A Meeting Place for Evangelicals, Reformed, and Orthodox Christians

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 14)

New Feature – Subscribe Button

Dear Folks,

For the past several years, the Orthodox-Reformed Bridge blog site has been relatively quiet. I have been quite busy with my professional responsibilities. I do my blog writing on the side when I find the time. I remain committed to the mission of the blog which is to serve as a bridge between the Reformed and Evangelical traditions, and Orthodoxy. During my hiatus/hibernation, I continued to follow the conversation between Protestants and Orthodox. I took notes and did some writing when I found the time.

One reason for the hiatus was because I was not certain how often I would be posting, and I did not want readers to be frustrated waiting for the next blog posting. This problem was solved when a friend of mine helped me install a new feature: the subscribe button.

Unlike some blogs that post articles frequently, I post articles when I am satisfied with the quality of writing and research behind the article. Just recently, I installed a new feature to this blog: the subscription button (see SUBSCRIPTION right underneath HOME. If you want to be alerted to new blog postings, I urge you to sign up.

The aim of the OrthodoxBridge is to help Protestants and Evangelicals discover Orthodoxy. It also seeks to address questions and concerns inquirers may have about Orthodox beliefs and practices. We seek to engage people in the spirit of charity and civility. We desire to avoid harsh polemics and uncivil discourse.

In light of the fact that apologetics articles tend to stir up the passions, I have decided to hold off on posting articles until after Pascha (Orthodox Easter). During this season of Lent, our focus should be on repentance and deepening our prayer life in order to unite ourselves to Christ. I close with this prayer by Saint Ephraim the Syrian:

Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen. [Source]

Robert Arakaki

OrthodoxBridge in Spanish!

 

Several of the articles published on the ReformedOrthodoxBridge are now available in other languages! Please visit the Translation tab in the menu bar at the top.

OrthodoxBridge is now available in Spanish!  ¡OrtodoxoBridge ya está disponible en español! Thank you José Ortega Beede!

Robert Arakaki

 

Research Project – Why Evangelicals are Becoming Orthodox

 

 

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.”

 

 

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