by Ben Cabe
Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. For such a question presupposes a particular person’s journey of faith. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience.* Similarly, Christianity at its core is an encounter with Christ—a relationship—not a formal set of dogmas. It is not my aim to embark on the process of comparative religion. The journey I wish to take you on is my own: how a nominal Protestant Christian, and his family, found the fulness of Christ in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
My Christian Background
I grew up as an active participant in a non-denominational Protestant church in rural Michigan. At this same church I met a woman who would, in 2009, become my wife. My father, a music pastor and missionary, along with my mother, led their five children, of whom I am the fourth, to faith in Christ. Through the promptings of my older sister I asked Jesus into my heart at the age of six. Seeing no major reason, at the time, to be baptized right away, I waited until I was ten. At fifteen, while in Africa, God audibly spoke to me: an experience that rocked my world.
Around this time I began reading every book on theology and philosophy that I could get my hands on—beginning, of course, with C.S. Lewis. By seventeen I had delved into Plato and Aristotle and eventually wound up following the timeline of history and reading a variety of philosophers and theologians. At that point in time, my World Religion’s Professor began offering free Koine Greek lessons before class; this kick-started my interest in biblical Greek, though I am still an amateur. I can see, though only in part, that God has used all of these interests as instruments to pave the way towards union with Him through Eastern Orthodoxy.
At eighteen, as my reading list would have proclaimed, I was really into Christianity. But the reading list is pretty much where it stopped. Christianity was in my head but not my heart, and I did not even realize that this was a problem.
Between 2007 and 2009 I went through several phases. I was a professing Christian, a skeptic, agnostic, neoplatonic dualist, a priori enthusiast, a “who gives a f***ist” . . . Between what I was reading and what I was undergoing during that period of time my entire life was thrown completely out of balance.
And then I got married.
We lived together as newlyweds 2000 miles away from where we grew up . . . and we did alright. We were attending a Baptist church and it was really good for us. We got involved and I began attempting to “lead” as I perceived a godly husband should—though I didn’t really know what this should look like. When we moved back to our hometown a year later we fell back into a stupor—floating along nominally and attending the church we grew up in.
Until we found out we were pregnant.
The Beautiful Crisis
“Honey, that says positive.”
She was holding out the pregnancy test. We were both in disbelief. It was summer 2011; we were in our second year of marriage. Finding out you’re going to be a dad will straighten you out really fast. I was working as a barista in a small coffee shop. My wife, a nurse, was working in home health care. The plan up to that point had been to continue the road toward my PhD in philosophy—I really liked metaphysics. But not anymore. That was the first thing that had to go, I knew it. I needed a real job, not a PhD in a field where I might not even find a job—and would most likely go crazy trying to explain sunlight to people looking at shadows. The second thing we realized was we needed to get serious about life—what were we doing? And most importantly we needed to get serious about God.
The next several months consisted of job and soul searching. For the first time as a couple, we began to wake up, sing hymns, and read scripture together. We also began praying in the evenings before bed. At that point, we were only attending church to see our old friends. That wasn’t a good reason. So we went church “shopping” and found a new, solid, Bible believing church. And it was good for us.
Around this time our son was born.
The Road from Protestantism to the Eastern Orthodox Church
When we first switched from the church we grew up in to a different—though still non-denominational—protestant church, we were really convicted by the preaching. I remember it vividly. We were laying in bed on a Sunday evening and a dread feeling of conviction came upon me. It felt like a rotting in my soul . . . like if I didn’t say something, I would slowly decompose in my own filth. I opened my mouth hesitantly and began to confess all kinds of things to my wife. And she did the same. The Spirit of God was clearly present. We wept; over our sins but also out of joy because, having confessed, we were free. But as we continued to attend the same church over the next few months we quickly realized that we needed something different. We needed more. There had to be more than appropriating, and then distributing, “get-out-of-hell-free cards”. There had to be more than “God looking down on us from above.” The question that was singeing the edges of my mind was this: How can I keep Christ in front of me every moment of every day? What I was really asking was, how do we abide in Christ?
Until that point, if you would have walked into our apartment off the street, you wouldn’t have seen any indication that we believed . . . anything. Except maybe the Bible on the nightstand . . . maybe. But there was no physical evidence that we were Christians. Growing up, we weren’t explicitly taught that the physical was bad but the mindset we were grafted into took on a form of dualism. “The body and the material universe is bad. Earth isn’t our home.** The spiritual is good.” And so, in our formative years we naturally misunderstood, and poked fun at,—Lord, have mercy—any kind of Christianity that incorporated the physical world. (In retrospect, I can see how it was so easy for me, upon reading Plato, to accept the theory of forms and a dualistic view of the world.)
But not any more.
I had two thoughts. The first was to get a picture of Christ to hang in my living room as a visible representation of His presence. I didn’t want one of those soft, happy-go-lucky pictures of a hipster-model-looking shepherd, I wanted something real. The style I had in mind turned out to be that of iconography—this is before I even knew what an icon was. The second thought was to get a cross to put around my neck. These two thoughts thrust me into a third: Christianity has been around for a really long time surely someone has already thought of this. And so I began searching to find out what early Christians did to abide in Christ.
