One is attracted to Orthodoxy in the same way one falls in love. In the first place, Christians believed Jesus to be the true God rather than a semi-god. Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. Holy Orders are a mystery (sacrament) of the Church, and the Spirit blows where it will. We are looking forward to our journey in the church. 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. 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. Put another way, we must invoke the spirit of irenic disagreement in the formula: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." 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.". From the Orthodox perspective, both Catholics and Protestants seek to ground theological authority in an external norm. Made using e, Book Cover for the Epistle Moreover, evangelicals have some important lessons to learn from Orthodoxy. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. Romania, 19.8 million At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. And for Orthodoxy, this argument from holy tradition is of great significance. Vladimir I, a great prince of Kiev, reigned from 980 till 1015 and succeeded in the mass conversion of the Eastern Slavs.1 Throughout his reign Vladimir's agenda had . However, because I've never been really exposed to . To my friend who asked why I had not converted to Orthodoxy, the answer was surprisingly easy. Similar differences and disputes existed within early Christianity, but disputes within Christianity extended also to the place of Mosaic Law or Old Covenant in general in Christianity. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed "the pillar and foundation of the truth" ( 1 Tim. Share your feedback here. He mentions one Church, not many. 1. Cerularius condemned Humbert and entreated Orthodox believers to "flee the fellowship of those who have accepted the heretical Latins." I sincerely wish to know everyone's reasons for converting to Orthodoxy. 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. My ideas havent changed, and Im always glad for a good discussion, but maybe Im past the need to belabor them. Your email address will not be published. In 978, Vladimir returned to . Let us know if corrections need to be made. Linguistic factors posed other, very practical problems. Andrey brings us the news about Orthodox Christianity (the form of Christianity practiced by Russians). Orthodoxy provides a full-bodied, full-souled spiritual life that assumes that everything you do as a Christian makes you either more like God or less like Him, and because becoming like God is what salvation consists of, that means that everything you do is critical. Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor. 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. Most notable are its beliefs about baptism and the Eucharist. 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. its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. 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." Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. * Those who will guide you through your period of instruction and formation surely will help you in this regard. 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. 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 the Church of martyrs. 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. Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? Christians in the West variously trace their roots to Rome (Catholics), Wittenberg (Lutherans), Geneva (Calvinists), Canterbury (Anglicans), or Oxford (Wesleyans). But this really begs another question: "Essential" for what? As the Body of Christ, the Church is a Divine-human organism, just as with the Person of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Orthodoxy knows where she stands, and she is in no need to re-define herself. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. This has some truth to it, but is mostly false. In 858 Photius was appointed as Orthodoxy's new patriarch at Constantinople, replacing Ignatius, who had been exiled and later resigned his duties. 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.". 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. 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. July 26, 2019 By Fr. But dont do it for all the wrong reasons. 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. Russia, 50-85 million After being dunked in this sea of hymnography for a few years I began to recognize an underlying unity among all the elements of Orthodoxythe worship, the fasting, the exhortations to humility, the companionship of the saints, all of it. Why Convert to Orthodox Christianity? A priest can provide guidance and support to help converts discern whether the religion is right for them. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska, Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists, What Do You Believe In? For any convert, it's a spiritual, intense, and private process,. Becoming an Orthodox Christian is not easy, nor does it promise great happiness or success in this life. Theologically, just what is at stake in the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology? In this video, Fr. 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). One of the problems the Orthodox Church currently suffers in this country is a lack of converts. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. 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. This perspective presupposes a defective Christologyone that fails to account for the anthropos of the theanthropic (Divine-human) Church. After that, Orthodoxy is by far the best possible choice of religion for Russia because of Byzantium. Preeminent among the sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist. That vision is of the Living God revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, the life of the Faithful, the hope of the . Questions & Answers / They push it down the road that they will be able to transition to that in their new group eventually. (Of course, for every person insisting that there were no differences, there was another person asking me to explain the differences. Step Two: Repentance There is no salvation without repentance. 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. Scripture and tradition. 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. In any event, feel free to introduce yourself to and speak with the priest and his parishioners. The Spirit of God himself, realizing the sacramental presence of Christ in the church, speaks to us in tradition. 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. 0. In the security of the Orthodox Church one finds peace, reassurance. Disclaimers, Amon Sl Tolkien & Orthodox Christianity, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism, 5 Differences: Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism, The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. This may be to some extent true but it is much more than that. 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. Alexandria, 350,000 Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. Why do people convert to Orthodoxy? 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. 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. Worshipers prostrate themselves before them and kiss them. What they objected to was the elevation of tradition to the status of Scripture. * Those friends benefit, no doubt, from this opportunity to practice patience and long-suffering. At a minimum, Protestants need to move beyond ignorance of these neighbors. It is no small thing for us to hold in common all the early, Christian creeds. Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight what we hold in common. Orthodox Priest Explains Why Many People in the West are Converting to Orthodox Christianity. (2 Pet. This is particularly notable in the mid-1st century, when the circumcision controversy came to the fore. YouTube | Why did Kievan Rus convert to Orthodox Christianity? Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. On another front, under the leadership of founder Bradley Nassif, the Society for the Study of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism (SSEOE) holds meetings each fall at Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center for the sake of the two traditions learning from one another. 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. Then the reality sets in. But it's just fantasies, and they going to get themselves hopeless frustrated when it become clear that the fantasies can't become reality. We are not seeking to reform or to teach the Church how it should do things, but are rather seeking to be formed by the Church and to learn how we should be doing things as faithful Christians. It must sound like vague, fluffy religious talk (though in my experience it is anything but).