangelical Protestantism. If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. Now, I dont share all of this in order to dissuade anyone from becoming a catechumen, but rather to encourage those who are on such a journeyor who have strayed away from one that began on the wrong foot. On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. This statement cannot be challenged. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. This has some truth to it, but is mostly false. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy. In this wonderful, 4-minute video, Fr. Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. But dont do it for all the wrong reasons. Greenland. T he Orthodox Church in the United States has problems. 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. There is not going to be a restored "Celtic" Orthodoxy or "Anglo-Saxon" Orthodoxy. Inherent in this claim, of course, is the charge that both Catholics and Protestants have lapsed from the true faith into error, if not outright heresy. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. They insisted that the Bible interprets itself, and through the Holy Spirit, God instructs its readers in a direct and individual manner rather than binding their consciences to the supposedly reliable teaching of the church. I cant be the only one to have done this. Your email address will not be published. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. 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). 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?" While reading about the Orthodox Christian tradition is certainly important, it is crucial to stepliterallyinto an Orthodox Christian parish church near you to witness/experience the Churchs worship and fellowship. Who can explain why one has fallen in love with a given person? It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. Questions & Answers / Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. If only they would realise that they are rotting corpses trapped in worshipping themselves. 20). Everyone associates Orthodox worship with sensory richness, but its also rich in theological content. Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. The percentage of foreign born Orthodox Christians is no larger than the percentage in the population at large. The late Orthodox theologian John Meyendorff once remarked that the ultimate conflict between the Orthodox East and the Latin West, both Catholic and Protestant, resided in two different ideas about tradition. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." Praise for Surprised by Christ "Surprised by Christ is an autobiography, an intellectual history, and a conversion story, and more than these, conveys a spiritual and theological vision in a message that touches people from many different backgrounds. 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. They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. 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. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. The unchangeableness of dogma as well as the purity of rite [are] entrusted to the care not of one hierarchy but of all the people of the church." 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. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. This doesnt mean we shun catechesis, but just that its not always done in the same way everywhereand where it exists, its likely different from what a catechumen might expect or even hope. Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St. Elisabeth Convent. Pretty good. But the human warts of where they are at and continuing searching within causes them to look elsewhere. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). She is committed to the same, unchanging, absolute truth. Learn About the Religion. Orthodox believers see things very differently. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. Those who approach Orthodoxy looking for all their questions to be answered in a neat-and-tidy manner will be deeply disappointed, left rejecting the faith to which theyve only been shortly exposed. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. For example, I know someone that spent over a year studying almost every aspect of Orthodoxy, including many fathers of the Church and practically every nuance of both doctrine and history. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. That is, Orthodoxy's commitment to "right belief" provides a natural link to evangelical concerns. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. 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. 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. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. Later ecumenical councils at Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451) acknowledged Constantinople as the "New Rome" and accorded it "equal privileges" and "equal rank in ecclesiastical matters" with Latin Rome. 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. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. You may wish to call the parish priest in advance to introduce yourself and explain that you will be joining him and the faithful of his parish for the first time, although this is not absolutely essential. However, because I've never been really exposed to . It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. 3:15). Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. Orthodoxy, advocates suggest, reveals and corrects evangelical reductionism and superficiality. Further, they identify themselves by reference to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the "new Rome" of Emperor Constantine, and to the first seven ecumenical councils of the church. Alister McGrath, an intellectual historian and proponent of paleo-orthodoxy, claims that many of the . 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. The Reformers did not reject tradition as a help to wisdom, as a reading of Calvin, Luther, or Wesley easily shows. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Why didn't Henry VIII go Orthodox, and what would happen if he did? You haven't "arrived" in this life. These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." He shares his witness of it. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Protestant theologian Adolf von Harnack once described the Orthodox church as "in her entire structure alien to the Gospel and a perversion of the Christian religion, its reduction to the level of pagan antiquity." Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. Thus Luther once wrote, "What else do I contend for but to bring everyone to an understanding of the difference between the divine Scripture and human teaching or custom?" Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. 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. 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. At one level, I was close in heart and mind to my Orthodox sisters and brothers in Christ; but on another level, I agreed with many of my atheist friends' criticisms of Russian Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . 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. 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. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Have something to add about this? 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. 3:15 ). Because their focus for years was on their theological education (which they may still be paying for) often they end up in a low wage job that they don't love. 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. Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. "The Orthodox Church of Christ never lost the 'unity of faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit' and does not accept the theory of the restoration of the unity of those "who believe in Christ," because it believes that the unity of those who believe in Christ already exists in the unity of all of Her baptized children, between themselves and I cant be the only one to have done this. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). Many would find themselves back in Rus with their new faith and establishing Churches (Spinka, 42-44). Since the World Council of Churches' Canberra Assembly in 1991, evangelical and Orthodox believers have joined in a series of wcc-sponsored dialogues on matters challenging historic Christian faith. we'll be happy to answer it! It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." 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. The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. 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.". The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority.
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