Posted on 08/30/2018 10:35:03 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
In the past five or six years, I have known several people who have left Reformed Christianity for Eastern Orthodoxy. Their reasons for making that decision varied. Some were mesmerized by the beauty of the Divine Liturgy. Others found Eastern Orthodoxy (hereafter EO) to offer a greater appreciation for mystery and religious experience than what they had known as a Protestant. All of them, however, were attracted by and eventually convinced of EO’s claim to be the original church founded by Christ.
While I do not agree with their decision, I sympathize with their desire to be part of the historic Christian church, one that stretches back to the days of the early fathers. Many Protestants and evangelicals attest to feeling disconnected with the ancient church, and desire greater certainty that the church they attend has not been drastically changed by the world over the passing centuries.
Some express a genuine desire to know what happened in Christian history before their particular tradition emerged, and how their tradition connects to that history. Some complain that the Protestant narrative of church history makes an illegitimate jump from the era of the apostles to the Reformation, as if the Christian church barely existed during the centuries in between. As one convert explains, “I grew up in a fundamentalist ‘Bible church’ that loved God and had a clear desire to serve him, but I questioned why my church was so isolated from other Christians. By the time I graduated from high school I found something in the more historical faith of Reformed Presbyterianism but still wondered what exactly transpired between the first century A.D. and 1517."
(Excerpt) Read more at christurc.org ...
Excellent article. Thank you for posting.
Obviously can't be the case.
The main attempt to fill in that Big Empty Space, from the POV of their particular Baptist circle, was J.M. Carrolls's pamphlet "The Trail of Blood" which basically embraced every heretical group you ever heard of --- whether they believed in the Trinity or the 27 Books of the NT or not --- to cobble together some kind of 1400 year history out of nothing much...
Turns out the author, Dr. Carroll, actually retracted it when he realized that the groups he had pressed into service as "missing links" between NT Christianity and the 16th century Reformation--- the Paulicians, Donatists, Albigenses, Waldenses, Montanists -- did not even vaguely resemble the Baptist faith, and could not possibly have been co-religionists with each other, let alone forerunners of his denomination.
Close, but no cigar.
Former RC here looking into EO. Hope to become a catechumen perhaps later this year.
To find the early church one must turn to the NT Scriptures. There one will find the early church.
I will live and die a Catholic. I do respect the EO church (husband is an EO and we were going to both Mass and Divine Liturgy for 10 years, in the choir, fairly tough Great Lent and all that.)
I admit I've got a big advantage over some Catholics, in that my parish and the Dio of Knoxille are good. It would be a whole lot harder for me if we had a Judas Priest or a Bishop who was on the take (or on the make.)
If I were you, I'd probably see if there was a good Cath parish/Dio within an hour's drive or so. But you may have an entirely different landscape.
God bless. Periodic reports, please!
Will do! Thanks for the kind and encouraging words!
Welcome to you!!!!
During the fall when the weather cools down a bit, will check out an Ukrainian Rite Greek Catholic Church not far from the nursing home where my mother went to live before she passed. I have a study Bible that is used by ERC/EO Churches which OT came from EO seminary and NT is crom NKJV.
Correction: from.
From the historical perspective yes. But cannot deny the reality of the Eastern Christian Churches.
I am wondering if the Church is in its own version of a civil war?
If it is the EO then it is not Roman Catholicism.
Out of curiosity why aren’t you using the Douay Rheims?
Ping!
The newer Bibles have easy to understand English.
In 20 minutes I'm out the door to go teach my RCIA class. Our lesson this week is on Sacramentals. But I'm going to hand out a 1-page outline of the basic crisis that's hit over the last month, and next week, when I do my Intro lesson on Church History, I'm going to put some major emphasis on "Crises in the Church."
It's a challenging topic to tackle, especially with (mostly) youngish adults who have zero experience in the Church and possibly little awareness of history in general. But I'm going to try to explain that, Yes, this is a atime of major danger and disunity in the Church. Civil war, as you might say --- though there's no shooting. Yet.
And I'll try to show how God has dealt with these situations in the past. First, you go through a season of catastrophic loss. Then people seriously repent, and call on the Lord to save us. Then, God raises up saints to pull us out of the fire, set us back on our feet, and start anew.
I'm in a hurry just now. I'll get back on this later!
Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine inheritance.
Grant victory to Thy Church over her enemies,
and protect Thy people by Thy Holy Cross!
To find the early church one must look outside the Book to the Church which gave the Book to the world.
The Church predates the canon of scriptures for it was the Church which determined the canon of scripture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.