why convert to orthodox christianityst anthony basketball coach

Inherent in this claim, of course, is the charge that both Catholics and Protestants have lapsed from the true faith into error, if not outright heresy. Protestant theologian Adolf von Harnack once described the Orthodox church as "in her entire structure alien to the Gospel and a perversion of the Christian religion, its reduction to the level of pagan antiquity." 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. Facebook | 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." A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. 3:15 ). He mentions one Church, not many. 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 . The sum of all parts wont add to the total. 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. Greenland. It was electrifying. In the words of contemporary Orthodox theologian Thomas Hopko, "everything in the church flows out of the waters of baptism: the remission of sins and life eternal." But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. However, this is a mistaken viewpoint and can lead to the destruction of a persons faith. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. If someone is approaching the Orthodox Church from a purely rationalistic standpoint, they will almost surely find it wanting. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. 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. Further, they identify themselves by reference to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the "new Rome" of Emperor Constantine, and to the first seven ecumenical councils of the church. We must be willing to embrace mystery, to submit to other authorities, and to ultimately submit to the Church Herself. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. Applies to RCC too. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. I hope so. A Aristocles Merarches Joined Apr 23, 2003 Messages 10,031 Reaction score 1 Points 0 Location Pittsburgh Aug 5, 2006 #4 Matthew777 said: Other times it is a youth group or Bible study group inspiring and educating. It merits our attention for several reasons. 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. Excellent comment Kosmas, I totally concur. Essential for clergy to pray together, to talk, and to encourage one another in Christ? Your email address will not be published. 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]. And these prayers are jam-packed. In 858 Photius was appointed as Orthodoxy's new patriarch at Constantinople, replacing Ignatius, who had been exiled and later resigned his duties. 5:12). Together they gathered an army with the intent to regain control of Rus' and establish Vladimir as the ruler. 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. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. In any event, feel free to introduce yourself to and speak with the priest and his parishioners. Your firstand subsequent visitswill help you to discern that to which the Lord is calling you. Despite its historical estrangement from Rome, from a Protestant theological perspective Orthodoxy is similar to Catholicism at several points. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. All Rights ReservedDesigned by Fr. Handcarved 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. The numbers are staggering! The Orthodox Church has existed since the day of Pentecost and when we truly believe and become truly attached, not merely by baptism or chrismation, not merely by our presence but by our actions and our inner convictions, then and only then do we truly become connected to the Church, to Jesus Christ the Saviour and therefore to the Trinitarian God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska, Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists, What Do You Believe In? For church membership? Some have even ended in apostasy. It is why I think a number of people have a list of groups they have been in here. Any vestiges of hope for unity after the estrangement of 1054 were dashed with the pillage of 1204. 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. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. 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. Most Protestants would experience an Orthodox liturgy as something strange, even exotic. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but). The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. 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. At times it can be a healing group especially during the Liturgical services in particular the Eucharist and the Holy Prayer Oil services. Is it wrong for Western missionaries to seek to convert the Orthodox in lands like Russia, Romania, or Greece? Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. They have not given up the idea of being clergy. Thank you for this! That is, Orthodoxy's commitment to "right belief" provides a natural link to evangelical concerns. She has offered more martyrs in the twentieth century under communism than most churches have members. It had ramifications for the ecclesiastical status of both cities and further exacerbated the strained relations between the two regions. For employment at a seminary? It is not surprising they become disaffected and leave. The first is by Lactantius, a tutor to Constantine's son and a good authority. As we said, conversion is a love affair. Catholicism and Orthodoxy are not alike in their views on the nature of theological authority; it is nevertheless correct to say that Orthodoxy, like Catholicism, views Protestantism in a similar negative manner. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity . 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 . To the extent, however, one could intellectualize the reasons for converting, he or she would probably summarize them along these lines: In our ever-changing world, in the constant re-design of services and re-evaluation of beliefs, Orthodoxy stands as a mountain of granite, unshakable by fads and movements and political correctness. 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. She stands firm on her dogmatic and moral teachings. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. 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. In 978, Vladimir returned to . Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. Your email address will not be published. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. Persons wishing to become Orthodox of their own free volition, without any direct or indirect pressure from anyone, should firstly meet with a Priest of the Church. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. The sacraments. 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. 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. At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. I felt like Marco Polo. "It's typically an immigrant faith, so I was really interested in that experience and why it spoke to. An evangelical explores the ancient and alien world of the Eastern church. 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. But if you are still intrigued and drawn to the Orthodox Church, considering all of these disclaimers, then do so with faith, reverence, and a healthy fear of God. 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. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. 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.". Moreover, evangelicals have some important lessons to learn from Orthodoxy. See something we missed? Rather, for Orthodoxy the whole people of God is the protector of apostolic tradition. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. 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]. Any objective historian can discover that the permanence of Orthodoxy is due to the preservation and the passing on of the apostolic faith unadulterated, pure. Before you start the process of converting, you will want to speak with a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. 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. Then C" The strengths of a group draws them but after a while the weaknesses bubble up. 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. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. She rightly claims the wholeness of the truth. Made using e, Book Cover for the Epistle There is an organic quality here, and the thing itself is inexpressibly alive. 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. Luther urged that Christianity would stand or fall with this doctrine; Calvin called it "the hinge upon which all true religion turns.". It is no small thing for us to hold in common all the early, Christian creeds. Fr. Thats surely a factor, but I think theres something else going on, more specific to Orthodox converts. (Some within Orthodoxy say there are 15, but this is a minor, internal debate.) Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Click for reprint information. Orthodox spiritual life gives central prominence to the sacraments. "It was a calling of the soul," Devorah Guilah Koren, who converted from Catholicism with her husband and two children, told me. Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. For example, their local parish was too ethnic; the priest wasnt nice or outgoing; their spouse wasnt interested; they found logical inconsistencies in the writings of the fathers; and so on. 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. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? To be Eastern Orthodox is, above all, to stake a bold and unapologetic theological claim as the one true church of Christ on earth, which alone has guarded right belief and true worship in absolute identity and unbroken succession with the apostolic church. By the end of the sixth century, neither group could speak the other's language. Hello all, forgive me if I am posting to the wrong forum. She is the Church of martyrs. There are two accounts of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. 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. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. Heres a clue to a third possibility. I hope so. Baptism is the primary and fundamental basis of the entire Orthodox Christian life. Frederica Matthewes-Green reflects on how new converts to Orthodoxy can sometimes be overzealous. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There is world of difference between going Orthodoxy vs staying pagan. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. Heres a clue to a third possibility. Is Orthodox different from Catholic? John 17:14.16). But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? The reason Orthodoxy is stable is because she is grounded in the truth. Spiritual enlightenment changes everything.

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