This catapulted me into a study of the history of Christianity—something I’d never ventured to read into before. I was shocked. Why hadn’t I read the history of my own faith before now? For being somewhat well read, I was caught with my pants down when it came to Christian history and the Church Fathers. Up to that point, I had always naively thought that after the apostles died the church fell into serious disarray until Luther. What I found, however, was astounding, encouraging, and eye-opening. There were schisms and heresies circulating in the early church for sure, but the Church was never overcome by the gates of hades.1
Why hasn’t anyone told me about the history of Christianity? I asked myself. Why hasn’t anyone told me about the Church Fathers? What amazed me even more was how little I really knew about my own faith. And so I read. And kept reading. And then I read some more. It wasn’t dry facts about dead bishops that captivated me. On the contrary, as I began reading the lives of the saints and how they lived, worshiped, and prayed, I felt the presence of the very saints, about whom I was reading, pulling me closer to Christ.2
It became readily apparent, from the historical point of view, that there were only two options: the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. So I began learning as much as I could about the two Churches. What captivated me about the Eastern Church was the balance between the rational and the experiential. Around this time, my wife, son, and I were invited to dinner with an Orthodox priest and his wife. I’d seen Fr. Gregory a few times before. My parents were really good friends with him—my father met him on a missions trip about a year prior to my interest in Church history—and we all went to dinner together. I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but about three-quarters of the way through the meal my mom turned to Fr. Gregory and said, “I think Ben has a question for you about the Orthodox Church.” I am eternally grateful that she said this because it sparked a conversation with Fr. Gregory that would continue, through email and regular meetings, for over a year.
Fr. Gregory responded to my questions and suggested books about the Orthodox faith. Our email correspondence spans over a hundred printed pages—in the future I hope to publish these emails on Conciliar Post under the title “Conversations with an Orthodox Priest.” The Orthodox Faith was vibrant and had a lot to offer. The fact that it has withstood the test of time really spoke to me. The Orthodox Church still worships and encourages parishioners to live, with minor adjustments of course, as it did 2000 years ago.
And this is where it began to get real.
As I looked at how a Christian should live in order to keep Christ the focus of their life, I realized I needed to begin practicing what I read instead of merely ruminating on it. So I began waking up to say morning prayers and in the evening Mallory and I would stand together for evening prayers. Fr. Gregory had given me a prayer rope—black wool with 100 knots—and told me about the Jesus Prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner. And I began practicing it as well. This affected a major change in me. We began attending the Orthodox Church where Fr. Gregory was priest—which at that point was an hour away—as we continued to read about Orthodoxy.
As I continued to participate in daily prayers throughout the week and in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays—though at that point not being able to go forward for to participate in the Eucharist—the doctrines I once mocked became clearer and clearer. It wasn’t as much a rational explication of the doctrines that convinced me of their truth but rather an experience of them. (Though I didn’t neglect the rational by any means—a healthy balance of both is necessary.) It was the fact that I was changing, by God’s grace, through the practice of daily prayers, participation in the Liturgy, reverencing the icons, and fasting. There was something very real happening to me. I later found out that I was—and by God’s grace still am—being healed.
The Orthodox Church views Christianity and the gospel, not as a courtroom but, as a hospital. I would like to talk about this view more in a later article but for now it will suffice to say that through participation in the life of the Church and reading, I underwent a significant change in how I viewed the world. Suddenly, everything began to be an opportunity to give thanks to God. The presence of Christ pervaded everything. The world took on a different meaning; I began,—I say began and I am still beginning—for the first time in my life, to love other people. I wasn’t as angry all the time. My wife and I began to resolve conflict much faster. Overall, it was incredibly encouraging to see that what the Church was offering to me was working.
Our Conversion
We were participating in the Church as much as we could. But that wasn’t enough. It was necessary, in my mind, that we convert so that we could participate fully in the life of the Church. I expressed this desire to Mallory and she too felt like it was the right thing to do—although she didn’t feel the imperative as much as I.
From what I’ve read, and from people I’ve spoken to, it is typically much more difficult for women to convert from protestantism to Orthodoxy than men. When asked, Mallory responded, “Well at first I just thought this was another phase. But when he began praying and participating in the Church and he stopped swearing and punching holes in the wall, I thought there may be something to this Orthodox thing.” She also mentioned that it was encouraging to see that worship wasn’t based on stylistic preference (strange fire, maybe?). When we enter the Church and participate in the liturgy we are stepping out of time and into the kingdom where the king is being worshiped 24/7. We step into this worship, together with the saints and the angels who are always worshipping, as often as we can. The Liturgical calendar has been set up to help us participate in this manner, in the kingdom. By participating in the Liturgical cycle the Church takes us on a journey. This journey is a rhythmic pattern of daily prayers, the iconic significance of sleeping (death) rising from sleep (resurrection), weekly fasting, the Eucharist on Sunday (the 8th day), and extended periods of fasting throughout the year—as a preparation for the feasts (Nativity, Pascha, etc.).
