I grew up in Protestantism. It has no doubt influenced me and it is through Protestantism and more specifically in evangelicalism that I came to know Christ. However, since I began researching early church history and church history in general, Eastern Orthodoxy has grabbed my attention and heavily influenced me. When westerners view eastern orthodoxy, they are quick to point out that it is mystical. But otherwise they know little to nothing about it. For example, did you know that for the first 1000 to 1200 years of the church, that eastern orthodoxy and Catholicism were united and in communion with one another? Like Roman Catholicism, they can trace their roots back to the first churches planted by the apostles.
As western Christians and the western world in general, we tend to use rationalism as the final and sole arbiter of truth. I have come to the conclusion that we should use our reason and rationalism, but when we try to search the mysteries of God, we will hit a road block. This is the view of Eastern Orthodoxy. There are doctrines in our faith that we as finite humans will not be able to fully reason out. doctrines such as the trinity and the fact that Christ is 100% God and 100% man. We need to learn to be okay with these unexplained gray areas.
In my journey, I feel God pushing me to liturgical worship. As I examine myself and ask why this is, I come up with a few speculations. For those of you who know me, I am extremely resistant to change and routine. Also, my life is extremely unorganized with no discipline, as my parents can attest to very well. Ever since I've been modeling my prayer life off of the church calendar and have been adopting Eastern Orthodox prayer practices, My life has completely changed. It has put an adrenaline shot into my prayer life. For the first time in my life, I actually feel joy as I feel connected to God and the body of Christ as never before.
For the past few years I have been slowly but surely pulling away from evangelicalism. The reasons for this are many but are way too many for this post so I will list the top 3. The first and foremost is because of my chronic severe depression. As I have talked to a few evangelical pastors and leaders and asked them how they deal with members who have depression, they have either told me that they have no sufficient answers or that their church is not equipped to deal with that. I was rather baffled due to there being statistics of rampant depression and suicide rates in the states and Colorado being among the highest ranked.
Reason number two is because of Tradition. While Tradition isn't as authoritative as the bible and isn't necessary for salvation, I strongly believe it should be given weight and considered. The official general teaching in Protestantism about Tradition is that it is valuable but not on the same level as scripture. This is not what I see in much of evangelicalism. My experience is that I see Tradition laughed off, disregarded and treated as irrelevant. This is a very American and modern view and I think Martin Luther would roll over in his grave at hearing this. Tradition does not take away from Christianity nor does it take away glory from God. It enriches it!
And finally reason number three is the disconnect I see when I compare Jesus and the early church fathers in their context when compared to today. The worship is completely different. Worship has always been liturgical. While I wouldn't be dogmatic and say it's the only way, there is much beauty in liturgical worship and it truly is focused on glorifying God. I attended Divine Liturgy at Saint Luke's today and for the first time ever, I sang. Sang! I never sing! Liturgical worship has directed my ADD mind to praise God.
I have been giving serious thought and prayer to switching traditions. I haven't made a final decision because I want to compare doctrines and continue researching the early church. Don't get me wrong, Evangelicalism has many positive attributes. It is how I came to a saving faith and I will continue to have faith in Christ as my savior all of my days. Whether you are a believer in the Protestant or Catholic tradition, I still consider you a brother/sister in Christ. I am convinced that God is pulling my heart this way. In whatever I decide, I am not deciding without much research and especially prayer. In fact, the vast majority of my free time is currently dedicated to prayer, research and study of whether I want to join the Eastern Orthodox tradition or not. As a lover of history, I feel most connected to the church and God when I am immersed in it. I am fully aware of many of the doctrines and practices that most protestants would object to such as communion of the saints, The sacraments, icons, Apostolic Succession and the ecumenical councils. My challenge to those of you who object to these would be this: Research it. Not just what you are taught but arguments from the other side and the scriptural basis for these doctrines. these doctrines have been around for much longer than Protestantism has even existed. You don't have to believe in these. Just consider both sides of the argument. That goes for any topic really. Not just faith. I would like to close with this verse in favor of ecumenism My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one,Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
-John 17:20-23
No comments:
Post a Comment