Traditional Theology Census

[seeking.IAM]

The Episcopal Church. Former and long-time United Methodist. Friend and admirer of the Eastern Orthodox.

 

[Nanopants]

I'm something of a hybrid between a desert dwelling and tech-savvy monk-like believer who spends most of his free time engaging in theological rants, prayers for victory, reflection, study and occasionally shaking my fist at the hierarchy.

I've been around, and some of you may already know a thing or two about what I believe, but basically in my walk of faith I've come to some conclusions on the topics of Wisdom, the Incarnation, faith itself and, most groundbreaking for me: the faith of Christ. Since I've never heard anyone teach much on these subjects, I've kept to myself mostly so I wasn't very keen on posting here until a couple of days ago when I stumbled on this little gem on a Coptic website:

"He has not assumed a body as proper to His own nature, far from it, for as the Word He is without body. He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men. We will begin, then, with the creation of the world and with God its Maker, for the first fact that you must grasp is this: the renewal of creation has been wrought by the Self-same Word Who made it in the beginning. There is thus no inconsistency between creation and salvation for the One Father has employed the same Agent for both works, effecting the salvation of the world through the same Word Who made it in the beginning.

...

Upon [the race of men], therefore, upon men who, as animals, were essentially impermanent, He bestowed a grace which other creatures lacked—namely the impress of His own Image, a share in the reasonable being of the very Word Himself, so that, reflecting Him and themselves becoming reasonable and expressing the Mind of God even as He does, though in limited degree they might continue for ever in the blessed and only true life of the saints in paradise."

Athanasius: On the Incarnation, chapter 1.
​

Unbeknownst to me the rest of those subjects are in there also, including the "faith of Christ" (as a term at least). So whatever my faith tradition is, to me it appears that I'm closely related to whatever tradition Athanasius belonged to, because his beliefs click with mine. Ontop of that, I found some other good stuff on the Coptic website, especially what appears to be an appreciation for simplicity. So all in all, even though I haven't been confirmed by any church as of yet, I think I'm leaning toward the Coptic church, but wherever I may abscond to, I'm commandeering your saints and taking their stuff with me.

 

[Meowzltov]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

 

[Gnarwhal]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

Welcome!

 

[MoreCoffee]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

Cute kitty avatar

Welcome to Traditional Theology. May your posts bring joy to all who read them.

 

[Tallguy88]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

Welcome! I'm a former Protestant who converted to Catholicism in my early 20s.

 

[~Anastasia~]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

Welcome to TT! I hope you enjoy this little corner of CF.

And I second MC's opinion - very cute kitty avatar!

 

[MoreCoffee]

Welcome to TT! I hope you enjoy this little corner of CF.

And I second MC's opinion - very cute kitty avatar!

We need more cute kitties in avatars and in the chat box. I miss the little kitties in the chat box, they were amusing.

 

[Anhelyna]

MC - that's a ver very cute little kitty

 

[stevenfrancis]

Post here and your faith tradition so we can get a sense of who's who.

Steven Francis Roehr - Roman Catholic - Latin Rite - Appreciator of the Eastern Catholic rites as well, as the Eastern Orthodox Churches. (and any others with valid priesthood through Apostolic succession.) Respecter of all persons.

 

[Arcangl86]

Arcangl86 here. I'm a member of the ELCA and consider myself to be firmly within the Evangelical Catholic wing of Lutheranism, with some strong sympathies to certain aspects of Eastern Christianity. Baptized and raised in the Roman Catholic Church, left as a teen, became Episcopalian (Anglo-Catholic) before ending up ELCA.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Welcome!

 

[Kaonashi]

Former Pentecostal/SBC who left Christianity for about 4/5 years before I discovered the Episcopal Church and Traditional liturgy and was confirmed shortly before I graduated

 

[All4Christ]

Orthodox Christian here. Feel free to use my name (Laura).

Previous background in the Pentecostal Church for the majority of my life...in college decided that I needed to find the apostolic church and did a lot of soul searching, reading and visiting of churches. 5 years later, I stepped into an Orthodox Church and felt like I was finally home. I will always be thankful for my heritage growing up in a Christian family, but I am so thankful that I found my way to where I am today. I have a long way to go though...I'm still learning!