A Few Other Things that Struck Us About Orthodoxy
Even though we didn’t know it before our journey to Orthodoxy, we both had a very impoverished Christianity—and an impoverished view of the world. Unbeknownst to myself, I was a deist (God created and then walked away from the world). I regarded God to be “the man upstairs” and humans to be “downstairs.” Fr. Stephen Freeman talks about this misunderstanding of Christianity in his book Everywhere Present where he calls it a “two-story universe.” One result of this way of thinking—even if it’s not cognizant—is banishing God from the world (in a very physical sense). When we do this what is left are “four walls and a sermon.” The reality is, however, that the whole world is held together by God, and God works through the created world to affect our salvation. Any decent theology about the incarnation will recognize this—although the natural implications of this aren’t always accepted.
Orthodox worship was formed (after the resurrection of Christ) based on these implications: on the fact that we are physical and spiritual beings. It is the soul and the body that compose the human, not one or the other but both together. This being so, it’s important that we use both in worship. In the Eastern Church we use candles, icons, and incense. We bow, prostrate, and kiss. We baptize our children and allow them to take the Eucharist—because rational understanding is not necessary for salvation but participation in Christ is. All of these things are based on the reality that Christianity is an experiential reality and, as human beings, the gospel is not merely an ethereal, rational truth. All of these things bound up together affected a major paradigm shift in our Western mind. All of these things were contributing factors in our conversion.
On Sunday, September 15, 2013, two years after we began searching, we were brought into full communion with the Orthodox Church. The story has many other facets to it as well—at the beginning of those two years unbeknownst to us Fr. Gregory, feeling called by God to our area, sent a letter to His Bishop requesting to start a mission (Orthodox term for a church plant) in Southwest Michigan. Two years later, alongside us being brought into the Church, on September 15, 2013 we held our first Divine Liturgy, which was served by Fr. Gregory, at the Orthodox Mission in Southwestern Michigan currently known as Holy Resurrection.
In summation there are a few things I’d like to say. This account of our conversion from protestantism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity is just one of many. As others have said, I feel like the journey is just now beginning. I do not want to give you the impression that we are perfect little Christians now that we have converted. Far from it. In fact, things actually got much harder after our conversion. But healing is possible; and it is Christ, the healer, whom we seek.
I would like to highlight again that I am not trying to set forward a systematic defense of the dogmas of the Orthodox Church. This being the case I would also like to affirm that doctrine is very important and, having also looked at things rationally, Orthodoxy not only works it also holds up under scrutiny. I affirm and accept the Orthodox faith and doctrine in its entirety—and where doctrines of other traditions vary, I believe it is an aberration from the truth revealed through the Church. For there are beliefs I now hold that, when I was a protestant, I once mocked—and at this I am ashamed. So what convinced me otherwise? It was participation in the life of the Church and experience of these things—tied tandem, of course, with a healthy and balanced intellectual search as well. For Christianity is something you must experience and participate in, not something you can speak about from a distance.
In closing I ask that you pray to God for me, His servant, that he may have mercy on me and my family and remember us in His kingdom. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to whom be all glory, honor, and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
When this experience is communicated, however, the listener (or reader in this case) can participate in that person’s journey.
** The Orthodox affirm that human beings were made for earth and so the earth is our home; it will be restored at the end of all things.
Dear Brother, welcome home.
You have said so much in this essay that touched me. Thank you for writing.
It is, at times, difficult to leave behind the heresies we were taught as protestants. However, as you partake of all that the Church has to offer, you will continue to be healed, body and soul.
God bless you and have mercy on you and your family. God grant you many, many years.
Dear Mr. Cabe,
Thank you for your article — I am not an Orthodox Christian, but grew up in protestant/evangelical circles, went to a baptist college and am involved in a non-denominational church. Recently, I asked my boyfriend (who is Orthodox) the same question: “Why would a Protestant convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity?” In many ways I’m still searching for the answer to that question, but I really appreciated you taking the time to share your story & your emphasis on each individual’s journey and encounter/relationship with Christ over dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings.
Thank you again for sharing your story — It was a blessing to read.
Sarah, there are many such stories on this site. Enjoy them all. And do let us know how we can help. We were where you are not so long ago.
Dear Brother Ben, Thank you for sharing your experience. One of your comments have touched me, as I hope it does to others as well, …..Christianity was in my head but not my heart, …….I believe that is what I am going thru or walking thru, because I myself have been brought up with respected upbringing parents, my late dad was a Lay Pastor in the Moravian Church and my parents would bring me to church with them as I was growing up and I, as well as others, believe in our Lord, but having questionable about Faith that comes and goes with me, how I see part of it is with the comment you made. May God bless you and have mercy on you and your family.
Dear Ben,
This story both helps and stuns me. Thank you. At this point, you write:
…”Why hasn’t anyone told me about the history of Christianity? I asked myself. Why hasn’t anyone told me about the Church Fathers? What amazed me even more was how little I really knew about my own faith…”
Niineteen years after asking this same thing, as my story is a little similar, this comment of mine is to say it took me at least six or seven years to stop being mad at Them (my church) and realize their own history made sure they “threw the baby out with the bathwater,” when their Protestant rebels rebelled against all things Catholic, they made sure our later generations did not know or would never know about the history, the martyrdom, the sacrifice for God that those earlier had made. It was in their best interest to make sure we never knew. That made me so resentful for those early years until I realized this hallmark difference between Them and us. And these years since it has become clear also to me that your and my conversions could not have happened without the Holy Spirit paving the ways and helping. Very clear on that. Hope this helps.
