Why Should an Episcopalian Become Orthodox?

Pontifications ^ | 11/10/2004 | Fr. Stephen Freeman

[Kolokotronis]

" Is it a speculative wonder, or have they really thought about it? Have they written down their experiences? I'm curious."

I doubt any of them have written down their experiences, but I do know that one couple thought about becoming Orthodox long and hard and since then have wondered, as they hear from others or read about the troubles in the ECUSA, why others don't at least look. The last I spoke with them on this, and that was some time back in the fall, they opined that most Episcopalians don't even know Orthodoxy exists, or if they do they think its only for Greeks and Russians and suchlike folk. I'll ask Sunday.

[sionnsar]

The last I spoke with them on this, and that was some time back in the fall, they opined that most Episcopalians don't even know Orthodoxy exists, or if they do they think its only for Greeks and Russians and suchlike folk.

At a guess they aren't really aware of it in this country, except as an ethnic matter. I remember being a little surprised, a couple years back, when a fellow who was considering our church (he's a friend of our deacon) but chose the "local" (downtown Seattle) Greek Orthodox church instead.

I'll ask Sunday.

I'd be interested.

[mel]

I don't know how but I got on Spong's email list. The last email was beyond words, he explained why the virgin birth is just symbolic and that no one except a few people at places like Bob Jones University take it as literal history now. No wonder, Episcopal church is in decline.

[servantboy777]

yeah, a shame isn't it. I guess my comment to that would be, these people left the church. They are in no way Christian--no way.

The Episcopal conservatives will move on. When, where, how is still up in the air right now. My whole world as an Anglican are full of conservative people, kinda blows my mind the ECUSA is where it is now.

Spong and the like are being used by the enemy and don't even know it. Satan has torn down the Anglican tradition from within, but God's remnant still remains. We will be delivered. We serve a good God.

[Maeve]

It lives on also in the Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.

[sionnsar]

It lives on also in the Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.

Do tell!

[newberger]

OK,

See: http://www.antiochian.org/western-rite

[Maeve]

In the beautiful Service Book of the Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox they have a Divine Liturgy of St. Tikhon which is the Anglican Liturgy that St. Tikhon of Moscow had prepared seeking approval from the Holy Synod in Moscow so Anglicans could enter Orthodoxy in America. Metropolitan PHILIP and the Holy Synod of Antioch authorized this liturgy for Anglicans wishing to enter Orthodoxy but maintain much of their Anglican heritage.

In some ways it is an Orthodox parallel to the Anglican Use in the Roman Catholic Church.

[sionnsar]

The Episcopal conservatives will move on. When, where, how is still up in the air right now. My whole world as an Anglican are full of conservative people, kinda blows my mind the ECUSA is where it is now.

They have been moving on for a long time. Some are going to Continuing churches, some to Rome, some to Orthodoxy, some to other places in the world-wide Anglican Communion, and some to Protestant churches. How it's all going to shape up down the road is a guess.

[sionnsar]

Satan has torn down the Anglican tradition from within, but God's remnant still remains.

Remnant? You're the majority! It's only in North America, the UK and a few other places where this is going on. Remember, today even more than when I heard it in the 60s, the most representative Anglican is an African woman.

[sionnsar]

As some Latin Rite Roman Catholic parishes as well as Protestant Churches continue their decline by denial of basic Catholic faith, doctrine and worship by turning to inclusive language liturgies, which refer to God as mother (to name but one example) and promulgate woman “priests,” many traditional Catholic Christians of both the Roman and Anglican backgrounds are turning to the Orthodox Catholic Church.

This was a surprise! I didn't know this was going on in the Catholic church.

[mel]

It is beyond words to me that anyone can stay in a certain faith where the leaders (ie Spong) openly rejects the basic tenets of Holy Scripture. My former parish is still fairly strong, but it is in an urban area where the residents think they are slightly intellectually superior to the people in the suburbs. However, I must say the church has lost many long time members.

[MarMema]

ST PAUL

[sionnsar]

How long have they been there? I looked at that picture and thought "I know EXACTLY where that is!" From '93 to '95 I lived in Woodinville and cycled to work in Lynnwood, going up Atlas & Barker then down Poplar -- right past where the church is. (Memory vaguely recalls there being construction at the time, but I could be wrong...)

[MarMema]

Not sure, but we have friends at St. Spiridon who moved and transferred down, and I can ask them about the parish history. At least several years, I know. Their parishioners come to our festival and I can remember helping to find a lost little boy from their parish many years ago at our festival.
(his father told me it was because the little boy was so comfortable at Orthodox churches, so he took off on his own - cute little guy)

Our festival,btw, is 10/1 and 10/2. You and your wife are invited. Would love to see her again. I will only be there on 10/2 because of a long-ago-committment to a Scouting activity on 10/1.
We sell very wonderful pastries and russian food.

[Maeve]

Evil happens in the Catholic Church, but it gets smacked down. Unlike the Episcopal Church, there are higher authorities that ultimately preserve the Catholic Truth. Sometimes the Catholic Church is very slow in reacting to such an evil as calling God by a name He has not revealed but other times the Church moves quickly. The Magisterium and documents like the Universal Catechism have helped to turn the tide against the liberals in the Catholic Church.

To be clear, there are no legal inclusive language liturgies in the Catholic Church. In fact, the new translation of the Mass into English will make the translation even more faithful to the Latin original.

In recent years a small number of Catholics have left the Church for one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches because of fury with the Catholic bishops over their scandalous behavior in handling priests who were deviants, abusers, predators, homosexuals, ephebophiles, and pedophiles. Others equally outraged simply found their home in the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church -- like the Maronite Catholics.

[servantboy777]

That just goes to show ya how green I am. I've been in the Episcopal church for seven years, I have seen dramtic changes within this time.

I'm frankly tired of all the talkin, just wished we could do a split and move on.

[sionnsar]

That just goes to show ya how green I am. I've been in the Episcopal church for seven years, I have seen dramtic changes within this time.
I'm frankly tired of all the talkin, just wished we could do a split and move on.

Patience, young Anglican, have patience. Anglicans are very Entish in some ways. *\;-)

But I think we're getting near; I doubt you'd see seven more years without action.

[sionnsar]

OMG; we were at a friend's party in Ballard this afternoon, and the way home took us close by -- so we went and looked. I was *almost* right on location; it's about 50 meters further up the road than I'd guessed. And when I last rode by there was construction on that hillside, but whether it was the church or some development close by I can't say.

Thank you for the invitation. What is the timing on 10/02? We are tied up at church in the morning (LibreOuMort is the church organist and I the lay reader, so we cannot miss the service), but later could be free.

[Maeve]

I meant to send you this link:

http://www.westernorthodox.com/