It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. 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. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). 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. I do not wish to antagonize anyone and if there is a place online where I might go to better have my questions answered, please. Wow, like it very much. Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. 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. In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. As historians mostly suppose, Vladimir's turn to Orthodox Christianity was more about the improvement of Russians' connections with Christian states than about sentiments: for Rus, Byzantium. In Matthew 16:18, Christ speaks about building His church that "the gates of Hades will not prevail against". On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. That is, Orthodoxy's commitment to "right belief" provides a natural link to evangelical concerns. Orthodoxy looks forward, to the age to come. * Our digital archives are a work in progress. 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. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! 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. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. One is attracted to Orthodoxy in the same way one falls in love. 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? And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Orthodox churches are full of them. Further, they identify themselves by reference to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the "new Rome" of Emperor Constantine, and to the first seven ecumenical councils of the church. 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. ", Icons are not merely sacred art. Buddhists are called to meditate. Rather, they are a source of revelation. At one level, I was close in heart and mind to my Orthodox sisters and brothers in Christ; but on another level, I agreed with many of my atheist friends' criticisms of Russian Orthodoxy. What do they find so attractive? 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. Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. The priest censes them and elevates them in processions. Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". That there are too many people joining the Church with a silly belief that they rebelling against the modern world, and hoping to instate absolute monarchy. Pretty good. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. Geoff. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. These sacraments are not mere signs, symbols, or reminders. A Christian representation of Vladimir I, who was the first Rus' leader to officially bring Christianity to the region. 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. John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. 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. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Hope this helps, and hope that your journey to Orthodoxy is filled with every blessing. 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. 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. 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. Handcarved The late Orthodox theologian John Meyendorff once remarked that the ultimate conflict between the Orthodox East and the Latin West, both Catholic and Protestant, resided in two different ideas about tradition. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Nicholas Kim. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Bulgaria, 8 million From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. Let us know if corrections need to be made. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. 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. Unfortunately the Eastern organization is founded on control and power. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are 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. Also, while evangelicals wholeheartedly embrace the full-orbed New Testament descriptions of the work of Christ (reconciliation, ransom, redemption, forgiveness, adoption, etc. The move was far more than geographic. Buddhists fast, pray, and give alms. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. 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. The beauty and majesty of her liturgical services celebrating the majesty and mystery of God continue to be a major attraction to many seekers of a religious experience that transcends the mundane reality and elevates the spirit to the divine realm. 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. They become clergy in their group. There was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. 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.". All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Paganism was a mental mindset of the Eastern Slavs living in a world where a majority of the European countries surrounding them had already converted to a monastic religion. 5:12). Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of meditation, of fasting, of praying, of giving alms. 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. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. Emmanuel Hatzidakis | January 19, 2013. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so he's either sullen or angry. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. 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. If only you could get them to form two lines.). At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Essential for clergy to pray together, to talk, and to encourage one another in Christ? See something we missed? Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? They conceded a special honor to the Western papacy but insisted that the bishop of Rome was only the first among equals. Further, rote liturgy can stultify as well as edify, which is one reason why many people prefer more informal or personal worship settings. Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." And while it's true that my involvement with Judaism began with a Jewish boyfriend now my husband of 28 years and the father of our two children as Reform Jews, I would not have had to convert to participate in Jewish life and raise Jewish children. For example, I know someone that spent over a year studying almost every aspect of Orthodoxy, including many fathers of the Church and practically every nuance of both doctrine and history. 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? The Puritan John Foxe, for example, insisted that "God conducted the Reformation by printing, writing, and reading." 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. These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. 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. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existed thats what amazed me.
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