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. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. Orthodoxy attracts seekers with her other-worldliness, with her holiness, with her worship, with her services and sacraments, with the form and content of her religious expression, with her iconography, with her chanting, with her mysticism, with her monasticism, with her life between heaven and earth. One feels that the Church is not just a worldly organization, but a divine-human organism. Lol. It is not always easy to advance strong arguments for these conversions. 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. July 2012 edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am interested in finding out why all of you converts out there converted to the Coptic Orthodox Church, and not any one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches readily available in so many parts of the world. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. Your email address will not be published. The Orthodox Church in America, with roots in Moscow and about 85,000 adherents . Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor. This has some truth to it, but is mostly false. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. In fact, what Orthodox converts "vow to accept" diverges significantly from important, basic tenets of evangelical Protestantism. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Antioch, 750,000 Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. For employment at a seminary? 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). She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Writing a book on Eastern Orthodoxy and working through the manuscript with my Russian students helped me to compare Orthodoxy and Protestant evangelicalism. Converts from Protestantism claim that Orthodoxy is strongest where evangelicals tend to be weak-its robust liturgical celebration of the majesty and mystery of God, its unyielding insistence on the indispensable role of tradition in theology, and its admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution. 3:15). Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: 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. Clickhereto learn more about the deeds we are talking of and to learn how you can become a part of our social ministry and help those in need. The unchangeableness of dogma as well as the purity of rite [are] entrusted to the care not of one hierarchy but of all the people of the church." 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. Kate Forbes is young, smart, a woman (in the actual sense of the word), but fatally, an orthodox Christian seeking the top office in the land. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. In other words, one cannot embrace Orthodox Christianity without embracing Orthodox Christians. Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. Can you explain why some former clergy (from non-orthodox backgrounds) can enter without formal orthodox seminary education, while other former clergy (again, from non-orthodox backgrounds) are kept away even after the bishop (he who has the control and power) makes a statement that none may come to the clergy with our formal orthodox seminary? De Maistre, Billington says, was "convinced that Russia was an instrument chosen by Providence for the salvation of Europe." He was "fascinated by the possibility of converting this vast land to Catholicism." He launched a program towards that end. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" 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. Her admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution has been noted even by non-Orthodox admirers, as one of her strongest attractions and sources of strength. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America, Orthodoxy and Cults and Non-Christian Groups. Romania, 19.8 million Doing so will make much of what you have read come alive, in the sense of seeing how that about which you have read is actually lived. Think of it in the following way. He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. 5:12). The numbers are staggering! After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. 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 Puritan John Foxe, for example, insisted that "God conducted the Reformation by printing, writing, and reading." Worse, they considered the interpolation to be theologically untrue and a threat to the doctrine of the Trinity. Can we attempt to put into words why a host of people have converted and continue to convert to the Orthodox faith? 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. 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. The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. Another danger is converting to Orthodoxy simply because it is beautiful. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. 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. July 26, 2019 By Fr. St. Theophan The Recluse On Spiritual Practice. Receive updates and announcements from Orthodox Witness. 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. Upon joining the Orthodox Church, converts vow to "accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation which was and is held by the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East, our Mother." It was electrifying. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. 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. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. 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. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. 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. 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. During those years of discovery I labored to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. He shares his witness of it. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. 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. You haven't "arrived" in this life. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? First, Christianity had no doctrine to support the Islamic hypothesis about Jesus' modification into a semi-god. 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.