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. Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. Questions & Answers / What was the impact of Vladimir I converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity in the region of Byzantium? Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. 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. Put more starkly, Orthodoxy explicitly rejects the historic Protestant idea of sola scriptura. Liturgically, the Orthodox ethos of a formal worship setting will attract some Christians, but to many other vibrant movements within evangelicalism it will have little if any appeal. 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. 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. 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. Are you sure you heard the Meaning of Christmas? 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'. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. 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. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. 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. 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. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. However, because I've never been really exposed to . Jerusalem, 260,000 For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. The Reformers did not reject tradition as a help to wisdom, as a reading of Calvin, Luther, or Wesley easily shows. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. A Aristocles Merarches Joined Apr 23, 2003 Messages 10,031 Reaction score 1 Points 0 Location Pittsburgh Aug 5, 2006 #4 Matthew777 said: It was electrifying. I sincerely wish to know everyone's reasons for converting to Orthodoxy. Although it is difficult to gather firm figures, worldwide Orthodox Christians number about 150 million, with 3 million in the U.S. alonemore than most evangelical denominations. And to share why I am not Orthodox. The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. 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. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity practiced by Russians). Who can explain why one has fallen in love with a given person? 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. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. 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. Heres a clue to a third possibility. Your email address will not be published. He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so hes either sullen or angry. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. "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 Orthodox believers see things very differently. The rise of Islam after Muhammad (died 632) was likewise crucial. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. 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. 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. I can remember that, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. Originally the creed read that the Holy Spirit proceeded "from the Father"; a later Western interpolation (why, where, and by whom are not known), ratified at the Council of Toledo (589), added filioque to indicate that the Spirit proceeded from the Father "and the Son." Can we attempt to put into words why a host of people have converted and continue to convert to the Orthodox faith? This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. 20). Interesting comments. Icons are absolutely central to Orthodoxy, distinguishing it from both Catholicism and Protestantism. Orthodoxy knows where she stands, and she is in no need to re-define herself. 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. The Orthodox Church in America, with roots in Moscow and about 85,000 adherents . To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. 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. In this video, Fr. This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. During my four years as a visiting professor at Moscow State University (1991-95) I often felt schizophrenic. 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 . I felt like Marco Polo. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. 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 There is another reason someone should not join Our Church. They insisted that the Bible interprets itself, and through the Holy Spirit, God instructs its readers in a direct and individual manner rather than binding their consciences to the supposedly reliable teaching of the church. Many non-Jews become "Jews by choice" because they're spiritual seekers. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. As former Campus Crusade staff member Gillquist put it, why have so many "Bible-believing, blood-bought, Gospel-preaching, Christ-centered, lifelong evangelical Protestants come to embrace this Orthodox faith so enthusiastically?" "More than a . Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. 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. 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. 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. Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. As with liturgy, conversion to Orthodoxy is hardly a prerequisite for a renewed engagement with apostolic tradition. 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. I hope so. It is not always easy to advance strong arguments for these conversions. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. Her name is right belief. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. The theological objections evangelicals have traditionally had with Rome on these two points rightly apply to Orthodoxy. Further, the Orthodox reject the idea of inherited guilt; we are guilty only for our own sins rather than for the inborn consequences of Adam's fall. 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. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. Because their focus for years was on their theological education (which they may still be paying for) often they end up in a low wage job that they don't love. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. I assumed this would somehow convince me not to continue on my discovery of the Orthodox Church, but it has more solidified it! Sad, very sad. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. Clearly this stability is found in no other church. They conceded a special honor to the Western papacy but insisted that the bishop of Rome was only the first among equals. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. 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. One thinks, for example, of those committed to full ministerial status for women, the centrality of lay ministry and spiritual gifts, charismatically inclined groups, seeker-sensitive churches attempting to reach baby boomers or Generation X'ers with novel worship formats, and so on. Legislation pending in Russia, for example, could, if implemented, curtail Western missionary enterprises. My husband and I were just Chrismated into the church on Christmas day. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 20/11/2008 - 11:15am. For taking Communion together? The priest censes them and elevates them in processions. Underneath were written the Greek words en toutoi nika, "In this sign, conquer." She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. 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. We think the fundamental Christian schism occurred when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, October 31, 1517. The true details behind her It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. 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." Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." But about this pursuit we can make several observations. Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". Shortly after the beginning of our own catechumenate as a family, we saw friendsand their familiesbegin journeys towards the East. Its just that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. She has offered more martyrs in the twentieth century under communism than most churches have members. The sacraments of the Church have helped fill countless young people's lives with meaning in ways that are difficult to find elsewhere. These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. Liberalism is not a word in the Orthodox vocabulary. 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. Even more obnoxious, though, must be the tendency to reject hospitality. Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. If only you could get them to form two lines.). 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. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. Some have even ended in apostasy. Since the World Council of Churches' Canberra Assembly in 1991, evangelical and Orthodox believers have joined in a series of wcc-sponsored dialogues on matters challenging historic Christian faith. 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. In Orthodoxy one encounters the eternal, unchangeable God. The ex clergy thing I think is very real. Alexandria, 350,000 Christimates 1 day ago. If only you could get them to form two lines.). This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. Russia, 50-85 million Beyond the recovery of history and liturgy, there are deeper and more important questions. 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. Why do Orthodox Christians keep a vigil at the Tomb of Christ? Eastern Christians would hear nothing of it. Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. 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." Similarly, a person can read a dozen books on Orthodox Christianity, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually encounters the Church as the worshipping People of God. A wooden pectoral cros, Pectoral Cross for Clergy Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? 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]. 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. These are worthy pursuits that can be fulfilled in the Orthodox Church. 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. Second, whatever failings Western missionaries might bring to their work, and whether Orthodoxy likes to admit it, many Russians are responding very positively to a clear, contemporary presentation of the gospel by Protestant missionaries. 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. He mentions one Church, not many. When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher. In addition, a new convert must undergo a formal process of initiation. Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. For me, the one and only valid, core reason is because a person desires to be part of the one, true Body of Christ. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. 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. 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. Christianity had, in fact, penetrated "Russia" by the early 900s, when at least one church had been built in the ancient city of Kiev. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. 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. There was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. In this Orthodox view, Scripture stands within rather than above the church, and to distinguish its authority from that of the church is a mistake of method. Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter from Fr. Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. Bulgaria, 8 million 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. Two points that have been hallmarks of evangelical identity deserve special scrutiny: the relationship between Scripture and tradition, and the relationship between Scripture and the church. As I realized what the big difference is, I grew more insistent, Im afraid. 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. 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. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. First, Christianity had no doctrine to support the Islamic hypothesis about Jesus' modification into a semi-god. She is conscious of being the true Church founded by Christ. Instagram | 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. It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. Praise for Surprised by Christ "Surprised by Christ is an autobiography, an intellectual history, and a conversion story, and more than these, conveys a spiritual and theological vision in a message that touches people from many different backgrounds. Greenland. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. The sacraments. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, And these prayers are jam-packed. Required fields are marked *. I can't be the only one who's observed a friend converting to Orthodox Christianity and noticed them instantly, literally overnight, losing their sense of . we'll be happy to answer it! Kind of like large scale serial monogamous people. The Orthodox Church is the only Church, originally founded by Christ and still retaining the apostolic succession and the undistorted teaching of the Lord and . 1:4). 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. 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. 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. 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). 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. One can find Orthodox statements that ascribe a unique authority to Scripture over tradition, but these are few and far between, and they speak of tradition in a narrower than usual sense. Buddhists fast, pray, and give alms. The stability that the Orthodox Church provides for the seeker consists in the assurance of the truth she possesses, her other-worldly and mysterious character, the beauty of her liturgical celebrations and her crucified lifethey all attest to what she is for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear: the unique, beloved Bride of Christ. Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering.
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