“The Orthodox Church views Christianity and the gospel, not as a courtroom but, as a hospital….The world took on a different meaning…”
I am not yet Orthodox, but I am swimming in that direction. Your quote above is what is resonating with me and true of much of what I’ve read and listened to from the Orthodox Christian perspective these last several months. I am approaching my fiftieth year on this planet. I was raised Roman Catholic, converted to protestant evangelicalism in college, and now find myself – dissatisfied and searching for the truth. I cannot let go of Christ, this I know, and reading of your conversion gives me hope that, I as well, am stumbling upon the Rock. Thank you for sharing your story!
If you like that little drink of water, you will find Orthodoxy is like putting your mouth to a firehose. Get ready.
I appreciate all of your comments. If I can be of any help on your journey(s), please let me know. You can contact me through my website.
I am always open to conversations. Thank you all of your prayers and blessings. May God remember us in His Kingdom.
I disagree with the theology. I don’t care that the church canonized the NT. The NT was written by Jesus and his apostles. The church fell away from their writings. I have a Eve. background, but that doesn’t matter. I’ve spent the last year studying early Christianity with a bias towards Orthodoxy, because the woman I love is Orthodox. She’s patient with me learning, but I know that’s as far as this will go if I don’t believe. Well, I don’t believe the church is right, but I do believe it can change my heart and life. Is it wrong to become a member because I know it will enrich my life, even though I don’t believe the theology?
Thank you for writing this!
I was born in an Orthodox family, but I only truly appreciated The Faith after a few years of marriage to my husband who witnessed to me, not by words, but by his actions, as well. You so eloquently wrote exactly how I feel.
May the Lord bless you and your family =)
Greetings from Bulgaria!
Thanks for the great article.
Welcome to Orthodoxy and let God help you and your family.
I am sending a link to a reading of the Bulgarian language and Church Slavonic language:
http://www.pravoslavieto.com
dear sir i was brought up conserative lutheran my fathers mother side are stauch lutherans and my fathers dad side are morvarian church my grandfather was a pastor in that church my mother is italian catholic i tried the eastern orthodox church and found it to be a farce every ethinic group claimed to be the legitimic church and each would cut commuion off from each other the russians had thier spat with constaninople when estonia ,latvia , lihuania wanted to be regonized and come under the protection of the patrairch of constaninople and you have the greek orthodox church not regonizing the tomas of 1970 which gave the oca autonomy from their mother church in moscow and why is the macadonian orthodox still considered out of commuion with the rest of orthodoxy the same can be said of why the ethiopian, coptic, armenian churches are treated as uncannonical by the rest of orthodoxy all orthodoxy is a bunch of old men who wish to practice thier popish traditions and rituals and wear silly religious costumes
I enjoyed your reference to the Allegory of the cave when you talked about your decision to pursue a PhD in Philosophy. As another reader of Plato and an Orthodox Christian, It is good to have found the Light. Blessings on you and your family.
I was raised in the RCC but have been drawn towards Orthodox Christianity for quite some time. The Catholic church has RCIA for converts or returning Catholics. Does the Orthodox church have something similar?
Peace ~ Bear
I really appreciate this article. I am a Christian. Always have gone to non-denominational churches. I have had my fair share of phases as well as genuine experiences/encounters with God. It wasn’t until this year that I have been drawn to orthodox Christianity. I am at the very beginning of this journey and unsure how it will end. I am drawn to it because it actually seems to line up with what I always felt in my heart….I actually never realized until recently that I disagree with most Protestant doctrine…there is SO much I appreciate about Orthodoxy but still many things Im unsure of. Thanks for this article.
Thank you. Your story has helped me. I am 74 and just recently learned what I was not taught. Pray for me
Andrew – Jesus never wrote a single book. The Church has always, and demonstrably, taught the same thing from the very beginning, and we can catalogue it from the Scriptures, from St. Ignatius of Antioch and the other Apostolic Fathers to the present day. Lex orandi, lex credendi. The Church is what Christ left behind to teach his doctrine. The Church wrote the Bible, and decided which books were Scripture. If you don’t know the Church, you can’t know Christ, just as if you don’t know Christ, you can’t know the Father.
I left Christianity years ago, as I could not then and to a degree still cannot now reconcile what I grew up being taught by the protestant churches in which I was raised with my own logic and reason. I abandoned the faith, but I would be lying if I said there has not been a day to pass since in which there has not been a tugging in my heart and soul. I have felt the longing to be a part of something greater than the feel good glory be mess that passes for faith.
I do believe there is a God. I do believe we are not bodies with a soul, but souls with a body. My views have been…I suppose deist would be the most apt description, but there is no satisfaction in believing there is a God without knowing what, specifically, one ought believe about him.
A friend of mine recently came to Eastern Orthodoxy, as he said that while he is borderline atheist, he appreciates being in a place where people hold fiercely onto their beliefs and draw a proverbial line in the sand between themselves and the world. He said it has been refreshing.
He is a thoughtful and logical person, and his views closely mirror mine, so I began to read about this faith. I intend to visit an Orthodox church and see for myself what he sees in it. Perhaps I will find answers.
