why convert to orthodox christianity why convert to orthodox christianity

Jerusalem, 260,000 A priest can provide guidance and support to help converts discern whether the religion is right for them. (2 Pet. After being dunked in this sea of hymnography for a few years I began to recognise an underlying unity among all the elements of Orthodoxy the worship, the fasting, the exhortations to humility, the companionship of the saints, all of it. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. 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. As a young convert to Orthodox Christianity myself, I can testify that confession and Communion have filled my life meaning and have directed me when I have felt lost. It takes a while to get it, because its received by a process of immersion, by soaking in a context of worship. But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. Home / Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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]. You can make an appointment to talk to our parish priest Fr Athanasios by contacting him at (03) 9387 7693. This statement cannot be challenged. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. The East allowed some priests to marry, while the West required celibacy. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Her name is right belief. 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. Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. Those who approach Orthodoxy looking for all their questions to be answered in a neat-and-tidy manner will be deeply disappointed, left rejecting the faith to which theyve only been shortly exposed. 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.". However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Perhaps this unanticipated experience of encountering something unknown and marvellously organic accounts for the distinctive lapel-grabbing impulse among converts to Orthodoxy. 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. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existedthats what amazed me. 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. I think people just dont believe me, and I hardly provide a good personal example. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. But the Church is not dependent upon any one convert or their family, nor will the Church reward people (beyond the mysteries and salvation) for converting. His response: "I don't know.". 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. The Eucharist, according to the Divine Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom (the normal liturgy for Sundays and weekdays), is "for the purification of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, [and] for the Kingdom of Heaven.". While discovering the truth of Orthodoxy is exciting, we need to learn a gracious balance when dealing with our friends, family, workmates and others with whom we have contact. It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. Romania, 19.8 million He has no good option for dealing with that affection, so he's either sullen or angry. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. 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. ", Icons are not merely sacred art. 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'. It is a good question, one I will answer in due course. 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. 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. In the 950s, Olga, the grandmother of Vladimir, was . The basic theological impetus for the ever-virginity of Mary (besides the fact that it is presumably historically true and would have been passed down from the early days of the church) is the fact that Mary was profoundly sanctified by her role as the living sanctuary in which God dwelled (quite literally) for nine months and from whom he From Islam to Indonesian Orthodox Priest In "Clergy" 97% of Moldovans Identify as Orthodox Christians In "Latest Stories" One can find people who interpret this ecclesiological exclusivity more leniently; in fact, some would argue that the best Orthodox scholarsGeorge Florovsky and John Meyendorff, to name twowould allow for such leniency. For me, the one and only valid, core reason is because a person desires to be part of the one, true Body of Christ. Greece, 9 million But about this pursuit we can make several observations. Whether you decided to do so because you are marrying someone who is a member of the church, or you simply decide to convert on your own, you might be overwhelmed as to where to start. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. If they are looking for an ethnic identity because they feel they have none. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Who can explain why one has fallen in love with a given person? Your email address will not be published. Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? Recently I worshiped at an Orthodox church in Palo Alto on this celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world. Teachings of Orthodoxy. 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. Your email address will not be published. Have something to add about this? Hope this helps, and hope that your journey to Orthodoxy is filled with every blessing. 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. 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. Liberalism is not a word in the Orthodox vocabulary. During my four years as a visiting professor at Moscow State University (1991-95) I often felt schizophrenic. Constantine had once controlled the entire Mediterranean perimeter, and as a result, Christianity flourished. Theological disputes combined with these geopolitical and cultural factors to divide the Christian East and West. She is the Church of martyrs. Without waiting for a response, Humbert exited the church and declared, "Let God look and judge." On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. 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. 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. Second, Christian theology perfectly explained why Jesus, who was also called a prophet, was worthy of worship. The move was far more than geographic. Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? Thatwould be interesting. For Eastern Christians, this was yet another Roman encroachment upon their autonomy. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. 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. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. 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." Eastern Christians would hear nothing of it. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. 