Hey Bosporus Swim Team, a few quick questions ...

[Tangible]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

If I could tack on another question, what was the most difficult doctrine(s) to accept during your conversion?

 

[Protoevangel]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

If I could tack on another question, what was the most difficult doctrine(s) to accept during your conversion?

I was a Confessional, Liturgical Lutheran before I rejected the Lutheran innovations, and began my journey to Holy Orthodoxy.

To answer your last question, I understood Orthodoxy to be the Church commissioned by Christ and enlivened by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. I can't think of any specific doctrine that tripped me up. If anything, it was the language used in certian services that was a stumbling block for me. Without context, it was hard to understand that some of the praises to the Saints, wasn't taking devotion too far. I would very much recommend you learn the doctrines and language of the Church before you wory about that, though.

You may find this document useful (written by two Lutheran pastors, who later becamy Orthodox Priests.): http://oruaseht.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/wodtcgu.pdf

 

[Knee V]

I never had an inclination to check out the Lutheran Church, but the most difficult doctrine for me during my conversion was in the reverse, sort of. By that I mean that the most difficult doctrine was trying to give up a doctrine, which in my case was Calvinism. It was incredibly difficult to learn to think in a way that was not colored by Calvinism. The two systems are hardly compatible.

 

[ArmyMatt]

the one that got me was the idea that a Church could actually preserve the faith for 2000 years. one of those I actually had to see to believe.

 

[-Kyriaki-]

Mary - I'd spent my whole life having prayer to the Saints (which I got over pretty quickly as part of my conversion involved one) and Mary demonised (quite literally in some cases). It took me a long time of 'God, if this is true, show me' and then 'if you have found favour with God and this is true, please help me' in place of the Marian prayers in my prayerbook. I got there, and now I have a beautiful icon of her where I say my prayers.

 

[StarOfSorrow]

Nearly every doctrinal difference between the Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox Churches stem from two factors. 1. The Lutheran Church is a catholic, or western Church which shares its roots with the Roman Catholic Church. The forefathers of the modern Orthodox and the forefathers of the modern Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches underwent the "Great Schism" in the first millennium over Trinitarian doctrine and 2. The Orthodox uphold Apostolic Tradition as a separate means of Church authority, while the Lutheran Church only accepts those tenets of Church Tradition which are upheld by the authority of the Canonical Scriptures. Both are liturgical, historic, sacramentarian Churches. During the Lutheran Reformation, there was much dialogue between the Greek Orthodox and Lutheran theologians as many of their grievances with Roman Catholicism are the same. There were some small, political and doctrinal issues which prevented any formal declaration of union or fellowship. Dialogue continues, and many of the differences between these two historic Churches are simply cultural.

 

[Protoevangel]

2. The Orthodox uphold Apostolic Tradition as a separate means of Church authority, while the Lutheran Church only accepts those tenets of Church Tradition which are upheld by the authority of the Canonical Scriptures.

Very close, but there are two small inaccuracies here. A) Apostolic Tradition is not a "separate means" of Church authority. Actually, in Orthodoxy, Biblical authority is part of Apostolic Tradition. B) Lutheran Church only accepts those tenets of Church Tradition which are upheld by their particular interpretation of the subset of the Canonical Scriptures which they recognize.

 

[Basil the Great]

This is a most interesting thread, as is the companion thread in OBOB.

 

[AndreasProtoklitos]

Nearly every doctrinal difference between the Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox Churches stem from two factors. 1. The Lutheran Church is a catholic, or western Church which shares its roots with the Roman Catholic Church. The forefathers of the modern Orthodox and the forefathers of the modern Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches underwent the "Great Schism" in the first millennium over Trinitarian doctrine and 2. The Orthodox uphold Apostolic Tradition as a separate means of Church authority, while the Lutheran Church only accepts those tenets of Church Tradition which are upheld by the authority of the Canonical Scriptures.

By what authority do the Lutherans determine what is canonical?

Both are liturgical, historic, sacramentarian Churches. During the Lutheran Reformation, there was much dialogue between the Greek Orthodox and Lutheran theologians as many of their grievances with Roman Catholicism are the same. There were some small, political and doctrinal issues which prevented any formal declaration of union or fellowship. Dialogue continues, and many of the differences between these two historic Churches are simply cultural.

:o There are some pretty serious differences that we cannot gloss over both in the 16th century and in the present, though I would posit that the differences are greater now than they were then.

In Christ,
Andrew

 

[Tangible]

By what authority do the Lutherans determine what is canonical?

Check out this: Thinking About The Canon: A Lutheran View | internetmonk.com

Very simply put, Lutheran theology must originate within the homologoumena, and is supported by the antilegomena.