It’s a well worn path, Chance. Just remember, you’ll meet alot of sinners along the way. Some to test your resolve. The Church is their hospital, not the museum of saints. Godspeed to you, and let us know how we can help.
You’re not the only one on that particular journey. Poke around on our site, and enjoy the feast.
I am a Protestant minister/teacher. I have been intrigued by the Eastern Church for the last few months. Much of what I’m reading and learning has me really questioning the Western Church.
Looking forward to more information.
Pastor Bob, check your email for a note from me.
John Hovak has an intersting reply. This is something that has created the most doubt in myself about my faith. The schisms within the true church. This type of thing has greatly taken my passion for The Church from me. Fr. John, Can you reply to John Hovak’s statement in anyway?
Certainly! John is trolling. He claims Orthodoxy is old men (despite the plethora of young men and women on our site and filling our churches), popish customs (knowing nothing about western liturgical customs or the disdain many Orthodox have for Rome), and silly religious ‘costumes’ – which begs little comment. He just wants Orthodoxy to be Lutheran. Are there schisms? Of course there are. Why? Because men go astray (is that really a surprise?), and when too far astray, they argue over their own way. National churches and ethnic phyletism are related, but only when away from the national church. John whines about Orthodox divisions, but says nothing of protestant ones, or Jewish ones, or muslim ones, or pagan ones. Humanity has been dividing itself since Babel.
Do you see how hard it has become to simply adhere to the primitive, Orthodox Christian faith – without additions or accretions? It is not easy. That is why, despite even separations from Coptic (Egyptian), Ethiopian, Armenian and Macedonian churches (all individual national churches), the whole Orthodox church remains together and one. Don’t be deceived. The Japanese Orthodox Church is as Orthodox as the Greek Orthodox Church, and all the rest. We are, in this respect, all the same.
I’m Protestant, at least my parents are.
I’m having a really hard time at the moment because of that, I have knawn someone 2 years ago, that told me and taught me many things about orthodoxy.
Now I’m 17 years old and I always had problem with religion and God till I met this person. (so two years ago, but that dose not mean that I don’t have problems now, actually it became harder)
I live in Austria i moved form Romania and for Italy.
I always had a bad immagin about Orthodox people and the Orthodoxy in general, mostly because my parents don’t relly appreciate other realigions and others opinions that are different of thire point of view. (Expecially Orthodoxy as they lived in Romania and most people are Orthodox, but not everybody practice that, so they may had a bad immagine. also because their Fathers were Pastors and also didn’t like Orthodox people and the Orthodox Church at all , so yeah, that would be a shock for them if they knew that I’m interested in such things)
However, I do think that Orthodoxy is actually one of the best thing I’ve come across my wohl life and I’d really like to learn more about it.
Maybe some of you know some books that I could read?
I’d really like to learn more about the history of christianity, the beginning, the problems, good and bad things that happend or jest facts that could help me, but I also want to improve my life and stard to believe more and also do something to change it. (so that i may be able to halp someome else one day who knows)
I don’t know a lot, but there are always people that ask me different things about christianity and God and sometime I just don’t know how to answer or it is relly hard to explane something (especially if they are not christian at all, than all that I say sound really irrational to people) from an orthodox view if you are not one but I try to use all the right and usefull infomations.
Anyway it is relly beautifull to see that there are other people that had similar problem and they solved them, that is relly halpfull and encouraging.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. God blessing.
(Excuse me for the bad english)
Thank you. I converted from Roman Catholic to Orthodox and feel like I have rediscovered Christianity. I am grateful for this, I never could relate to the Pope, and the Vatican. I like the fact that priests can marry. My only regret is that women can not go behind the iconostasis.
Thank you for the story of your journey thus far, Ben. It was well expressed and dealt with many of the issues which come up as God draws us onwards. This might be why so many readers appreciate it.
Wonderful welcome back to precious real Orthodox religion. You got the passcode now and keep on going!!!
Why is the move to Orthodoxy called a conversion? I have heard this term used a few times.
Because in many ways, it is a conversion to a new faith.
Can you tell me the ways? I want to understand what it is.
I’ve been a new convert for 21 years and full of joy!
Cradle Orthodox often don’t understand why? With tears I explain, and am grateful for the opportunity to find the Faith of my Scots forefathers again through faithful Greek, Russian and other ethnic Orthodox Christians.
My daughter writes Orthodox books published by Ancient Faith Publishing. She just uploaded her conversion to Orthodoxy video onto YouTube if it would be of interest to you: theasceticlivesofmothers
(Annalisa Boyd author of The Ascetic Lives of Mothers)
Unlike Protestant practices, there is no alter call, no coercion or emotional plea bidding one entry into the Orthodox Faith. I’ve known people who have waited many years and others about a year. Nobody ever asked me, I went to the Priest for a talk when I was ready and became Orthodox about 5 months after that. No rush. I still consider myself a beginner (probably always will!) The best part is that the Church is about Christ and not about me or how great the preaching , the choir or programs are!
