Trying to come home to the Church ...
Kevin Basil is a convert to Orthodoxy, and explains in his story,
This relationship with a living Church is evident in every convert's story that I've come across, and is a big factor even for those where the conversion involves people leaving the Orthodox Church and establishing a stronger relationship with the non-Orthodox Church.
This is also evident in the inverse, where people are curious about the Orthodox faith but seem to only go so far without a Church reciprocating and strengthening the relationship.
So, when taking a step back, what can be said about the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church? The fact is that we as Orthodox Christians and members of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic faith we have been blessed with a Doctrine that more than any other Christian denomination can be "proven" through historical data, can be supported through Scripture and continues to pass the common-sense test it seems illogical that people will leave the Church.
However, what has become clear in my own journey is that people will just not see and appreciate this Truth until a personal relationship can be established with the Living Church i.e., the group of like-minded Christians that worship as Orthodox Christians (on a side note, this is arguably true both in love and politics as well).
This Truth will also not be seen by the apathetic and lukewarm believers within the Orthodox Church who attend out of convenience or family obligation ... much like I was for most of my adult life. I could not see the beauty of my own Church until the support of seminarians, priests and other fellow believers I've known through the Internet made me pause and re-look at what I've known all my life.
On the flip-side, where a strong personal relationship with a Church exists it's almost impossible to try to convince on points that the Church has taught the person is truth. This observation is also made in Kevin's story, i.e.,
Ask most Catholics about the infallibility of the Pope, the Immaculate Conception or the miracles at Lourdes and most self-professed Catholic believers will quickly dismiss the thought that these concepts could be latter additions to early Church teaching since they take refuge that the large Catholic Church in which they trust have given a stamp of approval for these beliefs.
I've posted earlier on my views of the purpose of the Indian Orthodox Church in America, and these emotions are always triggered when I read stories such as those of Kevin Basil.
There is no doubt that the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has been given a duty by Christ Himself to teach the Faith and to also create personal relationships with everyone, not just those born of Orthodox families or married into the Faith. This is why arguments such as parents alone are responsible to teach children wear thin, and in all honesty the Church needs to do a better job teaching the Faith to the people who are still currently in the chairs of most Churches and later become parents ... i.e., who teaches the teacher?
This is one of many explanations on why we continue to lose people. And it's just not the crazy youth in America .. also happening to entire families in Kerala every day, and often the exodus is to denominations that have very serious doctrinal issues.
The Christian Faith is difficult, as emphasized by Jesus Christ Himself in John 6:50-66, and the teaching of this Faith to all should be the highest priority and all other things will follow.
And as we all know, good teaching is never limited to the classroom alone ...
In reality, my decision to become Eastern Orthodox had nothing to do with rationally accepting Orthodox dogma, or denying the authority of the Pope. It was because I had developed a relationship with Christ the Life-giver (Orthodox Church)
This relationship with a living Church is evident in every convert's story that I've come across, and is a big factor even for those where the conversion involves people leaving the Orthodox Church and establishing a stronger relationship with the non-Orthodox Church.
This is also evident in the inverse, where people are curious about the Orthodox faith but seem to only go so far without a Church reciprocating and strengthening the relationship.
So, when taking a step back, what can be said about the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church? The fact is that we as Orthodox Christians and members of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic faith we have been blessed with a Doctrine that more than any other Christian denomination can be "proven" through historical data, can be supported through Scripture and continues to pass the common-sense test it seems illogical that people will leave the Church.
However, what has become clear in my own journey is that people will just not see and appreciate this Truth until a personal relationship can be established with the Living Church i.e., the group of like-minded Christians that worship as Orthodox Christians (on a side note, this is arguably true both in love and politics as well).
This Truth will also not be seen by the apathetic and lukewarm believers within the Orthodox Church who attend out of convenience or family obligation ... much like I was for most of my adult life. I could not see the beauty of my own Church until the support of seminarians, priests and other fellow believers I've known through the Internet made me pause and re-look at what I've known all my life.
On the flip-side, where a strong personal relationship with a Church exists it's almost impossible to try to convince on points that the Church has taught the person is truth. This observation is also made in Kevin's story, i.e.,
"Catholics don't believe what the Church teaches simply because it just happens to jive with what they already hold privately. They believe it because the Church teaches it."
Ask most Catholics about the infallibility of the Pope, the Immaculate Conception or the miracles at Lourdes and most self-professed Catholic believers will quickly dismiss the thought that these concepts could be latter additions to early Church teaching since they take refuge that the large Catholic Church in which they trust have given a stamp of approval for these beliefs.
I've posted earlier on my views of the purpose of the Indian Orthodox Church in America, and these emotions are always triggered when I read stories such as those of Kevin Basil.
There is no doubt that the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has been given a duty by Christ Himself to teach the Faith and to also create personal relationships with everyone, not just those born of Orthodox families or married into the Faith. This is why arguments such as parents alone are responsible to teach children wear thin, and in all honesty the Church needs to do a better job teaching the Faith to the people who are still currently in the chairs of most Churches and later become parents ... i.e., who teaches the teacher?
This is one of many explanations on why we continue to lose people. And it's just not the crazy youth in America .. also happening to entire families in Kerala every day, and often the exodus is to denominations that have very serious doctrinal issues.
The Christian Faith is difficult, as emphasized by Jesus Christ Himself in John 6:50-66, and the teaching of this Faith to all should be the highest priority and all other things will follow.
And as we all know, good teaching is never limited to the classroom alone ...
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