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. Twitter | ), since the Reformation, justification by faith and substitutionary atonement have enjoyed pride of place in our understanding of the doctrines of sin and salvation. Orthodoxy affirms the real, physical presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist (as do Catholics, Lutherans, and many Anglicans), yet unlike Catholicism it is content not to explain how this happens. At each point in their conversions, from initial religious seeking to settling into life as Orthodox Christians, Orthodox converts in Pittsburgh consistently relate a kind of on-going negotiation between self and other, as they research religious differences and experiment with practices and dogmas. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. 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." 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. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." Handcarved Even before entering the church one is taken aback by the unusual architecture-the glittering gold onion domes that sparkle like diamonds on a sunny day. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Intellectuals, like one of my students at Moscow University, often disdain Orthodoxy as a "medieval mentality." 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. Clearly this stability is found in no other church. The Eucharist is a true, propitiatory sacrifice. 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. 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 ofwell, 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. 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. It was electrifying. * 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. Thus Luther once wrote, "What else do I contend for but to bring everyone to an understanding of the difference between the divine Scripture and human teaching or custom?" Orthodoxy, advocates suggest, reveals and corrects evangelical reductionism and superficiality. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. 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. 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? Do we mean essential for salvation? 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. Is Orthodox different from Catholic? Russia, 50-85 million At times it can be a healing group especially during the Liturgical services in particular the Eucharist and the Holy Prayer Oil services. Learn About the Religion. Buddhists are called to meditate. And these prayers are jam-packed. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy, Orthodox Church in Harbin, China Reopens as an Orthodox Church, "When We Speak of Christ, We Must Start With Christ" - An Interview With Fr. The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. 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. Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. Rich worship taught the faith to literate and illiterate, peasant and emperor, and its essentially the same as our worship today. Different Orthodox theories exist as to what, exactly, this means. 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. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. So they begin the process of "converting.". This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God Experience Church Services. Included in this liturgy is an anathema on all those who reject icons. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Several factors must be considered when converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. 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. 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. 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. There is a myth in Orthodoxy that people only became Eastern Catholics under force by Catholic kings. Vladimir I formed an alliance with Basil II of the Byzantine Empire and married his sister Anna in 988. After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to Orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. Are you sure you heard the Meaning of Christmas? While the Church is certainly Divine in one respect, She is also comprised of human beingshuman beings that can, and do, err. This is no archaic, dusty doctrine, either. The Actual Conversion to Judaism: Conversion to Judaism has a few components, which are undertaken under the supervision of an established beit din: Accepting the yoke of the commandments. The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. Serbia, 8 million It is not a surprise that many Catholics adhering to traditional values are converting to conservative Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. Rather, each of the thirteen Orthodox churches has its own head, variously referred to as the patriarch, archbishop, or metropolitan. The sum of all parts wont add to the total. A second theory is that converts of any sort have a tendency to exuberance that is wearying to outsiders. The Catalog of Good Deeds is the official blog of the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." Surely there is enough evangelistic work for everyone. 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. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. Yes, because clearly a Christian is the most honest person to talk about the inner thoughts of atheists . Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. Others charge complicity with the state, both past and present. This is the ultimate reason an ultra-Orthodox Jew would turn to Jesus. Because everyone has their own presuppositions in which they interpret reality and thus no surprise you'll find people based on these presuppositions won't accept Christianity. Whatever honor Protestants bestow upon tradition, they deny that its authority is coequal with Scripture. True, Luther and some other Protestants have not viewed baptismal regeneration and justification by faith as mutually exclusive. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. The thesis that Eastern Orthodoxy is the true religion was turning out to bear the practical corollary that, to share fully and fruitfully in the life of the Body of Christ, one would almost have. Anxious to avoid the siege of his capital, Basil II turned to the Rus' for assistance, even though they were considered enemies at that time. Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. 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 . This has some truth to it, but is mostly false. Through the centuries, theological, geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic factors have combined to differentiate the Orthodox ethos from Western patterns of Christianity. Orthodox Christians were more inclined to appeal to the ecumenical councils than to a single bishop to settle theological matters. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. A person can read a dozen books on swimming, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually gets into a pool. Why do Orthodox Christians keep a vigil at the Tomb of Christ? Also, people should not join the Church in the hopes of solidifying an identity they have in the first place. 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. 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.