Questions & Answers / Put more starkly, Orthodoxy explicitly rejects the historic Protestant idea of sola scriptura. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. Disclaimers, Amon Sl Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism, The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week 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. This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Twitter | Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. 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. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" 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. The true details behind her Differences over clerical beards, the tonsure, and fasting also exacerbated the growing deterioration of East-West unity. 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. It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. She has offered more martyrs in the twentieth century under communism than most churches have members. Click for reprint information. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. 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." Why should we welcome that? 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. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. 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. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. As I realized what the big difference is,I grew more insistent, I'm afraid. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. 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. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. 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. It is precisely this view that elevates Scripture above the church and actually encourages private interpretation that the Orthodox theologian Georges Florovsky once called "the sin of the Reformation.". His response: "I don't know.". In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. Orthodoxy in America Has a Convert Problem Clearly this stability is found in no other church. Icons. As independent churches, they are not bound together by any unilateral or monarchical organization, nor do they owe allegiance to a single primacy, as Roman Catholics do to the pope. 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. Daniel B. Clendenin is a graduate staff member for InterVarsity at Stanford University and author of Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective and Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader (both published by Baker). John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, Orthodox Church in Harbin, China Reopens as an Orthodox Church, "When We Speak of Christ, We Must Start With Christ" - An Interview With Fr. He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. 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. 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. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. This book cover is mad, Worship Gospel Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. 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. 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 did YOU convert to the Coptic Orthodox Church? 2. For instance, John of Damascus (675-749), Orthodoxy's most famous systematic theologian, epitomized the Orthodox ethos when he wrote in his The Orthodox Faith, "we do not change the everlasting boundaries which our fathers have set, but we keep the traditions just as we have received them." An Orthodox Christian Perspective: Overcoming Difficulties in Life, Church Under Soviet Totalitarianism: Suppression, Resistance and Compliance, St Kassia and Her Creations, Still Heard at Todays Divine Services, The feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice, Why Our Catalogue Is More Than Just an Online Store Selling Church Supplies, The List of Musical Instruments Mentioned in the Bible, The First 40 Days after Death Explained by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, An Old Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Has Started to Exude Myrrh in the Diocese of Tula, Complete List of Prohibited Marriages in the Orthodox Church. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. Why are Russian people (mostly) Orthodox Christians? Different from forms of western Christianity, there is no rationalization or theorization of dogma because its focus is on symbology rather than the literal. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. 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. It had ramifications for the ecclesiastical status of both cities and further exacerbated the strained relations between the two regions. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. 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. 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. 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.". The first four enjoy special honor due to their antiquity. Why Converts to Christian Orthodoxy Are So Obnoxious by Frederica Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. 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. 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. 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. 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. Her name is right belief. But one insightful reader asked a penetrating question: "Your book does a fine job comparing the two traditions; why have you not converted to Orthodoxy?" YouTube | Why do Orthodox Christians keep a vigil at the Tomb of Christ? He shares his witness of it. Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. But the little guy is not going through a phase. Inherent in this claim, of course, is the charge that both Catholics and Protestants have lapsed from the true faith into error, if not outright heresy. Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? many mercenaries would convert to Christianity. The Orthodox Faith / 20). Lol. Why I Didn't Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy - Catholic Culture 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 . It takes awhile to get it, because its gotten by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. Eastern Right: Conservative Minds Convert to Orthodox Christianity 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." 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. Why I Converted to Judaism | My Jewish Learning 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. Orthodoxy appeals to the soulnot just to the intellect or the senses. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Then B. Why didn't Henry VIII become Orthodox? - Paradox Interactive Forums And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. Handcarved The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. 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. If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. 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. In Orthodoxy one encounters the eternal, unchangeable God. You can also subscribe without commenting. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. For church membership? One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. They are the efficacious means by which God transmits his salvific and sanctifying grace to us. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. Why did Kievan Rus convert to Orthodox Christianity? Converting to Orthodoxy - SPCK Publishing A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. This could take some timeperhaps a year or more, depending on a variety of circumstancesand should not be rushed. Just as we pray that Gods will, not our own, be done, so too we pray that we might embrace the faith in Gods time, not our own. The numbers are staggering! I hope so. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. In his homily, Father Vladimir explained the history and theology of icons, adding that the heresy of iconoclasm was alive and well: "Just look around us at all the Protestants. 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. 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? Converting to Orthodox Judaism Is a Lot. Here's How 3 Women Did It. - ELLE Many people believe the Church is a social group gathering or a place to network with other like minded people. 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. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. Who Converted Russian Religion To Orthodox Christianity? Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. How to Become an Orthodox Christian? Those who were clergy in a former denomination have no guarantees they will become clergy in the Orthodox Church. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. How to Convert to Greek Orthodox Christianity 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. Included in this liturgy is an anathema on all those who reject icons. Steps to "becoming" an Orthodox Christian - Questions & Answers Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. There is not going to be a restored "Celtic" Orthodoxy or "Anglo-Saxon" Orthodoxy. As if this were not quite enough, during the Fourth Crusade, Western forces stormed Constantinople in 1204 and ransacked the Church of the Holy Wisdom, an unimaginable act of desecration from the viewpoint of Orthodoxy. True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. 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. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. So they begin the process of "converting.". St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Orthodox churches are full of them. "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 is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. Why did you convert to Orthodoxy? | OrthodoxChristianity.net Ignatius's followers, however, refused to acknowledge the transition, and eventually both Ignatius and Photius appealed to Pope Nicholas (858-67) in Rome. The rise of Islam after Muhammad (died 632) was likewise crucial. 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. If only they would realise that they are rotting corpses trapped in worshipping themselves. This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God What steps would I take to become an Orthodox Christian? Rather, "theosis" (literally, "deification"), or the progressive transformation of people into full likeness to God, in soul and body, takes center stage. Orthodoxy has always affirmed that Peter was the "first among equals" (primus inter pares) ; but unlike Roman Catholics, the Orthodox have always denied that he held any "primacy of power" (primatus potestatis). Assuming that, after subsequent visits, you grow into the conviction that Orthodox Christianity is the fullness of Truth as revealed by Jesus Christ and discern your desire to embrace faith in Our Lord in its fullness, make your desire known to the parish priest, who will initiate the period of instruction and spiritual formation that eventually would lead to your reception into the Church. While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. "More than a . In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. 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. How to Become an Orthodox Christian - Phoenix, Arizona Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. It is not a surprise that many Catholics adhering to traditional values are converting to conservative Orthodoxy. 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. Converting to Orthodox Christianity : r/OrthodoxChristianity - reddit It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so he's either sullen or angry. They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." These Protestant movements, important in their own right, are liturgical light years from Orthodoxy. 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. 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. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. The Orthodox Church has been, for me, the ultimate revelation of what it means to be "in Christ"; my upbringing in Evangelical Protestantism has not only helped me appreciate this now, but was very much preparing me for this all along [1].
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