A personal thing that I care about is taking the time to understand where people come from. I believe 100% in my faith...but it is important to take time to understand and hear others, even if you agree to disagree. By no means do I feel like I need to compromise what I believe...but I believe that we would have a much happier world if everyone took the time to do that!

 

[kiwimac]

Old Catholic priest via any number of others.

 

[stevenfrancis]

Catholic Christian. Latin (Roman) Rite. After a 40 year cycle of trying on other shoes, with only truth as a yardstick, spending the most of this time swimming through what is collectively referred to as the "new age", where we essentially invent our own religion or follow some human leader's vision of what religion ought to be, spending the longest single stretch with Jodo Shinshu Western Pure Land Buddhism mixed with the "spiritualism" of Jane Roberts, The spirit "Seth", the spirit "Thavis", T. Lobsang Rhampa, The Urantia Book, Carlos Castaneda, L. Ron Hubbard, and Ayn Rand, (which was at odds with Buddhism and the first thing dropped). During all this time a patient Jesus Christ called to me and drew me into His Christian baptism in my teens, placed me in His Lutheran, then Baptist, then Methodist fold, I had a real life, honest to goodness mystical "come to Jesus" conversion experience beginning on a drive across country in 2004, and culminating with Confirmation and first Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church on the Easter Vigil of 2006. I am now fully grounded in Christianity, and am a member of the mystical body of Christ. It is who I AM. It forms my world view. My character, personality, music and movie tastes, my actions, priorities, and everything else. I can say the person I was, is no more. I am not the same person who was born to my parents in 1957. I was born a second time of water, and finally a third time (or a delayed continuation of my second birth), of the spirit, when I was sealed with the Holy Spirit at that glorious Easter Vigil mass. I realize now that there is a single moral truth. One way to the Father. And one light which enlightens every man, (who let's it in). The answer to all of these is Christ Jesus. THE way; THE truth; THE light. Praise be to God, from whom all good things flow.

Peace,

Steven (Steve is fine)

---------------------------------
If you have any questions about Catholic Christianity, or if you have a conversion or reversion story to the Catholic Church that you'd like to share, or if you are a Christian, but there is something holding you back from the fullness of Catholic Christianity. Or if you are an atheist or agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Urantian, Scientologist, "spiritual but not religious", or anything else, and want to know more about the Christian faith in general, or Catholicism in particular, I'd love to hear from you. Please E-mail me at stevethecatholic@gmail.com, and let's dialog. God bless you always, Steve

 

[High Fidelity]

Non-Denomination -- Learning more about Calvinism and identify with the 5 points of TULIP.

Want to study Theology after I finish my current degree.

 

[Catherineanne]

Born, baptised and confirmed Anglican. A shade on the high side of good. Daughter born, baptised and confirmed Anglican.

Confirmed at Jezzy P (Jesmond Parish Church) many years ago, and since then have travelled slowly but surely away from the evangelical pov and towards something more naturally familiar. I like the Anglican church because I have been able to travel across a very broad spectrum, without ever leaving home.

I have attended other churches with friends for extended periods; Evangelical and Baptist mostly. I liked the people very much, but they were never quite home.

 

[FireDragon76]

I'm technically a Methodist but I consider myself currently an Evangelical Catholic with sympathies to Methodism/Pietism.

At one time I was Eastern Orthodox in-the-making.

... spending the longest single stretch with Jodo Shinshu Western Pure Land Buddhism

If I were Japanese and not a Christian, that's probably what I'd want to be. Years ago I met with a bunch of other disaffected white people and tried to get into it, I even read a few devotional books, finding the typical export Buddhism just too austere (despite having done a lot of meditation) and not truly speaking to the human condition (I read of too many gurus that said wise things but ended up sleeping around with students or dying from cyrrhosis). Shin is like the Lutheran form of Buddhism.

 

[stevenfrancis]

A Jew, raised fundamentalist, converted to Catholicism at age 27 (now in my 50s).

Cool. That's the same path as Mother Miriam on EWTN/Immaculate Heart radio. A nun I like to listen to.