Men and Orthodoxy

Frederica Mathewes-Green’s Men and Orthodoxy podcast (mp3 file) captures fairly closely my sentiments about and attraction to the Orthodox Church, coming from the robust pioneer-era Restoration Movement churches through the rather more effete Episcopal Church. Take a listen.

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Why Orthodoxy? XVII

Protestant Christians normally see the Church as comprised of individuals–all the individuals who are Christians add up to this thing called the Body of Christ. Protestants necessarily deny that any one group of Chrisitans can claim to be the one Church. “Churchiness” if you will does not extend to congregations or denominations except by way [...]

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I Know About “The Journey”: A Personal Account

Andrew, one of the commenters on the em church post I critiqued earlier yesterday, tagged me with being scornful of em churchers (and presumably other such folk). It is often remarked by em churchers against those of us who criticize the em church phenomena and its attendent structures and presuppositions that we somehow fail to [...]

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Why Orthodoxy? XV

I have spoken at some length of my meandering journey from my heritage churches of the Restoration Movement, to the Anglican churches, and finally to my long, lingering look at Orthodoxy. And there is an ever growing number of reasons as to why I should, need to, become Orthodox. But last night on the way [...]

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Orthodoxy as Fulfillment III

[Previous posts: Part I and Part II] The Orthodox Church is the fulfillment of my search for a living askesis. As a Restoration Movement Protestant Christian, I had a history-less Church. I had doctrine that was incomplete. But most importantly, I had no way to live an embodied faith. It is really difficult to capture [...]

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Orthodoxy as Fulfillment II

[Previous post: Part I] The Orthodox Church is the fulfillment of the doctrine in which I’d been raised and educated. There is an oversimplification of Orthodox doctrine which runs something like this: Orthodox hold to the ancient, unchanged doctrine of the apostles without addition (Roman Catholicism) or subtraction (Protestantism). Orthodox claim that with purgatory, the [...]

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Orthodoxy as Fulfillment I

I have recorded my peregrine spiritual journey elsewhere (see also here and here), so I will not attempt to recreate yet another account of my Orthodox journey. Rather, I want to simply speak to some of the things that Orthodoxy means to me, who am still as yet just outside the doors. I’ve expressed these [...]

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Orthodoxy Is the Thinking Man’s Faith (Why Orthodoxy? XI)

One does not normally associate theoretical or intellectual rigor with Orthodoxy. By that I don’t mean that Orthodoxy is incoherent, or doesn’t stand up to rigorous philosophical inquiry. After all, among the most brilliant of thinkers in the history of the Church are the Cappadocians, St. Maximus, and St. Gregory Palamas (who, I hasten to [...]

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Why Orthodoxy? X

A Continuation Back in December, I wrapped up a series of posts reflecting on why it was that Orthodoxy drew me. I listed several reasons: from the Orthodox Church’s honoring of the past and her respecting the present to the historical validity of her claims, from the unity of Church and home in her belief [...]

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Why Orthodoxy? Final Part of IX

Conclusion: What Remains; or, Why I Haven’t Yet Been Chrismated (Part IX of IX) [Note: The entire series can be found here, with the first entry at the bottom, and this last entry at the top.] I have tried to describe, as summarily as possible, those aspects of Orthodoxy which have drawn me to seek [...]

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