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. Why are Young People Becoming Orthodox? Engage Orthodoxy Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. 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. Legislation pending in Russia, for example, could, if implemented, curtail Western missionary enterprises. As Philip said to Nathaniel, Come and see [John 1:46]. Serbia, 8 million These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. Is Orthodox different from Catholic? 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. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. 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. But every church must have its distinctiveness, or wed all be in the same church. Copyright 19962023. Made using e, Book Cover for the Epistle How to Become an Orthodox Christian? People often assume that most Jews by choice convert because they have a partner or spouse who is Jewish. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" 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. Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. I've chosen Oriental Orthodoxy over the Byzantine Church because I believe that ours is closer in doctrine and liturgy to the earliest Christians. It is not a surprise that many Catholics adhering to traditional values are converting to conservative Orthodoxy. 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. Click for reprint information. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. 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. Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts 12 Reasons Why I Became and/or Remain an Orthodox Christian Disclaimers, Amon Sl Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism, The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. Although my parents intentionally raised my brother and me without a focus on . Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagreed. Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter from Fr. Icons are absolutely central to Orthodoxy, distinguishing it from both Catholicism and Protestantism. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. "More than a . 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. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. Do we mean essential for salvation? Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? Steps to "becoming" an Orthodox Christian - Questions & Answers Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. Orthodoxy generally affirms the same seven sacraments as Catholicism: baptism, chrismation or confirmation, the Eucharist, repentance or confession, holy orders or ordination, marriage, and holy unction or anointing of the sick. For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. Subscribe for our weekly newsletter not to miss the most interesting articles on our blog. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. 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. During my project I gained. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. Now let's hear from Frederica. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." 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. We must be willing to embrace mystery, to submit to other authorities, and to ultimately submit to the Church Herself. 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. 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. 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. 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. See something we missed? The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. 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. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed "the pillar and foundation of the truth" ( 1 Tim. Bulgaria, 8 million An Appeal to Traditional Roman Catholics From - Orthodox Christianity As we said, conversion is a love affair. 0. The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. How to Convert to Greek Orthodox Christianity To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. 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. many mercenaries would convert to Christianity. Q&A: A closer look at Orthodox Christians. The theological objections evangelicals have traditionally had with Rome on these two points rightly apply to Orthodoxy. Included in this liturgy is an anathema on all those who reject icons. 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. 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. I cant be the only one to have done this. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Orthodox Christianity. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. 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. The numbers are staggering! The Orthodox Church in America, with roots in Moscow and about 85,000 adherents . Because everyone has their own presuppositions in which they interpret reality and thus no surprise you'll find people based on these presuppositions won't accept Christianity. Alister McGrath, an intellectual historian and proponent of paleo-orthodoxy, claims that many of the . 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). 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. 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. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St. Elisabeth Convent. Surprised by Christ: My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. Why did you convert to Orthodoxy? | OrthodoxChristianity.net Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. What was the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise? But about this pursuit we can make several observations. After being dunked in this sea of hymnography for a few years I began to recognise an underlying unity among all the elements of Orthodoxy the worship, the fasting, the exhortations to humility, the companionship of the saints, all of it. Why do Orthodox Christians keep a vigil at the Tomb of Christ? Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. The Eucharist is a true, propitiatory sacrifice. Not to be outdone, the Orthodox could respond in kind. Why Would a Protestant Convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? The independent Orthodox Church in America (OCA) desires to function as a fully "autocephalous" church, although as yet the oca has not been officially recognized by most of the thirteen patriarchates. 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. 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. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. When celebrating the Eucharist, Catholics mixed the wine with water, while the Orthodox did not. 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. 3:15). 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. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. 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,. In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. Heres a clue to a third possibility. At the 1996 meeting of sseoe, Orthodox representative Stanley Harakas said that the Orthodox, who have lived for 70 years in Russia under Communist oppression, are in a state of weakness, unable to rebuild churches and barely able to educate their parishioners. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. 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. In some places in the world, Orthodoxy is the primary Christian game in town (as in Russia and Serbia), and it is inextricably wedded to the local ethnic culture. 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. 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. If only you could get them to form two lines.). Why are so many Christians in Colombia converting to Orthodox Judaism 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. How Christianity Came to Ukraine and Russia | Christian History John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, 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. Learn About the Religion. People are attracted by the permanence of Orthodoxy. In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. Converting to Orthodoxy - SPCK Publishing It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. 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 . we'll be happy to answer it! Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. The Orthodox Faith / This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) Much like a divorce where numerous and complex problems fester for years and then coalesce around a single event, the defining moment for a distinctly Orthodox identity came with the Great Schism of 1054. And these prayers are jam-packed. The Orthodox Churches share with the other Christian Churches the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. Why didn't Henry VIII become Orthodox? - Paradox Interactive Forums 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. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy. Rather, they are a source of revelation. 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? She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Why did Vladimir convert 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. Thus, while the Protestant principle of sola scriptura places Scripture above tradition, for Orthodoxy the two are complementary means of one organic whole through which the Spirit of God speaks. It had ramifications for the ecclesiastical status of both cities and further exacerbated the strained relations between the two regions. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. And for Orthodoxy, this argument from holy tradition is of great significance. 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. I will always remember my first visit to an Orthodox church in Russia. Essential for clergy to pray together, to talk, and to encourage one another in Christ? 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.". Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. 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. 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. 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. I felt like Marco Polo. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Anxious to avoid the siege of his capital, Basil II turned to the Rus' for assistance, even though they were considered enemies at that time. 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. 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. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins."