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The first four enjoy special honor due to their antiquity. 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. Facebook | However, because I've never been really exposed to . There is a certain chemistry involved, which one cannot so easily verbalize. Some have argued that evangelicals eager to "contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3) will find an ally in Orthodoxy's allegiance to the basic truths of Christianity. For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. 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. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. Needless to say, Rome was indignant; not until the Lateran Council of 1215 did it acknowledge the status of Constantinople. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. Excellent comment Kosmas, I totally concur. Q&A: A closer look at Orthodox Christians. . (To be fair, we should note that a large number of Orthodox have become evangelical Protestants as well.). Beyond the recovery of history and liturgy, there are deeper and more important questions. What are we to make, for example, of the Orthodox liturgy in Russia today, which is recited in ninth-century Slavonic, a language very few Russians even understand? 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. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. 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. Pretty good. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Another issue is becoming Orthodox because one thinks the Church will reward them in some way for doing so. This statement cannot be challenged. 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. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. 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." The genius of this principle is that it allows us to disagree with other believers, even vehemently so, yet in an edifying fashion with a degree of theological modesty and a perspective that seeks a deeper consensus within the bounds of true faith. The Reformers did not reject tradition as a help to wisdom, as a reading of Calvin, Luther, or Wesley easily shows. When we realize that every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle or a matter of conscience, then we are freed to engage fully people with whom we actually have profound differences without compromising our own theological commitments. I will always remember my first visit to an Orthodox church in Russia. 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. The sacraments of the Church have helped fill countless young people's lives with meaning in ways that are difficult to find elsewhere. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". This woode, Christ (Wedding Icon in Textile Oklad) 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. Take Russia as an example: First, the majority of Russians are non-Christian and unevangelized. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. Orthodox Christianity may be the o. Recently I worshiped at an Orthodox church in Palo Alto on this celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. I've chosen Oriental Orthodoxy over the Byzantine Church because I believe that ours is closer in doctrine and liturgy to the earliest Christians. They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. The final declaration of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicea (787) that ratified the use of icons appealed to the "written and unwritten" tradition of the early church. 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. 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,. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. 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. I cant be the only one to have done this. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. To support our efforts, join us as a member . These sacraments are not mere signs, symbols, or reminders. 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. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. If only you could get them to form two lines.). Speaking out against a government that is massively exterminating believers, would only lead to greater persecution. Then bear your cross,, Please, include documents that can be downloaded or printed. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. 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. In the history and theology of Orthodoxy it is startling to observe the nearly complete absence of any mention of the doctrine of justification by faith. The beauty and majesty of her liturgical services celebrating the majesty and mystery of God continue to be a major attraction to many seekers of a religious experience that transcends the mundane reality and elevates the spirit to the divine realm. Well, was it so? 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. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Many would find themselves back in Rus with their new faith and establishing Churches (Spinka, 42-44). Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. 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. Instead, Orthodoxy believes that the church stands above the Scriptures, which is why, as noted, Orthodox believers agree to "accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation that was and is held by the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East, our Mother." For employment at a seminary? It depends on where you put the emphasis. If our only reason for converting is more somber, reverent, and beautiful worship, the newness of this experience soon wanes. Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. It takes awhile to get it, because its gotten by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? If a richer liturgical life is what a believer wants, converting to Orthodoxy is hardly necessary. Heres a clue to a third possibility. 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). 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. 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. 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. In the 950s, Olga, the grandmother of Vladimir, was . In this wonderful, 4-minute video, Fr. Poland, 1 million 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. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. But the little guy is not going through a phase. 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. And these prayers are jam-packed. However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Its that Orthodoxy still passes on the early churchs knowledge of how to tune in to the presence of Christ. Why should we welcome that? 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. Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. In any event, feel free to introduce yourself to and speak with the priest and his parishioners. 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. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. 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. This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." 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]. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. Can we attempt to put into words why a host of people have converted and continue to convert to the Orthodox faith? 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 . It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. Many times, inquirers approach the Orthodox Church as a safe haven from controversy and scandal, believing that the Orthodox Churchas the one, true Churchis immune to such things. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. 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. Bulgaria, 8 million On the other hand, there are cases where a person rejects the Church for what I would consider to be erroneous reasons. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? Religion became a state of the Roman Empire, and Christianity became an enormous and influential religion nationwide. 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. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Icons. To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. In 1993 I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church, but only lately has it dawned on me that I must have strained friendships over the years, due to my vocal enthusiasm for my adopted church. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The conversion of 2,000 evangelicals in 17 congregations "from Alaska to Atlanta" in 1987, recounted in Peter Gillquist's Becoming Orthodox, is only a small window into a larger phenomenon. Do we mean essential for salvation? We are looking forward to our journey in the church. All rights reserved. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. The sum of all parts wont add to the total. What Scripture proclaims by word, the icon proclaims by color. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. The other forms of tradition include the first seven ecumenical councils, which are acknowledged as normative and, by some, even infallible; patristic writings, especially those of the first four centuries; later councils; the Liturgy; canon law; and icons. We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. The Search for Authority and the Fear of Difference, Nostalgia Without Memory: A Case Study of American Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace: American Conversions to Orthodox Christianity, New York Times Article on Calvinist Revival., If Not Sola Scriptura, Then What? For church membership? 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. Once inside, a Western Christian experiences sensory overload: the near absence of chairs or pews, dim lighting, head coverings for most women, icons and frescoes covering almost every inch of space on the walls and ceiling, a massive and ornate iconostasis separating the priest and the worshipers, the smoky smell of incense and hundreds of candles burning in memory of the dead, the priest resplendent in his ornate vestments and enormous beard, and worshipers repeatedly prostrating themselves, kissing the icons, and making the sign of the cross. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed "the pillar and foundation of the truth" ( 1 Tim. 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.