I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. But unlike the other two large branches of Christianity, which have spread throughout the developing world, Orthodoxy remains largely confined to Europe. 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. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. If only you could get them to form two lines.). 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. Another issue is becoming Orthodox because one thinks the Church will reward them in some way for doing so. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." Although my parents intentionally raised my brother and me without a focus on . Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. Serbia, 8 million Twitter | But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St. Elisabeth Convent. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." One can find Orthodox statements that ascribe a unique authority to Scripture over tradition, but these are few and far between, and they speak of tradition in a narrower than usual sense. He promptly left Constantinople. Many people believe the Church is a social group gathering or a place to network with other like minded people. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I was only ever exposed to Christian theology. This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behaviour. Greenland. Rather, they are a source of revelation. Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. The rise of Islam after Muhammad (died 632) was likewise crucial. 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." I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. 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. She is the Church of martyrs. Russia, 50-85 million 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. 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 . Almost everyone around me was a Baptist. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. But dont do it for all the wrong reasons. Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. It is precisely this view that elevates Scripture above the church and actually encourages private interpretation that the Orthodox theologian Georges Florovsky once called "the sin of the Reformation.". It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. These sacraments are not mere signs, symbols, or reminders. . 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. In the Orthodox calendar, the first Sunday of Lent celebrates the Triumph of Orthodoxy, a commemoration of the final triumph of icons in the long and bitter battle with the iconoclasts (literally, "image-smashers") on March 11, 843. 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. This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God Like baptism, the Eucharist is administered to infants. 20). Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Indeed, in a letter of 865, Pope Nicholas made it clear that he intended to extend the power of the papacy "over all the earth, that is, over every church." The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Cyprus, 450,000 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. 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. Contact | The Orthodox Church is the only Church, originally founded by Christ and still retaining the apostolic succession and the undistorted teaching of the Lord and . And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. The Orthodox Church is indelibly marked by the One who is its origin and source. 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 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. Everyone associates Orthodox worship with sensory richness, but its also rich in theological content. John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. 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. Thumb through Calvin's Institutes or a volume of John Wesley's Works and you will see our Protestant forebears thoroughly engaged with patristic tradition. My husband had been an Episcopal priest for 16 years, and we had gradually moved from an evangelical-style low church to the more liturgically-fancy high church. Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. 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. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. 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. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. Your email address will not be published. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. 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. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. However, because I've never been really exposed to . Buddhists fast, pray, and give alms. 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. . Poland, 1 million Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. If only you could get them to form two lines.). If only they would realise that they are rotting corpses trapped in worshipping themselves. Her name is right belief. 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. 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. Nicholas Kim. 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. 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. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. 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. Paganism was a mental mindset of the Eastern Slavs living in a world where a majority of the European countries surrounding them had already converted to a monastic religion. Not a few evangelicals in the last decade have forsaken Protestantism to join an Eastern Orthodox church. He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. Interesting comments. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. Before you start the process of converting, you will want to speak with a priest in the Greek Orthodox 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. 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. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. Their new group who were so "excited" to have them isn't interested/has no role for them as clergy. 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.". Well, was it so? Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. The sacraments. Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . After being dunked in this sea of hymnography for a few years I began to recognize an underlying unity among all the elements of Orthodoxythe worship, the fasting, the exhortations to humility, the companionship of the saints, all of it. This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. In this Orthodox view, Scripture stands within rather than above the church, and to distinguish its authority from that of the church is a mistake of method. In the dystopian film,Children of Mendirected by Alfonso Cuarn, a world is imagined in the future where no more children are born, and, as the decades pass, humanity is plunged into despair. 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. But that was too little, too late. 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? There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. 2. 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. If anyone is unwilling or not ready to submit to the Church in all areas of life, they should stay awayuntil or unless they are ready to do so. 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. 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. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. To be Eastern Orthodox is, above all, to stake a bold and unapologetic theological claim as the one true church of Christ on earth, which alone has guarded right belief and true worship in absolute identity and unbroken succession with the apostolic church. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. Your email address will not be published. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). Your email address will not be published. Copyright 19962023. On the other hand, there are cases where a person rejects the Church for what I would consider to be erroneous reasons. 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. So they begin the process of "converting.". Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. Orthodox believers see things very differently. 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. But the human warts of where they are at and continuing searching within causes them to look elsewhere. 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. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. There was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. See something we missed? 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. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 20/11/2008 - 11:15am. Modern speculation is simply just that, speculation, and . Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. Buddhists are called to meditate. Orthodoxy allows divorce in some conditions if I'm not mistaken, and it would have been an easier transition to switch to another powerful church (and become friendly with Russia, etc.). Rather, Orthodoxy affirms a single source of revelation, holy tradition, of which Scripture is the preeminent among several forms. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. 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). This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. They are the efficacious means by which God transmits his salvific and sanctifying grace to us. 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. Scripture and tradition. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. Also, while evangelicals wholeheartedly embrace the full-orbed New Testament descriptions of the work of Christ (reconciliation, ransom, redemption, forgiveness, adoption, etc. 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. What steps would I take to become an Orthodox Christian? 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. But the claim to be Christ's one, true church remains the clear Orthodox position. 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. its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . Subscribe for our weekly newsletter not to miss the most interesting articles on our blog. It was electrifying. Icons. No doubt, I felt at home when first attending the Divine Liturgy, but this was after months of study and discussion with other Orthodox people. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. Many times, inquirers approach the Orthodox Church as a safe haven from controversy and scandal, believing that the Orthodox Churchas the one, true Churchis immune to such things. Can we attempt to put into words why a host of people have converted and continue to convert to the Orthodox faith? 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. In 978, Vladimir returned to . Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. Pretty good. 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. To support our efforts, join us as a member . (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. 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. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. This may be to some extent true but it is much more than that. The East allowed some priests to marry, while the West required celibacy. 3:15 ). Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. In 858 Photius was appointed as Orthodoxy's new patriarch at Constantinople, replacing Ignatius, who had been exiled and later resigned his duties. When celebrating the Eucharist, Catholics mixed the wine with water, while the Orthodox did not. 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. A radical conversion to Christianity. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. But the little guy is not going through a phase. Unfortunately most "Orthodox Christian" are nominal even despite their active presence they are nominal because they extinguish the Holy Spirit and do not have a relationship with God, they outwardly seem to be praying but like the Pharisee praise themselves for being 'good with God'. First, Christianity had no doctrine to support the Islamic hypothesis about Jesus' modification into a semi-god. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. Icons are, quite literally, a "theology in color.". Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. "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. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. And while they are just beginning to recover, he says, Protestants invade, with all their Western resources, and attempt to draw away the very people the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to nurture in the faith. Other times it is a youth group or Bible study group inspiring and educating. There is another reason someone should not join Our Church. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. 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. Some have even ended in apostasy. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross For me it was due to the fact that papal supremacy is a later doctrine, yet I could not become a Protestant because the writings of the Fathers do not agree with Protestantism. What was the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise? Writing a book on Eastern Orthodoxy and working through the manuscript with my Russian students helped me to compare Orthodoxy and Protestant evangelicalism. Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. 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. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. Instagram | 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. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! Let us know if corrections need to be made. 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. It depends on where you put the emphasis. At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity practiced by Russians). Copyright 1997 Christianity Today.
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