Together they gathered an army with the intent to regain control of Rus' and establish Vladimir as the ruler. Second, in biblical interpretation the Reformers placed the Scriptures above the church. Well, was it so? I kept finding myself in conversations with nice people who wanted to assure me that this very thing I was so excited about in Orthodoxy is something they have in their church as well. From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" My husband and I were just Chrismated into the church on Christmas day. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? 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. 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. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. 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. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. The Puritan John Foxe, for example, insisted that "God conducted the Reformation by printing, writing, and reading." Georgia, 3 million Greece, 9 million The Orthodox Faith / The Reformers did not reject tradition as a help to wisdom, as a reading of Calvin, Luther, or Wesley easily shows. It merits our attention for several reasons. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Each of them had his idiosyncrasies, and they regularly disagree. True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. 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,. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. 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. I kept finding myself in conversations with nice people who wanted to assure me that this very thing I was so excited about in Orthodoxy is something they have in their church as well. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. You can also subscribe without commenting. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. 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. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. A wedding set o, Wedding Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (in Oklad /, A Handmade Bookcover For The Gospel. 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. It is a good question, one I will answer in due course. 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. 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. Christianity had, in fact, penetrated "Russia" by the early 900s, when at least one church had been built in the ancient city of Kiev. Why Converts to Christian Orthodoxy can be Obnoxious, People who've found their way back to Orthodoxy, Theophan the Recluse on Spiritual Practice. No new dogmas of faith spring out of the blue in her life. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Orthodox Christianity. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. The church. We are looking forward to our journey in the 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. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. And yet, not all of these journeys have worked out. But the little guy is not going through a phase. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? 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 absorbed my attention so much that I was apt to expound my current level of comprehension to anyone who stood still in my vicinity. Romania, 19.8 million 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. But they all came together in worship, and were shaped by the same hymns and prayers, the appointed Scripture readings, preaching, and the picture Bible of iconography. Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." Different Orthodox theories exist as to what, exactly, this means. The East allowed some priests to marry, while the West required celibacy. Lol. Buddhists are called to meditate. For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. 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. 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. 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. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. The move was far more than geographic. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. She is conscious of being the true Church founded by Christ. There is a distinct set of conservative converts to Eastern Orthodoxy, which depending on your perspective either left, or was left by, Roman Catholicism in the Great Schism of 1054. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvelously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. 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. 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 . They become clergy in their group. It doesnt matter how long they have served, or how extensive their education. And these prayers are jam-packed. And during those years of discovery, my mind was constantly cranking away as I laboured to absorb new ideas and excise stubborn old ones. Scripture and tradition. One is attracted to Orthodoxy in the same way one falls in love. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. 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.". Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. Yet, at times there are questions of conscience and matters of principle. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. Toggle signature Alexandria, 350,000 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). Are you sure you heard the Meaning of Christmas? These sacraments are not mere signs, symbols, or reminders. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." But every church must have its distinctives, or wed all be in the same church. On the other hand, there are cases where a person rejects the Church for what I would consider to be erroneous reasons. ), since the Reformation, justification by faith and substitutionary atonement have enjoyed pride of place in our understanding of the doctrines of sin and salvation. There is a certain chemistry involved, which one cannot so easily verbalize. Poland, 1 million Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. Are Orthodox Christians "Bible believing?". It was electrifying. Schisms had already occurred in the Christian church, and others would occur later, but the Great Schism was the first of such major consequence. The reality of the difficulty of living the Orthodox life then bubbles up, and apostasy from exhaustion is a real risk. In other words, one cannot embrace Orthodox Christianity without embracing Orthodox Christians. The sacraments. 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. Modern speculation is simply just that, speculation, and . The ex clergy thing I think is very real. After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. Interesting comments. We must be willing to embrace mystery, to submit to other authorities, and to ultimately submit to the Church Herself. Now, I dont share all of this in order to dissuade anyone from becoming a catechumen, but rather to encourage those who are on such a journeyor who have strayed away from one that began on the wrong foot. See something we missed? It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . Many non-Jews become "Jews by choice" because they're spiritual seekers. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. 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. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. Some have even ended in apostasy. Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. Converts to Orthodoxy usually precede their decision with voluminous reading and research, so their friends must endure agitated lectures on church history, ancient heresies, and what words mean in Greek. There are two sides to this coin, as well: Some people become Orthodox for all the wrong reasons, while some dont become Orthodox for all the wrong reasons. It was electrifying. Let us know if corrections need to be made. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity practiced by Russians). It takes awhile to get it, because its gotten by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. 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]. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. Although my parents intentionally raised my brother and me without a focus on . Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. Do we mean essential for salvation? Site Map | 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. He promptly left Constantinople. And while they are just beginning to recover, he says, Protestants invade, with all their Western resources, and attempt to draw away the very people the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to nurture in the faith. Telegram | At the 1996 meeting of sseoe, Orthodox representative Stanley Harakas said that the Orthodox, who have lived for 70 years in Russia under Communist oppression, are in a state of weakness, unable to rebuild churches and barely able to educate their parishioners. 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. The more familiar I became with Orthodoxy by serving in a local parish, on a parish council, and as an altar assistant, the more I saw others approach the Church, test the waters, and walk back out the narthex door. Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. 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." What Scripture proclaims by word, the icon proclaims by color. 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. It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, He mentions one Church, not many. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. 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. What do they find so attractive? Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. Later ecumenical councils at Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451) acknowledged Constantinople as the "New Rome" and accorded it "equal privileges" and "equal rank in ecclesiastical matters" with Latin Rome. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. For them the fundamental schism occurred 500 years earlierin the year 1054 (more about that below). Shortly after the beginning of our own catechumenate as a family, we saw friendsand their familiesbegin journeys towards the East. 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. I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. For employment at a seminary? "We are Orthodox because (we) follow the same laws like in other Orthodox communities in the world," explains Meyer Sanchez, assistant to a rabbi in Medelln. I do not wish to antagonize anyone and if there is a place online where I might go to better have my questions answered, please.