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gchancy
Starting Member
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - 10/10/2006 : 00:17:07
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Recently a poster on the Website Orthodox Circle wrote an impassioned plea. He and his wife are adult converts to Orthodoxy. They have visited our church in the past, but are now attending a mission closer to their home. The gentleman wanted to know, in regards to growing the Orthodox Church, “How can we inform the masses about our church, so that it doesn't seem so strange to the protestants?”
That is a common question, even from converts who themselves have embraced the Orthodox Christian faith. The general feeling is that Orthodoxy is somehow foreign. It is strange and different, so unlike anything American that it is bound to be incomprehensible to an American audience.
The fact that this idea is common among Orthodox Christians in the United States, however, does not make it true. In fact, the theory and practice of Orthodoxy is not hard to explain to Americans in a cultural context which they can understand.
While practicing authentic Orthodoxy can be hard, explaining it isn’t. That is, if you use cultural archetypes that Americans can readily understand. This isn’t a new idea, of course, Jesus Himself did the same thing. After all, didn’t He use pastoral and agricultural imagery such as lost sheep and fields of grain to explain his message to a largely rural audience?
How can this be applied in the real world? Let’s examine that, and begin with one of the most ‘foreign’ things about Orthodoxy, the veneration of icons.
We Orthodox venerate icons. This is an action that is frequently misperceived by Protestants, most of whom are iconoclastic and associate religious images with idolatry. Given his own lack of sacred images, how can one explain the veneration of icons to an American without resorting to long lectures on the 7th Eucemincal Council?
Simple. Americans, all Americans, do have at least one sacred image. It’s called the Flag of the United States. Military personnel salute the flag, even when it is simply flying on a flagpole and they are all by themselves. A flag can’t know they are saluting it, but yet they do it anyway. Why? Americans in patriotic settings, such as the funeral of a veteran, kiss the flag. It’s simply a scrap of cloth, isn’t it? Why kiss it? And, Americans use the flag to hallow various occasions by facing it, placing their hand over their heart, and reciting a national creed known as the Pledge of Allegiance.
The power of this symbol to provide a focus for our love of America is, of course, why so many patriotic Americans are incensed by the idea of burning a flag or abusing one in any way. In fact, as any Boy Scout knows, there are distinct rules about how a flag can be treated, and even how an old flag can be destroyed.
Americans see nothing wrong with venerating this secular image in exactly the same ways in which we treat our icons. When carrying out any of those acts, Americans know that their honor and veneration are for our homeland and its culture. They understand that they aren’t paying homage to a mere yard of fabric, but to the reality that it makes present.
This cultural fact of high devotion to an icon like the flag is a bridge to explaining the use and, in fact, the need for Holy Icons. Just as the patriot needs a tangible representation of his American nation, so do Christians need tangible representations of our faith.
Beyond the flag, of course, the need for icons is attested to universally in our culture. Need to get an audience’s attention at work during a presentation? The first thing you do is create a PowerPoint to go along with the spoken word. Truth be told, the same thing is happening in officially iconoclastic churches. Studies tell us that 80% of all mega-churches use visual aids during worship. The Protestant pastors running the show instinctively understand that something is missing, and they are trying to fill the gap. Some are even turning to permanent artwork to meet the need, as a trip to many mega-churches will reveal ‘inspirational’ murals and other decor.
Besides the veneration and use of icons, many Americans consider the veneration of relics to be strange. When this comes up, I often ask, “Would you rather have your grandmother’s ring, or a ring worth 10 times as much?”
The answer is almost always, “My grandmother’s ring, of course!” But why? What is so special about your grandmother’s ring? The answer is obvious, because it was your grandmother’s. Even the most secular American or the most raging Protestant instinctively understands that physical objects are affected by the person with whom they are in close proximity. Almost everyone would treasure owning something that belonged to a dear relative or friend, even if the object itself is trivial.
It also goes the other way as well. Almost no one would want to own an article of clothing worn by Hitler. In fact, one study found that people even objected to owning an article of clothing woven from fabric taken from an article of clothing owned by Hitler. They didn’t even want to so much as come into contact with the thread itself.
People feel, instinctively, that great sentiment, or great evil, can become attached to inanimate objects and can somehow affect them. The Bible is complete with such stories, such as when Elisha used his master Elijah’s cloak to divide the water of the Jordan River. How much more, of course, would a Christian value an object that had actually been touched by Jesus Christ, such as the True Cross? Or, why should we not feel blessed to touch that which is associated and transformed by being in close proximity to a holy man or woman?
