Dear Folks,
Brian J. Curnutt
Brian Curnutt of Trinity Theological Seminary in Evanston, Indiana, is doing his dissertation on why people are becoming Orthodox. I took the survey and found the questions straightforward. The survey is not lengthy, but one should be prepared to give thoughtful responses to some of the questions that call for essay answers. This looks like a worthwhile project. I encourage readers who are Orthodox to take part in it. You can go to Brian Curnutt’s survey here.
Robert Arakaki
Below are some excerpts from Brian’s proposal:
Western Evangelicals are leaving Western Evangelical Protestantism and converting to Orthodoxy in unprecedented numbers. Especially prevalent among younger Protestants, the road to Constantinople is paved with those dissatisfied with Evangelicalism and those compelled to convert to an entirely different way of thinking and living.
This study will examine the phenomenon of Evangelical Protestants converting to Orthodoxy in unprecedented numbers and attempt to determine causation. Some of the questions to be addressed are:
o Why did you convert to Orthodoxy?
o What theological or doctrinal reasons did you have for making a change?
o What cultural reasons did you have for making a change?
o How has your conversion impacted your spiritual life?
o How has your conversion impacted your life in general?
o Did it accomplish the goal you had at conversion?
o What was that goal?
The investigation will contribute new knowledge to the field of religious anthropology, missiology, and will inform the field of theology. This is a relatively new area for study that has not been looked at in depth. While there are some anecdotal accounts and some biographical accounts of conversions, there have not been any qualitative human studies done on statistically significant numbers. This study will stand alone as no study like it exists in the available literature.
If you have any questions about the study, please contact the investigator, Brian Curnutt, at brian.curnutt@trinitysem.edu or Dr. James Chatham II, (advisor for this project at Trinity Theological Seminary) at jchatham@trinitysem.edu
Link to the Survey Site.
See also: “Why People Convert to Orthodoxy.”
Thank you for posting this! I took the time to participate in the survey, though I feel a bit guilty because while I have been attending an Orthodox Church, I have not been chrismated yet (although I desire to be). Thank you for your work on this blog Robert! While for the longest time I’ve been a “closet Orthodox” (my theology and beliefs being closer to Orthodoxy then I realized), I hadn’t really thought through ideas like Apostolic Tradition, Mary and her significance for The Church and The Incarnation, Theosis, etc., until I began to read your blog and it has helped me work out topics on my own and better articulate it to friends and family members. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this blog!
Robert, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I am interested to see the results of this study.
Hi Orthodox Reformed Bridge community,
First of all I just want to say thanks to all who have participated in my survey, I really appreciate the responses!
The website mentioned at the end of my survey (www.orthodoxyresearchproject.org) is not live quite yet, and is intended as a repository for survey results. I intend to have it operational over the next few days, but there won’t be much to see until my results are reviewed. Sorry for any confusion here!
Thanks again for your gracious contribution to my research.
Brian,
Thanks for writing. I removed the sentence with the link to that page. I look forward to reading your findings.
Robert
Awesome. thanks Robert ~ I am encouraged!
“Converting to Orthodoxy in unprecedented numbers” I welcome the news but how can you make this statement? Where is this taking place? In the United States, or some other country? Thank you!
Deacon John,
Thank you for visiting the OrthodoxBridge. The statement was made by Brian Curnutt. I think it would be best for him to reply to your question.
Robert