why convert to orthodox christianityamtrak san jose to sacramento schedule
why convert to orthodox christianity
She is the Church of martyrs. Thank you for this! Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. 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. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. 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. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of being mindful. It takes awhile to get it, because its gotten by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. John Meyendorff writes that "the Christian faith can in no way be compatible with the notion of sola scriptura." "More than a . As the Body of Christ, the Church is a Divine-human organism, just as with the Person of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. 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. Any objective historian can discover that the permanence of Orthodoxy is due to the preservation and the passing on of the apostolic faith unadulterated, pure. Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. Facebook | . 3:15). 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. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. They become clergy in their group. 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. 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? If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. Buddhists are called to meditate. Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. In fact, it promises a Cross and joining with Christ in both suffering and humiliation. Orthodox spiritual life gives central prominence to the sacraments. What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. 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. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. To support our efforts, join us as a member . 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. Evangelicals focused on social ethics may also find little comradeship in Orthodoxy, as there is nothing in Orthodoxy comparable to the body of Catholic social teaching, for instance. It merits our attention for several reasons. Not to be outdone, the Orthodox could respond in kind. At each point in their conversions, from initial religious seeking to settling into life as Orthodox Christians, Orthodox converts in Pittsburgh consistently relate a kind of on-going negotiation between self and other, as they research religious differences and experiment with practices and dogmas. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Orthodox Christianity. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. The church. For me, the one and only valid, core reason is because a person desires to be part of the one, true Body of Christ. 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. And yet, not all of these journeys have worked out. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. Twitter | 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 reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. 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 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. Conversely, evangelicals argue that this forensic framework for sin and salvation is not merely a historical and unduly negative carryover from Augustine and Anselm, but rather is the clear teaching of Paul in his Letters to the Romans and Galatians. Because we confess and believe in the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, this means we are not looking for a Church that fits our own preferences and ideals, but rather one that teaches us what our preferences should be. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. 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. Persons wishing to become Orthodox of their own free volition, without any direct or indirect pressure from anyone, should firstly meet with a Priest of the Church. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. See something we missed? Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. Heres a clue to a third possibility. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. Granny and Pops and Uncle Pete love the little guy, and theyre going to be kindly and patient with him because hes going through a phase. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. 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. It depends on where you put the emphasis. Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. In 858 Photius was appointed as Orthodoxy's new patriarch at Constantinople, replacing Ignatius, who had been exiled and later resigned his duties. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. I can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. Receive updates and announcements from Orthodox Witness. 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. Q&A: A closer look at Orthodox Christians. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. 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. 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. 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. But every church must have its distinctiveness, or wed all be in the same church. Heres a clue to a third possibility. 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. The numbers are staggering! 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. Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . 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. Serbia, 8 million Take Russia as an example: First, the majority of Russians are non-Christian and unevangelized. Almost everyone around me was a Baptist. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Talk With an Orthodox Priest. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. 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. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. The theological objections evangelicals have traditionally had with Rome on these two points rightly apply to Orthodoxy. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. 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. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabour them. ", Icons are not merely sacred art. The conversion of 2,000 evangelicals in 17 congregations "from Alaska to Atlanta" in 1987, recounted in Peter Gillquist's Becoming Orthodox, is only a small window into a larger phenomenon. 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? 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.". But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. Copyright 19962023. Praise for Surprised by Christ "Surprised by Christ is an autobiography, an intellectual history, and a conversion story, and more than these, conveys a spiritual and theological vision in a message that touches people from many different backgrounds. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? 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. 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. 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. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. I felt like Marco Polo. 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. This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel Scripture and tradition. In Catholicism this external dogmatic authority resides in the teaching magisterium of the church as expressed in the primacy and infallibility of the papacy. If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. Your email address will not be published. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. Some have even ended in apostasy. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering.
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