How do you explain when you have been searching for Christ all your life, going from a cradle RC, leaving and going from church to church for almost 30 years, even becoming a Mennonite, and then by a mystery hearing music from the Orthodox Church, and then kneeling to ask, Lord, there are 26,000 denominations or more who claim to be your church. Tell me what it the True Church? Then the very next day finding the Eastern Orthodox Church. The first time I walked into a Orthodox Church I felt as I have heard many say, I am home! I have found the worship and holiness of God that is not found anywhere else. I still have so much to learn, but am so very happy now to be an Orthodox Christian. We were baptized as a family into the Orthodox Church a few months ago, Glory to God! We are home!
Matthew 7:7
Welcome home!
I was truly blessed by this testimony! I am born orthodox and was a devout orthodox young lady till my adult age…i was dragged into Protestantism church by relative who became protestant and was drawn into it for quite sometimes( because of my young age, it seemed so easy for me , and as such open doors to wrong doings and its consequences ! but God’s grace saved me) though down deep i never got convinced by Protestantism because smth was clearly missing ! As you put it , it was rational and our Mother virgin Mary so absent !! How could it be ??? Later God showed me the way through various obstacles of life and dreams , now am back to my root! There is no other way for me – Orthodox is so well rooted, you cannot be far from our Saint Mother Maria and Her Son Jesus – since i reconnected it seemed so obvious so healing..;am still recovering as I have been away from His House where Truth is available to heal you, connect you with our heavenly Father! I thank God for your life and testimony – it is an encouragement for all people looking for God, for Christ the only Truth given to us by our Father “for God loved the world so much”. John 3:16
As a wife and mother who yearns to be Orthodox, I resonated with this deeply. Especially the bit about truth moving from the head to the heart, for this has been the chief joy for me as I’ve attended our local Antiochian Church, St. John Crysostom in York, PA when my husband gives his blessing for me to go. He is Mennonite, as I suppose I still am too, though that identity has much faded as I’ve seen our faith tradition lose so much to rampant heresy. I am opposed on all sides in my interest; our friends are either Mennonite or Reformed, all with a strong distrust/disgust for all that I am finding dear and true. Please pray for me.
We will pray for you and your family. If asked questions, give short answers and don’t elaborate. Let the Holy Spirit to the work. Let us know if you need anything.
And don’t be afraid to be patient. God sees the heart.
Thank you, Fr. John.
My questions/concerns with Orthodoxy from my journey so far:
I have been drawn toward Orthodoxy for about a year now. It all began last Spring when I was living in Southern California after having been around the demonational block my first fifty years. Raised Roman Catholic, I turned to Protestantism as a young adult (charismatic, Pentecostal, fundamentalism, and then finally Presbyterian reformed). I found a little OCA mission work near my home and met the passionate priest of that little congregation. Unfortunately, my work had taken me back to Michigan, and I have not yet found such a place of worship, or a man like the Southern California priest, eager to provide spiritual guidance.
The priest that I’ve met at the Greek Orthodox church I now attend shows little interest to receive and educate the non-orthodox who are hungry to be guided and taught the orthodox faith. I made an appointment with him to share my life and my journey and he was more amazed about my past then he was with my discovery of Orthodoxy and that I am finally coming home. He simply gave me a book to read and I was out the door in twenty minutes. There has been no follow up since and that was four months ago. For myself, thus far, everything I’ve learned is from self-discovery, either through reading books, internet searches and listening to podcasts. How does one, who is an outsider (so to speak), find a qualified spiritual mentor in Orthodoxy? Time and time again, I leave the liturgy, or the bible study, still an orphan…standing in the cold, naked and hungry. I am desiring to begin taking the necessary steps toward Chrismation.
Perhaps I need to be more forward with this priest? Would you recommend I address him with these words of concern? Or do I continue to look for a church where I might find such a saint that is more interested in guiding me? My hope is to stay with this local church so that I have access to it during the week. Unfortunately, it seems to be more concerned with teaching people the Greek language and preparing for its summer festival, then it does in shepherding the flock to be in communion with its King. There is an OCA that’s not too far away, but I think I would be limited to attendance on Sunday’s only. When should I give up on the one and give the other a try?
Try the OCA church, and get back to me. Give the priest there a call and ask to meet with him.
Thank you Father John!
Fr. John, I’ve arranged a meeting with the OCA priest and will be attending liturgy there on Sunday. Thanks for your guidance!
Fr. John,
I am married and both my wife and I are evangelical Christians. I started seminary at a Protestant seminary in 2009. I became interested in Orthodoxy after taking an advanced Reformation class. Like so many of the stories I have read, I’m sure it’s familiar to you. I have attended Holy Week services at the local Greek Orthodox Church and have read many books of Orthodox theology, church fathers, etc. I would love to convert but my wife is comfortable where she is at. I find it very difficult, in many way, to engage in my own church. What would you say to someone like me? I really struggle and I want to participate in what I believe is the fullness of the faith.
Larry,
First – you’re on a well worn path, so relax. Make sure you strike up a relationship with your local priest. He will be invaluable to you.
Second, ask the Holy Spirit to do the work. Pray for your wife, marriage and the unity of husband and wife. Don’t worry. God knows the heart. I mean it, don’t worry, and don’t go too fast.
Third, stay in touch. Many of us have been through this. Let us know how we can help.
Start with your local priest!
I am very interested in learning more about Eastern Orthadox Christianity. I am a former lds missionary and am now attending a evangelical christian church. I love the church, but am constantly stunned at the lack of conviction and for lack of a better term….power….that the American Christian seems to have.
