Posted on 01/25/2007 5:27:17 PM PST by Bokababe
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit is emerging as a national center for the rebirth of Orthodox Christian churches, which have deep ethnic roots in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Social scholars say the churches are growing in the United States through immigration and conversion. Next week, many of Detroit's Orthodox leaders will host the first in a series of conferences planned nationwide for non-Orthodox clergy who want to explore conversion.
The Rev. John Fenton is betting his life on the growing popularity of Orthodox Christianity. He and his wife have packed up their six children from the rectory of a Detroit church where he was a Lutheran pastor until late October. They've moved into a small home in Allen Park, leaving behind Fenton's clergy salary and, soon, his health insurance.
"My wife and I have spent a lot of time in prayer about this whole move, and it is difficult, but we do believe that God is leading us," Fenton told the Detroit Free Press.
On Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 in Troy Fenton plans to join a small number of clergy nationwide choosing ordination as Orthodox priests. Fenton has lined up 16 former Lutherans as charter members of a new Orthodox parish he plans to open......
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
Hamtramck used to be predominantly Polish Catholic but now they play the muslim caterwauling 5 times a day over loudspeakers. (Thank you ACLU)
There are still plenty of Polish Catholics in the Detroit area but they have moved out of that neighborhood.
Orthodox ping
Meant to ping you two on this.
ping
Fr. Fenton is a very respected member of the editorial board of the Bride of Christ, the quarterly publication of Lutheran Liturgical Renewal. According to the Church Directory ad in that publication he celebrated "sung Mass" twice every Sunday and "low Mass" on Wednesdays plus holydays. He was a frequent contributor to the journal.
Once again we find the best and brightest swimming either Bosporus or Tiber.
I suppose I can't approach appreciating what a gut wrenching move this must be for him and his family.
The conference the article refers to is likely one of a series which are being held around the country over the next few weeks. Here's a link to the Detroit meeting site:
http://orthodoxdetroit.com/
The discussion of this on Ancient Faith Radio (internet based) says that it is open to all Protestant ministers and priests.
The Christian churches should install bells and ring em loudly at the same time...or before and after the Muslim noise. :(
St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Church is right NEXT to the new Islamic Center of America mosque on Ford Road in Dearborn. I wonder how well they're getting along;-)
There should be NO NOISE of any kind at that hour. Sleep is precious!!!!
Can't help but think of... Before the Rain!
When he converted to Orthodoxy, several leading Missouri Synod commentators (names deleted out of charity) went ballistic on the Internet. They railed against Fr. Fenton's "breaking his ordination vows" and against Orthodoxy itself, saying that it consisted of "empty ceremomy with no Gospel in it". Finally, a LCMS pastor with a cooler head reminded the hotheads that Luther and the other Reformers had quite a different, and positive, view of Orthodoxy.
Meanwhile, in the ELCA, we have a different sort of anti-Orthodoxy. The "bishop" of our synod said that the main reason that they do not have a greater emphasis on dialogue with the Orthodox is that "we differ on sexuality". In other words, that bogus "bishop" chooses the filthy and disgusting "gays" over our mother church!!!! And who's WE anyway?
And that synodical "bishop" also choses bowing and scraping to islam over Orthodoxy as well. Add the new anti-Orthodox ELCA hymnal to the mix, and the ELCA outdoes even the worst of Fr. Fenton's LCMS critics in anti-Orthodoxy, despite seeming less vitriolic in public.
Meanwhile, I am preparing to celebrate St. Sava's Day with my Serbian Orthodox congregation, and with my Serbian Orthodox bishop. I am sure that the Gospel will be there, in Word and Sacrament and liturgy. And I have a much better relationship with my Serbian bishop. I have talked with him a lot more than with the ELCA "bishop" (whom I have only seen once), we have prayed for each other, etc. And he is a scholar who teaches the Apostolic Faith, not the "gay"/feminazi agenda and abject dhimmitude!!
I'm happy he is converting to a Church
I'm not familiar with that LCMS alphabet soup.
PDL = Purpose Driving Life (or church). The Rick Warren plan to dilute theology and drive out your more orthodox membership in 40 days.
" But I am starting to wonder if this isn't going to have more fall out in the time to come."
In what way? I'm curious. I will say that in a conservative group like the LCMS, I suppose such a reaction is to be both expected and understandable. From what I have gleaned here from you and others, including a Lutheran priest from the midwest whom I believe is LCMS but may be WS and often comes to our devotions during Great Lent if he is around, they are trying to fight the good fight and preserve orthodox Lutheranism. When one of their leading lights up and leaves, it must be discouraging. Was there a similar reaction to the conversion of Jaroslav Pelikan?
Question: What is the Cannonical requirement for formation for convert Clergy? It seems awful quick ordaining someone five months after conversion.
From what I read there was (I was in college at the time, and wasn't paying attention). The problem is there are a great many who see the new "mega church" movement and want to rearrange doctrine and practice to attract more "seekers". So you get big barns with feel good fluff and no or little Law and Gospel.
The more conservative LCMS members are pushing back, and at times getting a little over board. (Paolina himself said that when the ELCA went Methodist, and the LCMS started going Baptist, it was time to leave).
One of the claims of some of the more liberal groups in the LCMS is that the more conservative (orhtodox) Lutherans are really crpyto Papists (or Orthodox), and Fenton leaving with half his parish gives fuel to that. Never mind that Fenton was trying to bring back the faith and practice of what the early Lutheran Reformers were trying to do.
So in the end, both sides don't like him much. One because they feel betrayed, and the other because I suspect they feel guilty.
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