why convert to orthodox christianity
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. This hardly signifies any sort of congregational or ecclesiological democracy, however, for while all believers possess the truth, it is the special duty of church authorities to teach it. I will always remember my first visit to an Orthodox church in Russia. It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. As Saint Paul reminds us, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another [Romans 12:5; see also Ephesians 4:25]. 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. They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. 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. 20). Wow, like it very much. Similarly, a person can read a dozen books on Orthodox Christianity, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually encounters the Church as the worshipping People of God. 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. 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. Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. It is no small thing for us to hold in common all the early, Christian creeds. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. This may be to some extent true but it is much more than that. Copyright 1997 Christianity Today. A wedding set o, Wedding Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (in Oklad /, A Handmade Bookcover For The Gospel. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." But unlike the other two large branches of Christianity, which have spread throughout the developing world, Orthodoxy remains largely confined to Europe. What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. Rather, they are a source of revelation. There was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. 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. For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. 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. It had ramifications for the ecclesiastical status of both cities and further exacerbated the strained relations between the two regions. 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." Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy? In Russia, the largest figure usually cited for the Orthodox Church is 85 million people (some estimates are as low as 50 million), which means 100 million Russiansmore than half the countryare not affiliated with Orthodoxy. 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." Interesting comments. Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. 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. Her name is "right belief". She is the Church of martyrs. 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. More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. 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. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of being mindful. I can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. A radical conversion to Christianity. Heres a clue to a third possibility. Orthodox Christians were more inclined to appeal to the ecumenical councils than to a single bishop to settle theological matters. At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. The theological objections evangelicals have traditionally had with Rome on these two points rightly apply to Orthodoxy. He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. 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. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. Your email address will not be published. It is a good question, one I will answer in due course. Differences over clerical beards, the tonsure, and fasting also exacerbated the growing deterioration of East-West unity. 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'. While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. Women and men who marry into the Orthodox Jewish faith are required to convertand both genders follow an identical 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). It depends on where you put the emphasis. "I was A. 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. 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. Missiological concerns surface here, too. 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. For church membership? Not a few evangelicals in the last decade have forsaken Protestantism to join an Eastern Orthodox church. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. On June 16, 1054, Pope Leo IX's legate, Cardinal Humbert, delivered a Bull of Excommunication to the Orthodox Patriarch Michael Cerularius on the altar of the Church of the Holy Wisdom at Constantinople while the patriarch prepared to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, condemning him and his court. Oden, for example, who delights in referring to his theological method as "paleo-orthodox," is now working on a comprehensive patristic commentary on the whole Bible to be published by InterVarsity Press. What Scripture proclaims by word, the icon proclaims by color. Handcarved 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? For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Serbia, 8 million These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God 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. Legislation pending in Russia, for example, could, if implemented, curtail Western missionary enterprises. 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. Geoff. 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]. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. 1. Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. Converting to Orthodoxy. It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . 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 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. "More than a . 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. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, Armenian Muslims Living in Turkey are Returning to Christianity, Devotion to Orthodox History leads Malaysian Priest to Mount Carmel. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so hes either sullen or angry. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. Heres a clue to a third possibility. From the Orthodox perspective, both Catholics and Protestants seek to ground theological authority in an external norm. Cyprus, 450,000 And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. Telegram | Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. 0. And yet, not all of these journeys have worked out. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. And for Orthodoxy, this argument from holy tradition is of great significance. For we cannot forget that beauty (Envoys of the Russian Prince Vladimir, after experiencing the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople in the year 987). we'll be happy to answer it! Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. Vladimir agreed, in exchange for a marital tie; he also agreed to accept Christianity as his religion and bring his people to the new faith. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. 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. For example, it is understandable that evangelicals feel that the Orthodox doctrine of the church is too "high." Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? Their new group who were so "excited" to have them isn't interested/has no role for them as clergy. For instance, John of Damascus (675-749), Orthodoxy's most famous systematic theologian, epitomized the Orthodox ethos when he wrote in his The Orthodox Faith, "we do not change the everlasting boundaries which our fathers have set, but we keep the traditions just as we have received them." 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 . YouTube | One is attracted to Orthodoxy in the same way one falls in love. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. 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.". 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. 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. * Shortly after the beginning of our own catechumenate as a family, we saw friendsand their familiesbegin journeys towards the East. 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. Orthodox Sep 9, 2019 #1 For those who converted like myself, why did you? Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, 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. Orthodoxy looks forward, to the age to come. 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. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. In other words, one cannot embrace Orthodox Christianity without embracing Orthodox Christians. 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 Thou wast begotten from the womb without mother before all ages, even though Arius did believe Thee to be created, not God, classing Thee in ignorance and impudence with creatures. 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. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. 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. 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. That there are too many people joining the Church with a silly belief that they rebelling against the modern world, and hoping to instate absolute monarchy. 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. Together they gathered an army with the intent to regain control of Rus' and establish Vladimir as the ruler. Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. In Catholicism this external dogmatic authority resides in the teaching magisterium of the church as expressed in the primacy and infallibility of the papacy. For taking Communion together? Converts from Protestantism claim that Orthodoxy is strongest where evangelicals tend to be weak-its robust liturgical celebration of the majesty and mystery of God, its unyielding insistence on the indispensable role of tradition in theology, and its admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution. 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. For good and ill, it is a classic "cultural religion," and comprehending Orthodoxy is an indispensable key to understanding those countries, cultures, and people. Her name is right belief. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. The move was far more than geographic. 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. Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existed thats what amazed me. He promptly left Constantinople. 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. Rather, "theosis" (literally, "deification"), or the progressive transformation of people into full likeness to God, in soul and body, takes center stage. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ.