why convert to orthodox christianity why convert to orthodox christianity

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. Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. While discovering the truth of Orthodoxy is exciting, we need to learn a gracious balance when dealing with our friends, family, workmates and others with whom we have contact. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. Four important areas deserve ongoing dialogue. This gives strength and spiritual joy to her members, true to the Lords words, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mt. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. Wynona doesn't indicate why the parish priest has done this, but it would appear from the context that the priest objects to her marrying an . My husband had been an Episcopal priest for 16 years, and we had gradually moved from evangelical-style "low church" to the more liturgically-fancy "high church." 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). For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. 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? In this wonderful, 4-minute video, Fr. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. In this video, Fr. 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. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. 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. 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. 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. Now let's hear from Frederica. But unlike the other two large branches of Christianity, which have spread throughout the developing world, Orthodoxy remains largely confined to Europe. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. 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. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. 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. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. This may be to some extent true but it is much more than that. In addition, sizable Orthodox "diasporate" groups exist in Europe, North and South America, and Australia, typically under the jurisdiction of one of the thirteen patriarchates mentioned above. You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. These arguments wont convert anyone. 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. The sum of all parts wont add to the total. If only you could get them to form two lines.). "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. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagreed. In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. Once inside, a Western Christian experiences sensory overload: the near absence of chairs or pews, dim lighting, head coverings for most women, icons and frescoes covering almost every inch of space on the walls and ceiling, a massive and ornate iconostasis separating the priest and the worshipers, the smoky smell of incense and hundreds of candles burning in memory of the dead, the priest resplendent in his ornate vestments and enormous beard, and worshipers repeatedly prostrating themselves, kissing the icons, and making the sign of the cross. 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. Submitted by Fr. 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. I assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! To the extent, however, one could intellectualize the reasons for converting, he or she would probably summarize them along these lines: In our ever-changing world, in the constant re-design of services and re-evaluation of beliefs, Orthodoxy stands as a mountain of granite, unshakable by fads and movements and political correctness. Greenland. 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. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. Its that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel Put more starkly, Orthodoxy explicitly rejects the historic Protestant idea of sola scriptura. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. 1:4). Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? But they all came together in worship, and were shaped by the same hymns and prayers, the appointed Scripture readings, preaching, and the picture Bible of iconography. In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. 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." Handcarved Christians in the West variously trace their roots to Rome (Catholics), Wittenberg (Lutherans), Geneva (Calvinists), Canterbury (Anglicans), or Oxford (Wesleyans). 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. As we said, conversion is a love affair. Liturgically, the Orthodox ethos of a formal worship setting will attract some Christians, but to many other vibrant movements within evangelicalism it will have little if any appeal. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. 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 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. 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." If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. All rights reserved. If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you If they persecuted me, they will persecute you (John 15:18. Further, rote liturgy can stultify as well as edify, which is one reason why many people prefer more informal or personal worship settings. 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. I felt like Marco Polo. 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. In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. 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. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. 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 taking Communion together? Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. 5:12). True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. 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. "More than a . 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). 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. 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. So why should someone desire to join the Orthodox Church? Frederica Matthewes-Green reflects on how new converts to Orthodoxy can sometimes be overzealous. A wedding set o, Wedding Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (in Oklad /, A Handmade Bookcover For The Gospel. 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. 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. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. Recently I worshiped at an Orthodox church in Palo Alto on this celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Telegram | It depends on where you put the emphasis. Whereas Western Protestants want to hear the written Word spoken in the sermon, Orthodox believers want to see it in the visual images of iconsas well as hear it in the spoken word. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. 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. Required fields are marked *. Early on in the life of the Christian church, the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West began to diverge. 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. Before you start the process of converting, you will want to speak with a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. 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.". 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. But this really begs another question: "Essential" for what? Our digital archives are a work in progress. Beyond the recovery of history and liturgy, there are deeper and more important questions. 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. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. Nicholas Kim. Antioch, 750,000 Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. 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. Some have even ended in apostasy. Like baptism, the Eucharist is administered to infants. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. The rise of Islam after Muhammad (died 632) was likewise crucial. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. Do we mean essential for salvation? There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. 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." Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. 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]. 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 sacraments. 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. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. Orthodoxy has always affirmed that Peter was the "first among equals" (primus inter pares) ; but unlike Roman Catholics, the Orthodox have always denied that he held any "primacy of power" (primatus potestatis). Orthodox Sep 9, 2019 #1 For those who converted like myself, why did you? I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. The first four enjoy special honor due to their antiquity. The sacraments of the Church have helped fill countless young people's lives with meaning in ways that are difficult to find elsewhere. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. Many would find themselves back in Rus with their new faith and establishing Churches (Spinka, 42-44). What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. 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. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. Buddhists are called to meditate. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. 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. 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. Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? 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. 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. 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. We are looking forward to our journey in the church. As I realized what the big difference is, I grew more insistent, Im afraid. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Talk With an Orthodox Priest. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. 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.