Where do I start?
Timothy,
Start with your local Orthodox priest. If you need help, contact us and we will put you in touch with one. Let us know when you have done so, and we will assist and answer questions to help you on this well-worn path!
How do I find a local priest? I live in The Boise Idaho Area.
My son also lives in the Boise area, and there are several good priests there. Check your email for a post from me shortly.
Thank you for posting. Many similarities already in my early journey. I attended 5 yrs ago, was hard on the faith and now am just returning humbly by the grace of God.
I thought it necessary to post a reply:
I am an American, raised Protestant Pentecostal. In retrospect, I would have called myself a Theist instead (as opposed to a Deist). If God is God then He ought to be able to do what he wants (i.e. miracles) or doesn’t want for that matter. The speaking in tongues thing seemed to me more of an odd fixation more than the full representation of whatever the original church looked like.
In college, I got caught up in a charismatic group that actually diverges from Protestantism entirely: The Prophetic. This group was a borderline cult and I have family still in it. There is a book called Charismatic Chaos that briefly touches on this. The Protestant author calls for return to Biblical teaching, however Orthodoxy presents adequate historical handling of Biblical teaching and 2000 years of trail-and-error life experiences, so I was gravitated to it, at the cost of direct opposition by and loss of my Prophetic friends.
Modern Protestantism in the United States experiences a continual “reinventing of the wheel,” always trying to rediscover or return to that ancient faith without ever actually arriving at it.
I saw Orthodoxy as the healthy balance of Scripture and Tradition and “Heresy Hunting” that even though there were icons and devotion to Mary, I had to be patient with these things and continue learning more. It turned out that my Pentecostal background supported the majority of the spiritual dimension of the Church and I needed no real help with that. Somewhere along the way, the veneration of saints (the Mother of Christ included) just “clicked” for me. The cloud of witnesses is in the Book of Hebrews and if all deceased Christian are…well, witnessing me then it just made sense to depict them (or at least the celebrated ones, i.e. canonized saints) on some walls.
Your journey is so very beautiful, thank you for sharing. I too am a Protestant convert and was longing for something deeper, I just didn’t know it at that time. But I did know my soul was not satisfied – it felt empty and lifeless. I didn’t know where to start or how to start but I knew I needed to start. So I started this journey five years ago, and I can tell you that it has been filled with tears of sadness for how I treated my past relationship with God. I have felt my old self let go of this world and the cares I used to have and cling to something much more real.True Love. I see the world differently, my heart is warm now and I wish everyone could see and feel the beauty Orthodoxy. I don’t have the background most converts have – I was raised in an average Protestant American home with a small amount of time devoted to God. My parents tried to get us a good base understanding of God when we were younger but as we got older the world took over our lives. Both of my parents died and I was left standing in the middle of a very scary world with not a whole lot to hold on to. Thank God for His mercy and grace along our journeys and for leading us here with His Love. May God always be with you and your family.
Carole, thanks for sharing that beautiful comment. Please consider writing up your own journey for us.
I’m a cradle Orthodox Christian. I must admit I was going to a non denominational protestant church for a while and it seemed there was nothing holy or divine about the service. It was more akin to a political rally than I expected. I stopped attending and I now have found new meaning in the Orthodox life. Liturgy is really a slice of Heaven. My concern is my sister who considers herself protestant. What can I do to encourage her to reconsider the True Faith?
Well, first, invite her to liturgy with you. You may want to consider a book like this, Divine Liturgy: A Student Study Text, to help describe what’s really going on. Of course, start daily prayers and Scripture reading. Get involved in a good Bible study. Learn your faith, and learn it patiently but well.
Second, don’t talk too much. Answer questions if she has them, but make them short answers. Let’s pray and let the Holy Spirit do the work. Be patient, and stay out of the way! Here’s the thing – if she sees you becoming a better Christian, she’ll be paying attention.
I am an ethiopian orthodox christian and i am proud of you
Protestants change the way of the bible, they change it how they want, not how god says.
Thanks bruk, pray for us!
Thank you for telling your story.
Thank you so much.
I am not of the Orthodox faith although I have been attending an Orthodox church for a few months.
My church background is steeped heavily in the two storey system that Fr. Freeman speaks of.
I was “saved” in the pentecostal church and after years of believing that I knew the only true church, I left protestanism to enter into the deep study of Judaism.
I found myself utterly lost and disheartened in my christian walk and hoped to find answers and direction in the synagogue.
This is when the search went full tilt.
It has been many years of reading, learning, searching, and asking.
One day I was introduced to an Orthodox Priest who has graciously and patiently answered my many questions and guided me to many resources that led my heart, not just my mind, into the Orthodox Church.
It is there that I first witnessed corporate worship and a reverance for God such as I had never seen. This is what my heart has longed for.
My journey has led me to the Prayer of the Heart, confession, Pascha, a deeper understanding of what salvation really is, Saints and the Desert Fathers, and so so much more. My faith grows daily and my heart has healed in ways I never even imagined. I have learned to rest in my Father and His amazing love for the first time. Slowly I grab hold of deeper truths and amazingly I am being changed from the inside as I find myself focusing more and more on Christ and less and less on outward experience.
