Kylissa, thanks so much for responding. Yes, I had lots of answers but more points of view can't hurt
You're more than welcome. I'm just glad if anything I can share will help. It just seems we have more than a few similarities in our situations. And I will tell you that it hasn't been easy at times ... But I can't imagine giving up what I've gained.
I told him, prior to posting here, that I didn't think the liturgy was there for us to "get something out of. " Glad to know I had it right. I actually gave him similar answers to many of these questions, and while I am disappointed that it was not for him, it did help illustrate a lot of differences and further convince me that I definitely am not Baptist (much to his chagrin. It got really bad when he asked, What was so wrong with being Baptist? and I answered. Sometimes, i need to take my hand and super glue it over my mouth! )
The one piece of advice I wish I had received sooner - and actually taken when I DID receive it, has to do with answering questions like that. Far too many times I said things that didn't help the situation. You may not be exactly like me, but ... when one discovers so many wonderful things, it's SO tempting to want to share, and especially the ones you love most, it's natural to especially want them to understand. I think because of that, I kept on answering "what's wrong with Baptist/Pentecostal/etc?" far longer than I should have!
I will just tell you what helped me. I read it from the point of view of the writings of the Saints, and it seems to be endorsed by the Church. Maybe not the only way to respond, but it has worked so much better for me. Instead of contrasting Baptist and Orthodoxy, pointing out everything that's wrong with Baptist thinking and explaining why you think Orthodoxy is right .... it helps to remember what we have in common. Remember there are many things the Baptists teach that are right. They believe in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the Virgin Birth, and on, and on, and on. In some of these things, their understanding might be slightly different, but they do in fact get many things right, and believe many of the same things we do. And so ... I am more likely now to notice something my husband is reading, and say something like, "You know, that's a really good point. The Orthodox Church views the Gospels as central to the message of the entire Bible, and so when you look at this from the point of view you're reading here, it shows all this really cool stuff that I never understood in this way before ... " and essentially tell him what's RIGHT about what he's doing, and if possible, add to it some of the fullness that we have because of the understanding of the Church.
One bit of warning though - if he is STRONGLY sola scriptura, as in very suspicious of anything not explicit in Scripture, even if it is a helpful thing, then be careful not to offer information we have - especially that might be not so central - like the name of the thief that was crucified with Jesus.
Not sure if this helps or not. But I probably spent a good six months essentially being a little argumentative when the subject came up, even when I resolve NOT to be, just because I wanted SO MUCH to share what I found so wonderful. When I was finally able to curb my inclination to do that, things got a lot more peaceful. I can't argue anyone into anything spiritually. The only thing that I've ever seen actually work in my own life is to show someone that you have something that can help them, and make them become a little jealous and hungry for it, and ask for it themselves. Maybe it's just me though.
I noticed a lot of people didn't get the hymn question, which I found odd. Dh is used to picking up a Southern Baptist hymnal, and couldn't recognize what the hymns in the liturgy were. If he had to pick it would probably be How Great Thou Art, and he was probably thinking there had to be some similar book of hymns.
There are certainly liturgical books! And some of them are HUGE! And they contain hymns. The thing is - and I'm no expert, but the some of the hymns are part of a cycle that commemorates various Saints and events, so those are tied to complex books that are arranged on a calendar. And other hymns are sung at certain times of year, like the Paschal hymn that we sing first at the Paschal Liturgy and then for some weeks after. The last time we sing it together in Church is bittersweet for me, because I love that one. And others we sing every Liturgy. And there are other services besides the Divine Liturgy ... it IS complicated, and I know very, very little of what there is to know.
But yes, we have hymns, and yes, we have books!
