why convert to orthodox christianitywhy convert to orthodox christianity

People are attracted by the permanence of Orthodoxy. Tom Hanks Legion Media The famous Hollywood actor converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. Debate is more plentiful than research, but also indefinite. Thank you for this! It is not a surprise that many Catholics adhering to traditional values are converting to conservative Orthodoxy. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Before trying to discern how evangelicals should respond to these many issues involving Eastern Orthodoxy, a brief history is in order. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. 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. However, because I've never been really exposed to . For the past year or so I have been considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. I have read many things on the internet, as well as a number of books about the Churchs faith, worship and history. And while it's true that my involvement with Judaism began with a Jewish boyfriend now my husband of 28 years and the father of our two children as Reform Jews, I would not have had to convert to participate in Jewish life and raise Jewish children. Although my parents intentionally raised my brother and me without a focus on . 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. They saw this as a perception skill, something anyone could (with diligent practice) hone; it has nothing to do with emotion. What was the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise? See something we missed? 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. already I have lost many people I thought were friends but so be it! Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor; plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. John Meyendorff writes that "the Christian faith can in no way be compatible with the notion of sola scriptura." 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 . Its not something you can figure out by studying the Church Fathers. I felt like Marco Polo. This icon, Wedding Icon of The Mother Of God Around 2-3 months ago I decided that I wanted to convert to Christianity. 1:4). For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. The so-called Eastern Orthodox Church is actually not one but thirteen "autocephalous" or independent, self-governing churches. Indeed, what Protestant converts to Orthodoxy have often sought is not only a conscious continuity with the historic, apostolic past, but also a richer experience of God's majesty and mystery through a more liturgical worship setting. In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. Like baptism, the Eucharist is administered to infants. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. (Some within Orthodoxy say there are 15, but this is a minor, internal debate.) Icons are absolutely central to Orthodoxy, distinguishing it from both Catholicism and Protestantism. Orthodox Christianity offers a third solution, that is faith with an emphasis on symbolism, inner experience, and Church communion. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Nicholas reversed the decision, reinstating Ignatius and deposing Photius. In this wonderful, 4-minute video, Fr. 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. But every church must have its distinctiveness, or wed all be in the same church. YouTube | Thus, when an Orthodox believer once asked why his church did not do more doctrinal teaching, his priest responded, "Icons teach us all that we need to know." 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. 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'. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. 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. But whether a non-Orthodox person can even be saved is an open question in Orthodox ecclesiology. 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. "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. On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. But one insightful reader asked a penetrating question: "Your book does a fine job comparing the two traditions; why have you not converted to Orthodoxy?" Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. However, I do think that there are certain factors that influence and even cause these abandonments and apostasies from the one, true Church. Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? It is often wrongly assumed that Orthodoxy . The last reason Orthodox converts are obnoxious resembles the reason adolescents are obnoxious. If you have a specific question about Orthodox Christianity or the Orthodox Church in America, Sdn Tim Grace unveils the surprising message of Christmas. Paganism was a mental mindset of the Eastern Slavs living in a world where a majority of the European countries surrounding them had already converted to a monastic religion. It was electrifying. For such a question presupposes a particular person's journey of faith. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. 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. Greenland. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? This conception lessens the validity and value of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source of Christian dogma." These arguments wont convert anyone. Unfortunately the Eastern organization is founded on control and power. I hope so. Orthodox Christians were more inclined to appeal to the ecumenical councils than to a single bishop to settle theological matters. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity . Early on in the life of the Christian church, the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West began to diverge. Now, the question stands: If one is convinced that Orthodox Christianity possess the fullness of truth and is God . He made the decision to convert following his second marriage to actress Rita Wilson in. Take Russia as an example: First, the majority of Russians are non-Christian and unevangelized. T he Orthodox Church in the United States has problems. But dont do it for all the wrong reasons. 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. 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." 5:12). Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! 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. Suspicion and recrimination have often characterized relationships between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Protestantism. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? Spiritual enlightenment changes everything. But the little guy is not going through a phase. 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. There is not going to be a restored "Celtic" Orthodoxy or "Anglo-Saxon" Orthodoxy. At times it can be a healing group especially during the Liturgical services in particular the Eucharist and the Holy Prayer Oil services. He states that in Gaul, before setting out towards Rome, Constantine and his army saw a great cross in the sky. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his efforts seem to have entailed no lasting consequences, since the Primary Chronicle and other Slavonic sources describe the tenth-century Rus' as still firmly entrenched in Slavic paganism. While Rome stumbled toward destruction in 476, Constantinople enjoyed relative theological and political stability for another 1,000 years, until it was sacked by the Turks in 1453. It is no small thing for us to hold in common all the early, Christian creeds. Orthodoxy has always affirmed that Peter was the "first among equals" (primus inter pares) ; but unlike Roman Catholics, the Orthodox have always denied that he held any "primacy of power" (primatus potestatis). The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. 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. He sailed to Greenland with a priest to convert the people. So Christianity would not have been completely alien to the Rus, and even Vladimir's grandmother, Olga, would become enamored with Christianity. The Orthodox Church does not fit into the paradigms of modernity; it is not a wholly rational faith. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Site Map | "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 Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. 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. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. 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. 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. 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. Conversion is not only a matter of the intellect, but also of the heart. 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. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum that was increasingly filled by the growing power of the Roman papacy. It is not always easy to advance strong arguments for these conversions. Thank you for this post! The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. 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 . Orthodox worship can be overwhelmingly beautiful and attractiveon multiple, deeply-felt levelsbut this should not be the only reason why a person converts. Other religions and faiths occupy themselves with this life, with this world. 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. Reaching for the Transcendent on the Streets of New York, http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2007/12/icons-will-save-the-world, cool blog entry by Fr Andrew Damick - Christian Forums, http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/athenagoras_remarriage.htm, http://www.oodegr.co/english/ekklisia/marriage_divorce.htm, http://www.oodegr.com/english/ekklisia/marriage_divorce.htm, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/justandsinner/the-church-fathers-interpretation-of-the-rock-of-matthew-1618-an-historical-refutation-of-the-claims-of-roman-catholicism-by-william-webster/.

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