why convert to orthodox christianity

Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. Lol. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. Vladimir I, a great prince of Kiev, reigned from 980 till 1015 and succeeded in the mass conversion of the Eastern Slavs.1 Throughout his reign Vladimir's agenda had . Orthodox Christians and some Eastern Catholics baptize by triple immersion upon invocation of the Trinity; the only time the Orthodox Church permits other forms of baptism is in the case of an emergency. 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. 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]. Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. But the claim to be Christ's one, true church remains the clear Orthodox position. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? The first four enjoy special honor due to their antiquity. Other times it is a youth group or Bible study group inspiring and educating. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. The sacraments of the Church have helped fill countless young people's lives with meaning in ways that are difficult to find elsewhere. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) 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. 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. For good and ill, it is a classic "cultural religion," and comprehending Orthodoxy is an indispensable key to understanding those countries, cultures, and people. Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. In chrismation, performed immediately after rising from the baptismal waters, the priest anoints the infant with a special ointment, making the sign of the cross on various parts of the body, thus acknowledging the gift and seal of the Holy Spirit. 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.". Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. For example, it is understandable that evangelicals feel that the Orthodox doctrine of the church is too "high." 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. 3:15 ). 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. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Anxious to avoid the siege of his capital, Basil II turned to the Rus' for assistance, even though they were considered enemies at that time. 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. 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. 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). 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. Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska, Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists, What Do You Believe In? Different Orthodox theories exist as to what, exactly, this means. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. 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 can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. In this wonderful, 4-minute video, Fr. T he Orthodox Church in the United States has problems. 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. The true details behind her It depends on where you put the emphasis. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. 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. Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. A priest can provide guidance and support to help converts discern whether the religion is right for them. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. These arguments wont convert anyone. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. It depends on where you put the emphasis. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. * And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. 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. Orthodoxy looks forward, to the age to come. Not a few evangelicals in the last decade have forsaken Protestantism to join an Eastern Orthodox church. many mercenaries would convert to Christianity. Her name is "right belief". Geoff. Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter from Fr. Can you explain why some former clergy (from non-orthodox backgrounds) can enter without formal orthodox seminary education, while other former clergy (again, from non-orthodox backgrounds) are kept away even after the bishop (he who has the control and power) makes a statement that none may come to the clergy with our formal orthodox seminary? In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. 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. Hope this helps, and hope that your journey to Orthodoxy is filled with every blessing. Further, rote liturgy can stultify as well as edify, which is one reason why many people prefer more informal or personal worship settings. Let us know if corrections need to be made. Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. Your email address will not be published. Missiological concerns surface here, too. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". In Orthodoxy one encounters the eternal, unchangeable God. 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. 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." Despite efforts at reunification, to this day the Catholic and Orthodox churches remain estranged. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. 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. Small bodies of Orthodox believers exist in other places as "autonomous" but not "autocephalous" churches (Finland, Japan, former Czechoslovakia, etc.). 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. Writing a book on Eastern Orthodoxy and working through the manuscript with my Russian students helped me to compare Orthodoxy and Protestant evangelicalism. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. In Catholicism this external dogmatic authority resides in the teaching magisterium of the church as expressed in the primacy and infallibility of the papacy. To support our efforts, join us as a member . When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. 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. 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. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. Further, the Orthodox reject the idea of inherited guilt; we are guilty only for our own sins rather than for the inborn consequences of Adam's fall. 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. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy. 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. See something we missed? They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. Then the reality sets in. Teachings of Orthodoxy. 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. Liberalism is not a word in the Orthodox vocabulary. 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. