why convert to orthodox christianity

The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. Pray for the Lords mercy, and you can find the strength to endure to the end. Facebook | Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. And these prayers are jam-packed. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? But that was too little, too late. 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. 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. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. That is, Orthodoxy's commitment to "right belief" provides a natural link to evangelical concerns. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabour them. 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. Further, rote liturgy can stultify as well as edify, which is one reason why many people prefer more informal or personal worship settings. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. In time, you will be welcomed sacramentally into the Church and continue your ongoing path to the Kingdom of God. 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. Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. 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. This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. 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. 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. 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. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. (Some within Orthodoxy say there are 15, but this is a minor, internal debate.) Why have so many Evangelical ministers embraced the Orthodox faith? Emmanuel Hatzidakis | January 19, 2013. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. ), since the Reformation, justification by faith and substitutionary atonement have enjoyed pride of place in our understanding of the doctrines of sin and salvation. He sailed to Greenland with a priest to convert the people. 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. The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. So Christianity would not have been completely alien to the Rus, and even Vladimir's grandmother, Olga, would become enamored with Christianity. YouTube | My husband had been an Episcopal priest for 16 years, and we had gradually moved from evangelical-style "low church" to the more liturgically-fancy "high church." Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Fr. To support our efforts, join us as a member . I hope so. 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. 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'. 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. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? Schisms had already occurred in the Christian church, and others would occur later, but the Great Schism was the first of such major consequence. 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. 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. Indeed, in a letter of 865, Pope Nicholas made it clear that he intended to extend the power of the papacy "over all the earth, that is, over every church." She has offered more martyrs in the twentieth century under communism than most churches have members. Rather, Orthodoxy affirms a single source of revelation, holy tradition, of which Scripture is the preeminent among several forms. In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. But unlike the other two large branches of Christianity, which have spread throughout the developing world, Orthodoxy remains largely confined to Europe. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. 20). She is conscious of being the true Church founded by Christ. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. 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). If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you If they persecuted me, they will persecute you (John 15:18. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the 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 assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Many non-Jews become "Jews by choice" because they're spiritual seekers. And to share why I am not Orthodox. Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. The Puritan John Foxe, for example, insisted that "God conducted the Reformation by printing, writing, and reading." Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. 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. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. Do we mean essential for salvation? "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 Orthodoxy looks forward, to the age to come. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. It takes awhile to get it, because its gotten by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. 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 . I hope so. 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]. Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. Beyond the recovery of history and liturgy, there are deeper and more important questions. 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. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. I cant be the only one to have done this. Women and men who marry into the Orthodox Jewish faith are required to convertand both genders follow an identical process. 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. Her name is "right belief". Have something to add about this? My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. 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. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska, Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists, What Do You Believe In? People often assume that most Jews by choice convert because they have a partner or spouse who is Jewish. Whether you decided to do so because you are marrying someone who is a member of the church, or you simply decide to convert on your own, you might be overwhelmed as to where to start. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. For example, on the Feast of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, the chanter launches into this: Of the Father before the morning star Thou wast begotten from the womb without mother before all ages, even though Arius did believe Thee to be created, not God, classing Thee in ignorance and impudence with creatures. Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. Everyone associates Orthodox worship with sensory richness, but its also rich in theological content. As I realized what the big difference is, I grew more insistent, Im afraid. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. We think the fundamental Christian schism occurred when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, October 31, 1517. The Orthodox Faith / Why Convert to Orthodox Christianity? 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. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. In Orthodoxy one encounters the eternal, unchangeable God. What was the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise? Antioch, 750,000 As Philip said to Nathaniel, Come and see [John 1:46]. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. But every church must have its distinctives, or wed all be in the same church. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. Submitted by Fr. 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. 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. But this really begs another question: "Essential" for what? In fact, what Orthodox converts "vow to accept" diverges significantly from important, basic tenets of evangelical Protestantism. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling.

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