Thank you..
Can one who falls more in line with Protestant reformation theology become a member of the Orthodox Church? In other words, he is willing to embrace the teaching of the Orthodox Church, but in his personal devotion would emphasize the mediation of Jesus Christ instead of placing significant emphasis on icons and saints.
Also, Does the Orthodox Church believe in purgatory?
No and no – Reformation theology and Orthodox theology are not compatible. I suspect that you haven’t attended many Orthodox services, which I do recommend, as all the theology of the Church is proclaimed in her hymnography (the highest form of theology). Otherwise you could not possibly believe we place ‘significant’ emphasis on icons and saints, but rather on the Resurrection of the God-Man, Christ Jesus. Icons are the guarantor of that theology, and saints are the proof that it heals and sanctifies.
No, Orthodoxy does not believe in purgatory.
As you learn more about the Orthodox faith, hopefully from living, flesh-and-blood Orthodox Christians, many of the questions you have will be easily answered.
Thank you for your response.
I am glad to hear that the Orthodox Church does not believe in purgatory.
Does the Orthodox Church consider Protestants Christians?
I am curious as to why so much emphasis is placed on Mary. It seems like she is almost raised to a place of divinity. (I mean no offense by saying this.)
Michael, We do believe some protestants are Christians, and that some (being non-Trinitarians, etc.) are not.
As for the ’emphasis on Mary’, I recommend you correspond with me by email. You may be reading a lot more into things than actually exists. I would guess that you have not attended any Orthodox services, or none in a language you could understand.
To us, Mary is the Great Example, not the Great Exception – but she is great. You should also remember that our understanding of the Mother of God is part of the interior Tradition of the Church, not the Gospel. Again, I recommend either visiting a local church or corresponding with me personally, as your conclusions are surprisingly erroneous – no offense intended.
Still a great journey-story Gabe. Loved it the first time. Thanks. Lord have mercy.
I have mixed feelings because every church believes they are the ‘true’ path. I’ve personally been led throughout my life from Baptist to Lutheran and Catholic to now an interest in Orthodox. The acceptance of, and relationship to, Christ are what have saved me, not my method of worship, though traditional services do make me feel I am more in communion with God here on Earth. I’ve known as many truly devoted church memebers in each congregation I’ve known. My brother gave up his interest in worldly things and began studying the Bible by age 7, and I’ve never known anyone with more Biblical insight and obedience to scripture. He is a Baptist pastor, sincere, humble, totally devoted to Christ and service to others. I do not think God calls people to salvation through one church, but that He is a big God who can use every denomination, or sometimes none, to save. It is not our choice of church that saves, but our choice of how serious our decision for our lives to be lived for God. I know that my brother, and others like him, who have accepted Christ, served the Lord and others their whole lives, have loved God with their whole hearts, and honored communion, within whatever denomination they happen to be in – will one day face the Lord and be told, ‘Well done’, and not that they did not go to the proper church. With all that said, I’m very glad that the Orthodox church has brought your soul to the correct place of dedication!
Amy, you are certainly free to ‘think’ what you want, but the truth is that just as tiny differences in medicine can mean the difference between life and death, so tiny differences in spirituality can mean the difference between being dead in sins without repentance (all the while being ‘happy’), and true life-transforming transfiguration – and the two are nothing alike. People don’t become Orthodox because they think it is the best choice. They become Orthodox when they realize it is the ONLY choice.
My humble apologies for my lateness to this most worthy inquiry. For my fellow protesters, of which I am one, born in the Lutheran tradition by baptism in the name of Triune God. In all sincerity, do you not grow weary of protesting the one true church? (vacillating between secular norms and the one true faith?). Protestantism, after more than 500 years, has proved to be an unresrtainable means for anyone who now wishes to promote any ideology, or current sociological agenda, regardless of God’s steadfast tradition, and God’s Holy Church, and the tradition of understanding and interpreting the Holy Scriptures. I can not help but feel this is the “basterdination” of the one True Faith. How many have we lead astray? Do you not feel the milestone around your neck? Not meaning to throw arrows, but rather to join with the faithful in the journey to theosis: What Protestants fail to understanding as the means of Sanctification.
Hi There.
I was raised in the Episcopal Church and in 2002 a friend in AA hinted to me (after getting sober) that I might want to consider the fact that my faith wasn’t genuine, wasn’t a true believer and that I needed to be born again (John 3:3) to be saved.
Shortly thereafter I invited Jesus into my heart and felt very passionate about my faith, attending church and Bible study.
This enthusiasm has since dried up and stopped attending church completely finding modern churches looking more like social clubs more than places to glorify God. I have recently felt drawn back to the Liturgy of the Episcopal Church which I find beautiful and inspiring, however often struggle with the idea that the reason might not be Biblical but “traditions of men” (Mark 7:8) and have recently begun listening to podcasts by a gentleman who is an Orthodox Christian.
I have been researching Orthodoxy a bit on my own, but wonder if anyone can recommend any resources to help me find out more about Orthodoxy.
Thanks.
Doug, start by reading the stories on this site. Next, consider a brief phone call with Fr. John Peck. He will direct you to your local Orthodox priest who will provide you with much assistance. Check your email for an invitation for a call.