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. Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." The church. Orthodoxy knows where she stands, and she is in no need to re-define herself. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. 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. Antioch, 750,000 Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed "the pillar and foundation of the truth" ( 1 Tim. 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. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. There are other problems as well: overlapping jurisdictions, lack of communication across jurisdictional lines, and a tendency to isolate ourselves from communities in which we live. Well, was it so? Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. But the human warts of where they are at and continuing searching within causes them to look elsewhere. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. 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. For any convert, it's a spiritual, intense, and private process,. Early on in the life of the Christian church, the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West began to diverge. 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. Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. But perhaps our theology of the church is too "low," much lower than our Protestant forebears would have it. This period of instruction, discernment and spiritual formation also affords you with the opportunity to develop and strengthen your relationship with the parishs clergy and faithfulthose with whom you will worship in Spirit and truth and with whom you will share in fellowship as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. Then the reality sets in. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. There are many basic beliefs that Orthodoxy and evangelicalism hold in common: the inspiration of Scripture; the two natures of Christ, the finality and uniqueness of Christ's death on the cross, the resurrection, and our future hope of eternal life. While Protestant evangelicals have never agreed on the precise meaning or mode of the sacraments, they have historically emphasized two related truths that diverge from the Orthodox understanding of the sacraments. But about this pursuit we can make several observations. Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. Second, Christian theology perfectly explained why Jesus, who was also called a prophet, was worthy of worship. I've chosen Oriental Orthodoxy over the Byzantine Church because I believe that ours is closer in doctrine and liturgy to the earliest Christians. Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behaviour. Here, according to Ronald Roberson's 1993 book The Eastern Christian Churches, is a list of these churches and their approximate sizes: Constantinople, 3.5 million Orthodoxy's size alone warrants our attention, despite its invisibility on the cultural radar screens of most Americans. Worse, they considered the interpolation to be theologically untrue and a threat to the doctrine of the Trinity. 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. The basic theological impetus for the ever-virginity of Mary (besides the fact that it is presumably historically true and would have been passed down from the early days of the church) is the fact that Mary was profoundly sanctified by her role as the living sanctuary in which God dwelled (quite literally) for nine months and from whom he Sad, very sad. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. Their new group who were so "excited" to have them isn't interested/has no role for them as clergy. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. But the little guy is not going through a phase. The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. People often assume that most Jews by choice convert because they have a partner or spouse who is Jewish. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. 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. There are no doubt some ways that he is the same person he will always be, and there are ways Orthodoxy and every other church has significant points in common, not least that we love the same Lord. One need not travel overseas to encounter Eastern Orthodoxy. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. On the other hand, there are cases where a person rejects the Church for what I would consider to be erroneous reasons. 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. One is attracted to Orthodoxy in the same way one falls in love. Geoff. I hope so. These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Thats just a fraction of a thorough march through what happened at the first Council of Nicaea, and why it was important (including Arius unpleasant death from digestive indisposition: his bowels were torn by a divine hookin a repulsive manner his soul came out). When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. 0. 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." Orthodoxy, advocates suggest, reveals and corrects evangelical reductionism and superficiality. The blog includes recent news and ministry updates of the Convent, as well as other information about Orthodox Christianity that may be useful to those who are either making their first steps in church or want to learn something new about our faith. Put more starkly, Orthodoxy explicitly rejects the historic Protestant idea of sola scriptura. For good and ill, it is a classic "cultural religion," and comprehending Orthodoxy is an indispensable key to understanding those countries, cultures, and people. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. Harakas asked. Icons. 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. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. That vision is of the Living God revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, the life of the Faithful, the hope of the . If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. 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. One can find people who interpret this ecclesiological exclusivity more leniently; in fact, some would argue that the best Orthodox scholarsGeorge Florovsky and John Meyendorff, to name twowould allow for such leniency. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". John 17:14.16). Site Map | Handcarved Your email address will not be published. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. We are looking forward to our journey in the church. Disclaimers, Amon Sl Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism, The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. 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. 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. 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. They have not given up the idea of being clergy. If anyone is unwilling or not ready to submit to the Church in all areas of life, they should stay awayuntil or unless they are ready to do so. On June 16, 1054, Pope Leo IX's legate, Cardinal Humbert, delivered a Bull of Excommunication to the Orthodox Patriarch Michael Cerularius on the altar of the Church of the Holy Wisdom at Constantinople while the patriarch prepared to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, condemning him and his court. If anyone is unwilling or not ready to submit to the Church in all areas of life, they should stay awayuntil or unless they are ready to do so. 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. In the dystopian film,Children of Mendirected by Alfonso Cuarn, a world is imagined in the future where no more children are born, and, as the decades pass, humanity is plunged into despair. 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. "More than a . This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God Your email address will not be published. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." 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. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. However, they rarely spent any time in Orthodox worship services or their local parish, developed no relationship with a priest, and did not engage their spouse or family in their studies and interest in the Church. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). Teachings of Orthodoxy. Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. After five years or so in the Orthodox Church, Ive seen a lot of friends and acquaintances come home to the apostolic faith. If only you could get them to form two lines.). It was electrifying. A Christian representation of Vladimir I, who was the first Rus' leader to officially bring Christianity to the region. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. John 6 Comments Cole Knight, a former Anglican, got Baptized in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. 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 so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. In the end, they concocted a list of reasons for not converting. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. 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. In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. He senses that its something much more profound than that, as he is turning into a different person, the adult he is destined to be. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. "It's typically an immigrant faith, so I was really interested in that experience and why it spoke to. 3:15 ). It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). You can also subscribe without commenting. We are not seeking to reform or to teach the Church how it should do things, but are rather seeking to be formed by the Church and to learn how we should be doing things as faithful Christians. Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. 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. There I was, a Protestant theologian teaching in the former Department of Scientific Atheism in the land where Eastern Orthodoxy had reigned for over 1,000 years. Why should we welcome that? Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. * But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. They become clergy in their group. 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. This is a sufficiently serious reason for reproach: We are right to expect that the Church will point out a path toward God, independently of the jolts and shocks of the epoch; that it will remain,. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Orthodox Christianity. 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. When celebrating the Eucharist, Catholics mixed the wine with water, while the Orthodox did not. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. For church membership? For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. Heres a clue to a third possibility. Oden, for example, who delights in referring to his theological method as "paleo-orthodox," is now working on a comprehensive patristic commentary on the whole Bible to be published by InterVarsity Press. YouTube | Four important areas deserve ongoing dialogue. 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. 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." More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. 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. To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? Orthodoxy appeals to the soulnot just to the intellect or the senses. Buddhists are called to meditate. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. Buddhists fast, pray, and give alms. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. Do we mean essential for salvation? While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. 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. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. Your email address will not be published. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming.