why convert to orthodox christianity
I cant be the only one to have done this. The more familiar I became with Orthodoxy by serving in a local parish, on a parish council, and as an altar assistant, the more I saw others approach the Church, test the waters, and walk back out the narthex door. What was the impact of Vladimir I converting to Greek Orthodox Christianity in the region of Byzantium? "It's typically an immigrant faith, so I was really interested in that experience and why it spoke to. 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." In contrast, Orthodoxy offers a view of theological authority that is internal and pneumatic rather than external and dogmatic. Russian Baptists, Adventists, and Pentecostals feel persecuted. In any event, feel free to introduce yourself to and speak with the priest and his parishioners. Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. Pretty good. its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. The so-called Photian Schism brought this matter to a head. Missiological concerns surface here, too. And I would try hard, no doubt to the point of rudeness, to convince them this was not so. During my project I gained. In the East the local parish priest could administer the sacrament of confirmation; in the West only the bishop could. During my four years as a visiting professor at Moscow State University (1991-95) I often felt schizophrenic. It is precisely this exclusivistic assertion that some Protestant converts, in search of the "true, New Testament Church" have found so beguiling. It was like seeing a face emerge from a random pattern of dots, and then wink at you. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. While some did come over by force, the Orthodox also forcibly converted large numbers of Eastern Catholics Orthodoxy. Now let's hear from Frederica. 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 of well, 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. 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.