why convert to orthodox christianity why convert to orthodox christianity

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. 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. See something we missed? Excellent comment Kosmas, I totally concur. 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.". 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. 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. Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. July 2012 edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am interested in finding out why all of you converts out there converted to the Coptic Orthodox Church, and not any one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches readily available in so many parts of the world. 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. Pretty good. In 1993 I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church, but only lately has it dawned on me that I must have strained friendships over the years, due to my vocal enthusiasm for my adopted church. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. She is the Church of martyrs. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. If only you could get them to form two lines.). It merits our attention for several reasons. A wooden pectoral cros, Pectoral Cross for Clergy 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. 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. 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. The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. 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 . Christianity had, in fact, penetrated "Russia" by the early 900s, when at least one church had been built in the ancient city of Kiev. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. 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. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. 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. 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. Well, was it so? 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 * He promptly left Constantinople. 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. Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter from Fr. Converting to Orthodoxy. Writing a book on Eastern Orthodoxy and working through the manuscript with my Russian students helped me to compare Orthodoxy and Protestant evangelicalism. He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. The stability that the Orthodox Church provides for the seeker consists in the assurance of the truth she possesses, her other-worldly and mysterious character, the beauty of her liturgical celebrations and her crucified lifethey all attest to what she is for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear: the unique, beloved Bride of Christ. It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. Different from forms of western Christianity, there is no rationalization or theorization of dogma because its focus is on symbology rather than the literal. 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. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). 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. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. Thank you for this post! Georgia, 3 million They become clergy in their group. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. 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. When celebrating the Eucharist, Catholics mixed the wine with water, while the Orthodox did not. Hope this helps, and hope that your journey to Orthodoxy is filled with every blessing. As I realized what the big difference is,I grew more insistent, I'm afraid. Nicholas Kim. I can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. Thus Georges Florovsky once referred to tradition as "the witness of the Spirit.". 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. He shares his witness of it. 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. Click for reprint information. 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. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. "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. He sailed to Greenland with a priest to convert the people. Their new group who were so "excited" to have them isn't interested/has no role for them as clergy. The thesis that Eastern Orthodoxy is the true religion was turning out to bear the practical corollary that, to share fully and fruitfully in the life of the Body of Christ, one would almost have. Conversely, evangelicals argue that this forensic framework for sin and salvation is not merely a historical and unduly negative carryover from Augustine and Anselm, but rather is the clear teaching of Paul in his Letters to the Romans and Galatians. Because everyone has their own presuppositions in which they interpret reality and thus no surprise you'll find people based on these presuppositions won't accept Christianity. "I was A. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. 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. I felt like Marco Polo. Have something to add about this? But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. "It's typically an immigrant faith, so I was really interested in that experience and why it spoke to. 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 in Greek. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. 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. Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. An Orthodox Christian Perspective: Overcoming Difficulties in Life, Church Under Soviet Totalitarianism: Suppression, Resistance and Compliance, St Kassia and Her Creations, Still Heard at Todays Divine Services, The feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice, Why Our Catalogue Is More Than Just an Online Store Selling Church Supplies, The List of Musical Instruments Mentioned in the Bible, The First 40 Days after Death Explained by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, An Old Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Has Started to Exude Myrrh in the Diocese of Tula, Complete List of Prohibited Marriages in the Orthodox Church. Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. 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 spiritual life gives central prominence to the sacraments. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. Ignatius's followers, however, refused to acknowledge the transition, and eventually both Ignatius and Photius appealed to Pope Nicholas (858-67) in Rome. 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. Heres a clue to a third possibility. 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. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. 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. John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. . 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. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Chrysostom's liturgy says of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "Your own, from your own, we offer you, in all and for all." 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. Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. 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. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. One need not travel overseas to encounter Eastern Orthodoxy. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. 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. 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. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. In his homily, Father Vladimir explained the history and theology of icons, adding that the heresy of iconoclasm was alive and well: "Just look around us at all the Protestants. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. 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. Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. This simple change of dress symbolized a radical shift that has characterized the Protestant West ever since: that the knowledge of God is mediated primarily through the written Word. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvelously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. Shortly after the beginning of our own catechumenate as a family, we saw friendsand their familiesbegin journeys towards the East. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. The numbers are staggering! Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. 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. Some have argued that evangelicals eager to "contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3) will find an ally in Orthodoxy's allegiance to the basic truths of Christianity. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. 20). Frederica Matthewes-Green reflects on how new converts to Orthodoxy can sometimes be overzealous. If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. Failing to remember (or be taught) this, we are scandalized and even lose our faith in the Church, not distinguishing between the divine and human natures, or confusing them. His response: "I don't know.". Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. So it would be wise to visit a parish near you, perhaps for the celebration of Vespers on a Saturday evening or the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy. 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. That vision is of the Living God revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, the life of the Faithful, the hope of the . 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?" After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? This statement cannot be challenged. In Orthodoxy one encounters the eternal, unchangeable God. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Those who were clergy in a former denomination have no guarantees they will become clergy in the Orthodox Church. So, you have decided to convert to the Greek Orthodox Christian religion. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. 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. It depends on where you put the emphasis. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. 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 in Greek. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. "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 The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. 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? On the other hand, there are cases where a person rejects the Church for what I would consider to be erroneous reasons. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. Antioch, 750,000 From the Orthodox perspective, both Catholics and Protestants seek to ground theological authority in an external norm. For any convert, it's a spiritual, intense, and private process,. For example, on the Feast of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, the chanter launches into this: Of the Father before the morning star You were begotten from the womb without mother before all ages, even though Arius did believe You to be created, not God, classing You in ignorance and impudence with creatures 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). I appreciate this articles use of blunt honesty! There are two sides to this coin, as well: Some people become Orthodox for all the wrong reasons, while some dont become Orthodox for all the wrong reasons. During my project I gained. Despite efforts at reunification, to this day the Catholic and Orthodox churches remain estranged. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. The sacraments. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" But Islam's conquest of this same area eventually isolated the Eastern Christians centered in Constantinople from their counterparts in the West centered in Rome. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. Wow, like it very much. 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. 3:15). 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. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. 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. These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". Orthodox Christians were more inclined to appeal to the ecumenical councils than to a single bishop to settle theological matters. 0. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? Buddhists fast, pray, and give alms. Greece, 9 million But the claim to be Christ's one, true church remains the clear Orthodox position. My husband and I were just Chrismated into the church on Christmas day. I responded by writing back: "Because I am committed to key distinctives of the Protestant evangelical tradition.". Everyone associates Orthodox worship with sensory richness, but its also rich in theological content. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. 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. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Rather, they are a source of revelation. After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. It is why I think a number of people have a list of groups they have been in here. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. And these prayers are jam-packed. 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?" It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. Copyright 19962023. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. 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. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Daniel B. Clendenin is a graduate staff member for InterVarsity at Stanford University and author of Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective and Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader (both published by Baker). 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. Fr. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. A radical conversion to Christianity. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. 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.