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. This statement cannot be challenged. Orthodoxy provides a full-bodied, full-souled spiritual life that assumes that everything you do as a Christian makes you either more like God or less like Him, and because becoming like God is what salvation consists of, that means that everything you do is critical. ", Icons are not merely sacred art. Is the church made up of those who have been "regenerated" by infant baptism in an Orthodox church institution, or by those who have experienced new birth and been justified by grace through faith? Thank you for this post! Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. By joining Orthodoxy one inherits a theological package that includes central elements that have traditionally troubled many Protestant evangelicals and omits doctrines many evangelicals consider nonnegotiable essentials of vital Christianity. You haven't "arrived" in this life. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. All rights reserved. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Sad, very sad. Unfortunately the Eastern organization is founded on control and power. Why should we welcome that? Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . And to share why I am not Orthodox. The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. An Orthodox priest who lectured to standing-room-only crowds at Moscow State once described Orthodox theology to me as "music made in the conservatory," whereas he described Protestant theology as "music made in the honkytonk bars. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. Twitter | Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. Well, was it so? 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. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Orthodoxy appeals to the soulnot just to the intellect or the senses. Many would find themselves back in Rus with their new faith and establishing Churches (Spinka, 42-44). Christians in the West variously trace their roots to Rome (Catholics), Wittenberg (Lutherans), Geneva (Calvinists), Canterbury (Anglicans), or Oxford (Wesleyans). She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Not to be outdone, the Orthodox could respond in kind. 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. But one insightful reader asked a penetrating question: "Your book does a fine job comparing the two traditions; why have you not converted to Orthodoxy?" In 1993, I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church. Also, while evangelicals wholeheartedly embrace the full-orbed New Testament descriptions of the work of Christ (reconciliation, ransom, redemption, forgiveness, adoption, etc. 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. In the words of contemporary Orthodox theologian Thomas Hopko, "everything in the church flows out of the waters of baptism: the remission of sins and life eternal." Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. We think the fundamental Christian schism occurred when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, October 31, 1517. Subscribe for our weekly newsletter not to miss the most interesting articles on our blog. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. According to the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 787, icons are of equal benefit as Scripture in presenting the gospel message. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. Share your feedback here. 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. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. Overall, is the Orthodox church growing in America or is it slowly dying, as the older cradle Orthodox are dying and fewer cradle Orthodox either convert to other churches [primarily Protestant churches] or morph into Deists or worse?. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. If only you could get them to form two lines.). The East allowed some priests to marry, while the West required celibacy. 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 . Albania, 160,000. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. In fact, it promises a Cross and joining with Christ in both suffering and humiliation. Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. The secret is out. 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. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel 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]. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. 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. Why didn't Henry VIII go Orthodox, and what would happen if he did? She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. 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. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. 2. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. One need not travel overseas to encounter Eastern Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy, advocates suggest, reveals and corrects evangelical reductionism and superficiality. Contact | 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. Thus Georges Florovsky once referred to tradition as "the witness of the Spirit.". In time, you will be welcomed sacramentally into the Church and continue your ongoing path to the Kingdom of God. Some have even ended in apostasy. However, this is a mistaken viewpoint and can lead to the destruction of a persons faith. 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. Differences over clerical beards, the tonsure, and fasting also exacerbated the growing deterioration of East-West unity. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. 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. YouTube | As I realized what the big difference is, I grew more insistent, Im afraid. More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Nicholas Kim. 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. The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. 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. At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. Schisms had already occurred in the Christian church, and others would occur later, but the Great Schism was the first of such major consequence. People are attracted by the permanence of Orthodoxy. But every church must have its distinctives, or wed all be in the same church. As Philip said to Nathaniel, Come and see [John 1:46]. In the history and theology of Orthodoxy it is startling to observe the nearly complete absence of any mention of the doctrine of justification by faith. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. When you convert, you must verbalize your commitment to live in accordance with all of the Torah 's commandments as they are explained in Torah law. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. Second, Christian theology perfectly explained why Jesus, who was also called a prophet, was worthy of worship. 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. It is not always easy to advance strong arguments for these conversions. Why do Orthodox Christians keep a vigil at the Tomb of Christ? Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." 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. 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.

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