The Orthodox use candles as a form of prayer. What is the first thing that everyone does after a tragedy of some kind? They organize a candlelight vigil. We Orthodox worship in a liturgical fashion with high ceremony. Did you ever attend the rituals conducted by a fraternity or sorority, many of whom were founded by religious Protestants? Ever wonder why so many Baptists are Masons? While they eschew liturgy in the Church, they embrace it in the Masonic Lodge. Even on a national scale, did you witness the high ritual of Ronald Reagan’s funeral?
Many are even finding a sense of mystery and liturgy in the Occult. It is no accident that most Pagan practices look more like a liturgy than a Protestant revival, and it isn’t because Liturgy is evil. Rather, it is that those who do not have meaningful liturgy in Church are desperately seeking it wherever they can find it, even at the hands of a Pagan priest.
To sum everything up, far from being foreign, Orthodoxy is in fact the religious faith that is most normal for mankind, whether of the American or Russian persuasion. That Orthodoxy appears strange or alien to our fellow Americans is not their fault. It’s ours. We’ve failed to understand the essential harmony of our faith with the nature of man as God intended him.
In fact, Orthodox practices are what people everywhere do naturally, when left to their own devices. Properly explained, Americans can get this fact. After all, didn’t most of us?
Originally printed in the Martyr Magazine October 2006 Edition. |
Edited by - parascheva1014 on 10/10/2006 09:14:49 |
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Anthony
Starting Member
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2007 : 07:26:16
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Very interesting comments, much food for thought here.
This is probably predictable and naive on my part, but, as a recent convert from evangelicalism, I don't think we should "explain" how/why we are different to protestants. Let our worship stand on its own. That what a catacumen goes through...a lot of cognitive dissonance. |
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Emanuel
Junior Member
USA
338 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2007 : 22:38:50
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| The best way to evangelize to Protestants, and Catholics too, for that matter: Invite them to Liturgy!!! Especially invite them to Holy Week services! The services, hymns, icons, etc. say it all. I dare anyone from a Protestant background NOT to be touched by Good Friday Lamentations or Pascha Midnight Liturgy. |
Edited by - Emanuel on 04/02/2007 22:40:14 |
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Darinka
Junior Member
131 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 12:43:51
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| Do not forget to live your own life as an 'icon' of faith in Christ. Unfortunately, many Orthodox place all emphasis on Liturgy and the rubrics of ceremony. These are vital for our worship, but unless an Orthodox Christian lives his life, at every moment, in an Orthodox manner, he will not truely be Orthodox nor will he be able to provide a witness to the True Faith. Think of how much 'different' an Orthodox Christian appears to 'everyday Americans' when he forgives every insult instead of looking for the world's justice or trying to 'get even'? Or when an Orthodox Christian fails to boast of accomplishments, all of which would not otherwise be attainable, if not for the grace of God? Of course, this a life long effort, and I fail daily, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner. |
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George
Junior Member
USA
446 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 20:24:57
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| Darinka, I agree very strongly. That's the biggest challenge and that's exactly what we must keep trying to do. If I am not mistaken, it's called "orthopraxia," right? There is no Orthodoxy without "orthopraxia," and "orthopraxia" is the best explanation of Orthodoxy for the world. --G. |
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Darinka
Junior Member
131 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2007 : 13:17:11
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Dear George,
Yes, and here is a quote:
"Theology without action (praxis) is the theology of demons."
