For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. How Christianity Came to Ukraine and Russia | Christian History 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. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? 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. For any convert, it's a spiritual, intense, and private process,. 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. Orthodoxy, advocates suggest, reveals and corrects evangelical reductionism and superficiality. Her name is right belief. The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. 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. In fact, it promises a Cross and joining with Christ in both suffering and humiliation. Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." 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?" St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Your email address will not be published. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. 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. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. 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. How did Vladimir's conversion to Christianity affect Kiev? The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. Conversion to Christianity - Wikipedia But every church must have its distinctives, or wed all be in the same church. She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. Now let's hear from Frederica. Why did you convert to Orthodoxy? | OrthodoxChristianity.net This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." 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. And these prayers are jam-packed. There I was, a Protestant theologian teaching in the former Department of Scientific Atheism in the land where Eastern Orthodoxy had reigned for over 1,000 years. Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . In fact, what Orthodox converts "vow to accept" diverges significantly from important, basic tenets of evangelical Protestantism. Why are so many Christians in Colombia converting to Orthodox Judaism But about this pursuit we can make several observations. * The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Evangelicals urge the necessity of personal conversion through the faith and repentance of the individual believer, as opposed to the Orthodox idea of regeneration by the sacraments. Whether you decided to do so because you are marrying someone who is a member of the church, or you simply decide to convert on your own, you might be overwhelmed as to where to start. Ignatius's followers, however, refused to acknowledge the transition, and eventually both Ignatius and Photius appealed to Pope Nicholas (858-67) in Rome. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. Steps to "becoming" an Orthodox Christian - Questions & Answers Religion became a state of the Roman Empire, and Christianity became an enormous and influential religion nationwide. 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. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" See something we missed? I cant be the only one to have done this. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. 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. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. In time, you will be welcomed sacramentally into the Church and continue your ongoing path to the Kingdom of God. Cyprus, 450,000 John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Why isn't everyone christian? : r/Christianity There most certainly will never be a "Southern" or "Confederate" Orthodoxy".And yet another reason not to join is the hopes of having a base of operations for a goofy political ideology. When we realize that every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle or a matter of conscience, then we are freed to engage fully people with whom we actually have profound differences without compromising our own theological commitments. Take Russia as an example: First, the majority of Russians are non-Christian and unevangelized. Converting to Orthodox Judaism Is a Lot. Here's How 3 Women Did It. - ELLE Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? The sum of all parts wont add to the total. Kate Forbes is young, smart, a woman (in the actual sense of the word), but fatally, an orthodox Christian seeking the top office in the land. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In 978, Vladimir returned to . It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. According to The Saga of Erik the Red, there were Christians among the people whom Erik the Red brought to Greenland to settle it in the late tenth century. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) Twitter | (2 Pet. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. Why should we welcome that? But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? 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. 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. These arguments wont convert anyone. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Orthodoxy generally affirms the same seven sacraments as Catholicism: baptism, chrismation or confirmation, the Eucharist, repentance or confession, holy orders or ordination, marriage, and holy unction or anointing of the sick. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity . Required fields are marked *. This should trouble evangelicals (as well as other Protestants), especially when it is combined with the Orthodox idea of who constitutes the church and how one enters the church. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. The Vikings' Conversion to Christianity - Norse Mythology for Smart On another front, under the leadership of founder Bradley Nassif, the Society for the Study of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism (SSEOE) holds meetings each fall at Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center for the sake of the two traditions learning from one another. Handcarved But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? What Do I Need to Do to Become Greek Orthodox? - Greek Boston Why did you convert to Orthodoxy? | OrthodoxChristianity.net 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. Why Converts to Christian Orthodoxy Are So Obnoxious by Frederica Greenland. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Frederica Matthewes-Green reflects on how new converts to Orthodoxy can sometimes be overzealous. Your email address will not be published. During my four years as a visiting professor at Moscow State University (1991-95) I often felt schizophrenic. The sacraments. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of being mindful. Upon joining the Orthodox Church, converts vow to "accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation which was and is held by the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East, our Mother." Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. 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. 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. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) 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. When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts 5:12). However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. Poland, 1 million Chrysostom's liturgy says of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "Your own, from your own, we offer you, in all and for all." Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. 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. In the year 311, Emperor Constantine moved the political capital of his empire from Rome to Constantinople. While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. 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 was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. I hope so. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. 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. Is Orthodox different from Catholic? Well, was it so? 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." Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. Conversion involves a change or transformation in vision, direction and heart, one rooted in repentance and the acknowledgement of Our Lord as the One Who is truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who came into the world to save sinners. 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. There is not going to be a restored "Celtic" Orthodoxy or "Anglo-Saxon" Orthodoxy. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. 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. What steps would I take to become an Orthodox Christian? There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. Orthodox believers see things very differently. Learn About the Religion.
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