Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagreed. We think the fundamental Christian schism occurred when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, October 31, 1517. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. In the year 311, Emperor Constantine moved the political capital of his empire from Rome to Constantinople. Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. Beyond the recovery of history and liturgy, there are deeper and more important questions. Christians in the West variously trace their roots to Rome (Catholics), Wittenberg (Lutherans), Geneva (Calvinists), Canterbury (Anglicans), or Oxford (Wesleyans). If only you could get them to form two lines.). Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvelously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. 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. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. July 2012 edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am interested in finding out why all of you converts out there converted to the Coptic Orthodox Church, and not any one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches readily available in so many parts of the world. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? Further, Protestants have long enjoyed rich liturgical traditions of their own (see, for example, Bard Thompson's classic Liturgies of the Western Church). Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. 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. 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." Has Orthodoxy in these lands obscured the gospel, becoming merely a "cultural" religion thoroughly assimilated to ethnic identity? On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity practiced by Russians). Another issue is becoming Orthodox because one thinks the Church will reward them in some way for doing so. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. What was the impact of Vladimir I converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity in the region of Byzantium? 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. Her admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution has been noted even by non-Orthodox admirers, as one of her strongest attractions and sources of strength. 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. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. And to share why I am not Orthodox. 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. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" They are the efficacious means by which God transmits his salvific and sanctifying grace to us. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Four important areas deserve ongoing dialogue. So Christianity would not have been completely alien to the Rus, and even Vladimir's grandmother, Olga, would become enamored with Christianity. Worse, they considered the interpolation to be theologically untrue and a threat to the doctrine of the Trinity. Toggle signature Nicholas Kim. Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. 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. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. 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. The move was far more than geographic. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: But the Church is not dependent upon any one convert or their family, nor will the Church reward people (beyond the mysteries and salvation) for converting. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. A priest can provide guidance and support to help converts discern whether the religion is right for them. (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. She is conscious of being the true Church founded by Christ. Now let's hear from Frederica. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". They conceded a special honor to the Western papacy but insisted that the bishop of Rome was only the first among equals. In fact, much of what is basic to Christianity: the nature, sources, and interpretation of God's revelation to us, the meaning of the church and its sacraments, the doctrines of sin and salvation, and even how one enters the kingdom of God. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). Well, was it so? 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. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Now, I dont share all of this in order to dissuade anyone from becoming a catechumen, but rather to encourage those who are on such a journeyor who have strayed away from one that began on the wrong foot. 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. 3:15). My husband and I were just Chrismated into the church on Christmas day. 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. 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. To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. In other words, one cannot embrace Orthodox Christianity without embracing Orthodox Christians. Are you sure you heard the Meaning of Christmas? I sincerely wish to know everyone's reasons for converting to Orthodoxy. As I realized what the big difference is,I grew more insistent, I'm afraid. 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 ofwell, 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. You haven't "arrived" in this life. 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. But the claim to be Christ's one, true church remains the clear Orthodox position. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. While reading about the Orthodox Christian tradition is certainly important, it is crucial to stepliterallyinto an Orthodox Christian parish church near you to witness/experience the Churchs worship and fellowship. If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. For taking Communion together? A radical conversion to Christianity. This simple change of dress symbolized a radical shift that has characterized the Protestant West ever since: that the knowledge of God is mediated primarily through the written Word. 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 . Sara Villate, 10, by a menorah during Hanukkah. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? Before you start the process of converting, you will want to speak with a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. 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 . 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. Orthodoxy appeals to the soulnot just to the intellect or the senses. But about this pursuit we can make several observations. However, this is a mistaken viewpoint and can lead to the destruction of a persons faith. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy? Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. 2. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. But Islam's conquest of this same area eventually isolated the Eastern Christians centered in Constantinople from their counterparts in the West centered in Rome. 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]. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. Telegram | "The Orthodox Church of Christ never lost the 'unity of faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit' and does not accept the theory of the restoration of the unity of those "who believe in Christ," because it believes that the unity of those who believe in Christ already exists in the unity of all of Her baptized children, between themselves and 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). The Orthodox Church is indelibly marked by the One who is its origin and source. Orthodox Christians were more inclined to appeal to the ecumenical councils than to a single bishop to settle theological matters. You can also subscribe without commenting. Orthodoxy allows divorce in some conditions if I'm not mistaken, and it would have been an easier transition to switch to another powerful church (and become friendly with Russia, etc.). Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. Subscribe for our weekly newsletter not to miss the most interesting articles on our blog. Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. In this video, Fr. 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. 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. 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'. 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. Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of being mindful. The East allowed some priests to marry, while the West required celibacy. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. The pairing of both secular groups with the Orthodox in a religious freedom case is rare they have frequently been on opposite sides on church-state separation issues such as same-sex marriage . July 26, 2019 By Fr. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. 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. Orthodox churches are full of them. The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. 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. 1. Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. 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." Liberalism is not a word in the Orthodox vocabulary. 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. Your email address will not be published. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. One can find Orthodox statements that ascribe a unique authority to Scripture over tradition, but these are few and far between, and they speak of tradition in a narrower than usual sense. Later ecumenical councils at Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451) acknowledged Constantinople as the "New Rome" and accorded it "equal privileges" and "equal rank in ecclesiastical matters" with Latin Rome. Instead, Orthodoxy believes that the church stands above the Scriptures, which is why, as noted, Orthodox believers agree to "accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation that was and is held by the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East, our Mother." 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. It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. Experience Church Services. already I have lost many people I thought were friends but so be it! 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. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. Second, Christian theology perfectly explained why Jesus, who was also called a prophet, was worthy of worship. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. 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. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. If a richer liturgical life is what a believer wants, converting to Orthodoxy is hardly necessary. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. 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 we move constantly between Unity and Trinity in God, so we must move between the parts and the whole in the Church, the whole being infinitely more than the sum of the parts. In the opening pages of Book IV of Calvin's Institutes, for example, Calvin refers twice to the famous words of Cyprian (d. 258)so Catholic-sounding to our earsthat "you cannot have God as your Father without the Church as your Mother" (IV.1.1, 4). Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. 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. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. 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. I assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! Today 23 percent of all Orthodox Christians in the United Statesabout one in fourare converts, as are 30 percent of the clergy and 43 percent of seminarians. He shares his witness of it. St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? "We are Orthodox because (we) follow the same laws like in other Orthodox communities in the world," explains Meyer Sanchez, assistant to a rabbi in Medelln. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." A wooden pectoral cros, Pectoral Cross for Clergy I love the Church, and so I find it difficult to understand how a person could not see the beauty in our faith, leaving it all behind. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. 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. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. I will always remember my first visit to an Orthodox church in Russia. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. But the little guy is not going through a phase. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. Its that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska, Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists, What Do You Believe In? Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Our digital archives are a work in progress. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". 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. 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. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. Your email address will not be published. Why didn't Henry VIII go Orthodox, and what would happen if he did? Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. Her name is "right belief". The secret is out. 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. The Orthodox Church in America, with roots in Moscow and about 85,000 adherents . But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. 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. His response: "I don't know.". Reaching for the Transcendent on the Streets of New York, http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2007/12/icons-will-save-the-world, cool blog entry by Fr Andrew Damick - Christian Forums, http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/athenagoras_remarriage.htm, http://www.oodegr.co/english/ekklisia/marriage_divorce.htm, http://www.oodegr.com/english/ekklisia/marriage_divorce.htm, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/justandsinner/the-church-fathers-interpretation-of-the-rock-of-matthew-1618-an-historical-refutation-of-the-claims-of-roman-catholicism-by-william-webster/.