—St. Maximos the Confessor
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George
Junior Member
USA
446 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2007 : 14:18:28
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| Thank you for the exact quote, Darinka. Of course, Sv. Maksym Ispovidnyk. :) |
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Emanuel
Junior Member
USA
338 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2007 : 22:22:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Darinka
Do not forget to live your own life as an 'icon' of faith in Christ. Unfortunately, many Orthodox place all emphasis on Liturgy and the rubrics of ceremony. These are vital for our worship, but unless an Orthodox Christian lives his life, at every moment, in an Orthodox manner, he will not truely be Orthodox nor will he be able to provide a witness to the True Faith. Think of how much 'different' an Orthodox Christian appears to 'everyday Americans' when he forgives every insult instead of looking for the world's justice or trying to 'get even'? Or when an Orthodox Christian fails to boast of accomplishments, all of which would not otherwise be attainable, if not for the grace of God? Of course, this a life long effort, and I fail daily, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
I agree completely. I apologize for not mentioning it. What you said is perhaps the most important of all. (That is why we need the monastics so badly in this country--they serve as examples of faith to everyone, not just the Orthodox, to emulate.) |
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Milliardo
Starting Member
Philippines
6 Posts |
Posted - 04/27/2008 : 17:04:03
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| Orthodoxy will be hard to explain to many people who have been exposed to Western Christianity (Catholic, Protestant) for a very long time, so it will seem alien to them. Where I live, which is mostly Catholic, most people have not even heard of the Orthodox Church, and it doesn't help that there is a very small Orthodox population. We only have one church (and one chapel) that serves a city of 5 million people. That in itself would already tell you what daunting task the Church faces in our place. And some here even regard Orthodoxy as a cult--again, it's more due to ignorance than anything else. The best I can often do is direct them to articles in Wikipedia, since that would at least help them understand better. |
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mainecooncrazy
Starting Member
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2010 : 09:40:06
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| I am new to the Orthodox Church, and this has been a very helpful post. My family is mostly independent Baptists, which is what I was raised in. I always thought the Roman Catholic church and the Orthodox was the same, I had visited Catholic churches, and I have come away with a big change of heart... Orthodox feels like home to me, even though it is totally different from what I was used to. This will help me explain some of the differences to relatives. Thanks everyone! |
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macacic
Moderator
USA
1968 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2010 : 14:32:37
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| Welcome to the forum, mainecooncrazy. |
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Al Lipscomb
Starting Member
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2010 : 15:59:16
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| As a recent convert I was thinking of the same questions. But my current view is that there are plenty out there who are outside of any church, they need my attention the most. |
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bluegrey
Starting Member
4 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 20:12:07
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| I recently started attending Eastern Orthodox church and like so many found a home there. This is great article, very helpful how to explain orthodoxy to my friends(who are all evangelicals) |
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Orthopraxis
Starting Member
11 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2010 : 07:56:48
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Perhaps one can think of cherished family photos of those who are departed.
Icons, theology in color, remind us that not even death can separate us from the body of Christ. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are as much still a part of the Church as we are! As a body which is one -not even death divides the body!- we will not forget our loved ones in Christ, especially, from whom we can learn so much still, nor will they forget us; as the book of Revelation says, their prayers rise before God's throne now and unto the ages of ages.
Icons may seem "foreign," at first blush, but koinonia (κοινωνία), communion, or more literally LIFE TOGETHER (as Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer translated it) is something Western Christians do understand; what they have tragically forgotten is that not even death can divide the unity of the Church, as in how Protestantism divides the body of Christ into living verses dead, severs the LIFE TOGETHER in Christ God promises us through the love of God which we are told by Paul not even death can hinder. How empty are Protestant assemblies by comparison! |
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asorthodox
Junior Member
USA
125 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2010 : 15:56:26
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I appreciate your analogies in explaining some things In our faith. However, I do not think this reveals our faith to those outside, which I believe remains a problem. It is difficult to simply tell someone about our faith, and much better if they see it practiced and experienced in some way. But beyond that they need to develop a mindset that accepts what we believe and how to interpret it. For example, we can speak of fasting as a benefit to persons and not a rule, and teach persons that they need to fast as they can for their own benefit--but even saying this we do not say it is beneficial to ignore the fast--a deeper understanding of a difference between teaching and rules, religion and faith, etc. is needed.
Likewise we can speak of our ecclesiology as not having a pope but having bishops in countries, but there is far more to it, and we would not believe we are just like Roman Catholics but without a pope.
We can speak of our approach to sin and how it escapes the legalism of the west, but one needs to comprehend this.
We can speak of Mary as without sin, but then must differentiate as to how we do not recognize the immaculate conception...
We can go on and on about these subjects.
Also we speak in Orthodoxy of sacrifice, of the place of suffering, of acceptance, and in our culture some of these things are simply alien.
Fr. William |
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Orthopraxis
Starting Member
11 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2010 : 03:08:27
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Good points asorthodox; unique to Orthodoxy is the insistence that it cannot be truly understood unless it is lived.
Do you think analogies which, in the words of the original post “inform the masses about our church, so that it doesn't seem so strange” do more harm than good, or can they be of use?
To carry this to the extreme would surely border on trying to "eff the ineffable," though, and could function as has principle of rationalization which from medieval Roman Catholic scholasticism to the Reformation to the Enlightenment and beyond has done more to deconstruct the faith by presuming it not mostly Mysterious than to advance it. Infinity cannot be advanced and is utterly other than our concepts. |
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Explaining Orthodoxy
