Posted on 06/17/2026 10:52:46 PM PDT by Cronos
In the late 2000s, Li became a believer through a campus Bible study shortly after he began attending its meetings.
Li worshiped in an evangelical church that held contemporary services shaped by joyful, fast-paced praise songs. But the upbeat worship music, coupled with his busy work schedule, “made his heart even less quiet,” said Li, who is in his mid-30s.
Then he stumbled upon Ancient Faith Radio, a digital network of broadcasts offering Eastern Orthodox liturgical music and teaching. The melodies he listened to were simple, solemn, and contemplative. “It felt like another world,” he said.
Li began exploring the Eastern Orthodox tradition while studying theology at the University of Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall. He read widely, comparing Protestant and Orthodox arguments about the faith, and found the Orthodox responses “more persuasive than expected.” He joined the Orthodox church in China in 2022.
“There was a deep dissonance between the beauty I found in the writings of the early church and the functional pragmatism of much [of] evangelical church life,” Li said on a Zoom call from a room lined with Chinese evangelical theology books, now flanked by Orthodox icons and a wooden cross.
Li is not the only evangelical of Chinese descent who has turned eastward in recent years. A burgeoning number of Chinese believers find Eastern Orthodoxy appealing because it offers a connection to a historically rooted faith and a richer experience of the spiritual life—aspects that contemporary evangelicalism seems to lack.
Li remains at peace with his decision to become an Orthodox believer. “People are looking for a faith that is not only true but solid: something that can stand when everything around them is changing,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianitytoday.com ...
As they read the church fathers, learned about the early councils, and studied how the canon of Scripture was discerned, they asked whether their inherited evangelical structures had adequately preserved the breadth of the apostolic tradition."
The depth of Orthodox thought and prayer is staggering.
Reading John Chrysostom is just scratching the surfacd
Orthodoxy demands a radical shift in daily life, including strict fasting, a structured prayer rule, and a focus on humility
Orthodoxy doesn’t allow half measures. It is an entire way of life. Those who are ready start preparing for that reality. Those who are not either remain on the sidelines or take the easier, more familiar path
So encouraging!
Geographically, it made me think of the storied city of Harbin aka “The Moscow of the East.”
“Jerry Feng writes about the fascinating mix of Russian, Jewish, and Chinese histories of Harbin, China, and how this rich diversity plays a role in today’s Harbinite identity.”
https://chinahandsmagazine.org/2024/12/24/harbin-the-moscow-of-the-east/
As I recall, Hank Hannegraff, the long time Evangelical Christian radio "Bible Answer Man" (who succeeded the great Dr. Walter Martin, may he rest in peace) also had something of a conversion experience after visiting Christians in China, and subsequently became an Eastern Orthodox.
The fusion of the two is what is just so so beautiful. I attended Christmas mass while in St. Petersburg, Russia at the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria…and the candlelight… combined with Catholic hymns with Orthodox chanting. Ahh!
And the priests were from Ukraine and Poland.
Yes, it does seem that way.
7 years ago we went to https://monaster-suprasl.pl/ - Suprasl, a town next to the Belarussian border. Beautiful Orthodox monastery. We went in to visit and the guide was a Polish Orthodox monk, speaking in Polski to an audience of Poles (most of whom were I would guess, Catholic). But instead of focusing on the beauty of the place, or the deep faith, he did what you experienced and I found that off-putting and purposeless.
Sad that a political standoff keeps us apart
Matthew 13
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Liturgically Orthodox Lutherans also understand that we ought to worship God with our minds, body and spirit.
But, but, feelz!
Eastern Orthodoxy is a decentralized old-style Catholicism without a Pope. Lots of custom, tradition, and ceremony. None of the LGBT and catering to other religions that infects modern Catholicism.
As do the liturgically orthodox Methodists.
“As do the liturgically orthodox Methodists.”
I have zero knowledge about these, could you explain more please?
i always thought that Methodism was kind of “low-church Anglicanism” in its worship. Could you enlighten us please?
Yes, jagusafr, lease ping me on your reply. I, too, would like to hear more about this.
And yet their disagreement with the "west" is that there's nothing wrong with us. Kinda makes you wonder why all that is necessary when there's nothing wrong with us.
Your endorsement and praise of all the ancient churches, despite their disagreements seems to be based on nothing but contempt for traditional American low church Fundamentalist Protestantism--a religion that has taken far more and far louder stands against the Left than the Catholic or Orthodox churches have for a long time. Would you also praise Protestants who joined the Ancient Church of the East?
I note also that while "respectable" chrstians never defend Fundamentalist Protestants when they are under attack that when the Armenians needed defending the ancient churches and the radical Protestants (with lesbian bishops) all rallied to their side. Hmm. It seems that lesbian bishops are recognized as more authentic chrstians than poor Billy Bob, even when he's doing the best he can with what he has.
I believe all your posting (and I still suspect you are some kind of bot) is to turn Fundamentalist Protestants against Israel. You're the "good cop."
Israel is driving the world crazy, and simply by existing. I shudder to think what you want to become of them.
LOL - that may not be an unfair characterization in the main. However, many Methodist (not UMC) congregations are rediscovering the classic liturgies and incorporating some of them into our worship services. In addition, there’s a lot of evidence that younger people (35 and under) are longing for a more formal expression than the UMC has offered over the last 50 years. The book, “The Next Methodism” is a series of essays looking back and into the future and gives a great description of the internecine struggles that have led to what can only be called a schism in the Methodist church, with the (IMHO) heretical and apostate liberals staying in the UMC and the conservative traditionalists leaving.
Interesting. That surely seems to be a trend today across Confessional lines. If it is truly is a reform back to authentic liturgical tradition, hope it continues to grow. There is much more beaty and depth there compared to the emotional froth present in so many of today's churches.
It’s time for you to give up the silly sitting on the fence nonsense of Noahides.
Come, join the Apostolic Church.
You like the Ancient Church of the East? Join it and stop being the willing third class citizen of a belief system created in the 1990s
So, if not UMC, what are these liturgical Methodist churches? And how then are they different from Anglicanism?
So, if not UMC, what are these liturgical Methodist churches? And how then are they different from Anglicanism?
I always thought that Methodism arose out of “low church” Anglicanism and that it saw the liturgy, Eucharist etc as purely symbolic and didn’t see it as central in their worship. Isn’t that the case?
Many congregations have left the UMC and virtually all of those that have left are theologically conservative. Mine is currently independent, though we will be going through a discernment period later in the year to determine whether we will affiliate with a larger organization like the Global Methodist Church, some other flavor of Wesleyan tradition or simply have an alliance with like-minded churches.
As to the Eucharist, it is one of our two sacraments, the other being baptism.
As to Methodism’s roots, John Wesley died an Anglican. He never intended for there to be a separate denomination. His focus was on scriptural holiness. More info at link below.
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/asburyjournal/vol73/iss1/3/
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