why convert to orthodox christianity

Along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity is one of the world's three major Christian traditions. 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. 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. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. In the Orthodox calendar, the first Sunday of Lent celebrates the Triumph of Orthodoxy, a commemoration of the final triumph of icons in the long and bitter battle with the iconoclasts (literally, "image-smashers") on March 11, 843. We have challenges here in Africa to find such information for, So glorious+++ Most Holy Theotokos save us, Pectoral Cross Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." 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." 3:15). The theological objections evangelicals have traditionally had with Rome on these two points rightly apply to Orthodoxy. Why should we welcome that? Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. Despite efforts at reunification, to this day the Catholic and Orthodox churches remain estranged. Indeed, in a letter of 865, Pope Nicholas made it clear that he intended to extend the power of the papacy "over all the earth, that is, over every church." All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, Christ is thus "the Offerer and the Offered, the Acceptor and the Distributed," all in such a way that nothing is added to his once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. 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. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. John Meyendorff writes that "the Christian faith can in no way be compatible with the notion of sola scriptura." 5:12). This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behavior. Frederica Matthewes-Green reflects on how new converts to Orthodoxy can sometimes be overzealous. One who would claim that he or she wishes to embrace the faith but doesnt want to get involved with other people and their lives falls short in his or her understanding of the Church as the People of God and, as such, has yet to make that internal conversion that must take place before one is received into the Church. The Global Methodist Church welcomes Scott Jones, who led Methodists in Texas and had advocated for the extreme center and staying at the table., Emily McFarlan Miller - Religion News Service. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. He mentions one Church, not many. With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. . Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. Instagram | 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. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. Facebook | 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. 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. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. 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. 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. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. YouTube | The Orthodox Faith / Granny and Pops and Uncle Pete love the little guy, and theyre going to be kindly and patient with him because hes going through a phase. You may wish to call the parish priest in advance to introduce yourself and explain that you will be joining him and the faithful of his parish for the first time, although this is not absolutely essential. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). 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. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. He promptly left Constantinople. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. 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. There is not going to be a restored "Celtic" Orthodoxy or "Anglo-Saxon" Orthodoxy. They are the efficacious means by which God transmits his salvific and sanctifying grace to us. 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? The sum of all parts wont add to the total. 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. 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. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Orthodoxy looks forward, to the age to come. Further, rote liturgy can stultify as well as edify, which is one reason why many people prefer more informal or personal worship settings. Rather, for Orthodoxy the whole people of God is the protector of apostolic tradition. 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. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. Many non-Jews become "Jews by choice" because they're spiritual seekers. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? It took me a few years to sense that there was a whole other something going on. 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 was plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. I appreciate this articles use of blunt honesty! There is a certain chemistry involved, which one cannot so easily verbalize. 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." It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. 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. In 1993, I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church. that freedom of practice for faith groups should be "defended" in Holyrood's proposed ban on conversion practices and that she believes a trans woman is a "biological male who identifies as a . 2. Site Map | This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. I cant be the only one to have done this. And these prayers are jam-packed. Home / Thats just a fraction of a thorough march through what happened at the first Council of Nicaea, and why it was important (including Arius unpleasant death from digestive indisposition: his bowels were torn by a divine hookin a repulsive manner his soul came out). Another issue is becoming Orthodox because one thinks the Church will reward them in some way for doing so. 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. In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. There are other problems as well: overlapping jurisdictions, lack of communication across jurisdictional lines, and a tendency to isolate ourselves from communities in which we live. Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. 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. 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". Our digital archives are a work in progress. As I realized what the big difference is,I grew more insistent, I'm afraid. Differences over clerical beards, the tonsure, and fasting also exacerbated the growing deterioration of East-West unity. 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. 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. Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy. True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Orthodox churches are full of them. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Wynona is a Catholic planning to marry an Orthodox man, but as she tells us, "my Catholic parish priest is not giving his consent for this marriage, so it will be held in an Orthodox church.". Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. 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. Bulgaria, 8 million A priest can provide guidance and support to help converts discern whether the religion is right for them. Rather, each of the thirteen Orthodox churches has its own head, variously referred to as the patriarch, archbishop, or metropolitan. For employment at a seminary? Why would a protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy? ), since the Reformation, justification by faith and substitutionary atonement have enjoyed pride of place in our understanding of the doctrines of sin and salvation. 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 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 Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. 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. Like baptism, the Eucharist is administered to infants. Eastern Christians would hear nothing of it. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. 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. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. In the opening pages of Book IV of Calvin's Institutes, for example, Calvin refers twice to the famous words of Cyprian (d. 258)so Catholic-sounding to our earsthat "you cannot have God as your Father without the Church as your Mother" (IV.1.1, 4). Russia, 50-85 million Why have so many Evangelical ministers embraced the Orthodox faith?

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