Why Anabaptists and Mennonites are not Orthodox
Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:46 am
I am starting this thread to give us a place to discuss the claims that keep coming up about the Orthodox Church and whether we should consider joining it rather than continuing in our own traditions. I don't care if we actually discuss this topic, but if we do, I would rather do it in one place, and I plan to move posts on the topic here before answering them. It is rarely the topic of the thread where it comes up, it's just a distraction.
For what it's worth, I spent a year in an Orthodox Church in the late 1970s and considered joining it, but found I could not. About a year later, I joined a Mennonite church for the first time. I still attend Orthodox services from time to time, and work with Orthodox Christians on some projects related to Greek. I consider them brethren. I could not join their church, they could not join mine.
For what it's worth, I spent a year in an Orthodox Church in the late 1970s and considered joining it, but found I could not. About a year later, I joined a Mennonite church for the first time. I still attend Orthodox services from time to time, and work with Orthodox Christians on some projects related to Greek. I consider them brethren. I could not join their church, they could not join mine.
ken_sylvania wrote:The New Testament is clear that there will be many who will be deceived, and instructs us to "try the spirits" to see whether they are of God. I'm not in a position to condemn the "millions of EO martyrs" that you are talking about. I don't know them. But I do know that the Eastern Orthodox priests who instigated the Kishinev pogrom in 1903 were not obeying Jesus.Valerie wrote:Millions of these EO Christians have given their life for Christ- most of the martyrs we hear of in other parts of the world, are from the 'backslidden' (as you assume) Christianity- having their heads cut off when given the choice to deny Christ and live- or die- I have known some very devout Christians that were baptized as infants and serve the Lord now-
You can assume that the entire Church fell away and all over the world these Believers are self deceived or not, I have a feeling many will be surprised on the other side- but it is for God to judge- they do also baptize adult converts, (out of simple obedience) but the claim is the Apostles taught to baptize infants- (even whole households) those who said this are either liars or telling the truth- I am not going to assume they are liars. Almost all my life I believed in Believers baptism as well, for same reasons- but I believe Jesus and how He said suffer not the chidren to come unto me, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven- and they are welcome to be in His family, baptized, anointed, and raised in the fear and nurture of the Lord by their parents- some will leave the faith, some will stay- we are not forced to stay but I will not judge the whole world of Christians who believe this was taught by the Apostles, and why- and to them, they are being just as faithful to the Holy Spirit's guidance, as those who believe differently- I think the Church will truly be reformed when the pride of assuming we are right about everything and others are deceived, leaves- we are praying our way through this- not set in our own past teachers influence, seeking to understand- but I at this point don't see a reformation happening on this side- because some follow this person's beliefs, some that- and all seem thoroughly convinced-