Why Did You Become Orthodox Christian? - Frederica Mathewes-Green 

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I have become Orthodox, very recently. I came from the Episcopal Church. I was Chrismated in October 2019. There is no other Church, in which I have learned more of what the true faith is. Christ is alive in the Orthodox Church.

This woman is so motherly, warm, and wise whenever she shares. Very grateful for this video.

The focus on God instead of self is such a liberation, such freedom. This is the key sentence of the interview.

I recently became orthodox and I felt it in my heart right away. No regrets.

My husband and I were opposite. I loved Orthodoxy and he was hesitant.

I never found my first liturgy boring and still don't. There seemed to be non stop motion. Even little children moving about worshipping and crossing themselves. I was baptized Dec. 16, 2017. I am not able to travel often but I think in this life I will never lose my sense of wonder.

Absolutely! I was a one of those positive women right away 24 years ago (as was my sister-in-law). I had desired worship of God without entertainment, enticement or agendas for decades. I recognized God’s answer to my hearts desire in the worship of the Triune God and the Eucharist. Hey, I hope you’ll come through Colorado sometime! My Priest Fr. Evan Armatas isn’t shy and our Parish is proof of some radical changes in how to grow a healthy community.

Greeting from Romania! God bless you!

I live in the Baltimore area too! I am attending an Antiochian Orthodox Church in the suburbs and thinking of converting.

Thank you so much for your testimony !!

what a woman of God. May He bless you. Your faithfullnes is nearly unherd of now a days. Not just for God but to your man.

Really touching testimony God bless you .the fasting and giving services like you say are true soul liberation

Thank you so much for your videos on Orthodoxy. I grew up in a Greek Orthodox Church, my Grandfather was the Priest. When we moved to Australia, I had a lot of questions as I was growing up, and checked out a lot of other churches and religions which was like doing a dance and deciding this is not right, all along feeling the Holy Spirit of the Greek Orthodox Church I grew up in and the magical angelic spirit I experienced as a young girl. My father was a very austere angry and abusive person, and proud he was a son of a preacher man. I was lucky when I was growing up that he was not around as he was sent to Australia, so I had that time of my upbringing in the church without the emotional and physical abuse. Going to the different denominations and looking for answers recognized some churches used Juses name but denied his power. I kept looking and looking knowing deep down in my heart that the Greek Orthodox church I grew up in was the closest church to the truth of Christ. I am back with the Greek Orthodox church now and I am I awe of the beautiful Icons that tell the beautiful stories of Jesus, I am always looking in the faces of these Icons and I feel the beauty and sincerity of this church to Jesus. The Liturgy of course immediately takes me home to heaven, with the beautiful voices of the Priest and his psaltes. The Greek Orthodox church is a real gift of Jesus to the world. Thank you.

This was so beautiful to listen to! Thank you, Herman, for filming these interviews.

6:25 - for my current situation, it's the other way around. I want to go all the way into Orthodoxy now that I know it's existence. My husband is hesitant and reluctant, mainly because of his Catholic upbringing. I can't really share much of his Catholicism because I'm raised Protestant. He remains open to attending Liturgy with me at least. I just keep him in prayers in the mean time.

I would love to hear more of her personal testimony, especially regarding the theological differences and how her thought process changed from evangelical thinking to Orthodoxy.

Herman and Protecting Veil productions, ty for a very enjoyable video Why Did You Become Orthodox. This found me as one considering a conversion. My son brought Orthodoxy into his new marriage and i feel blessed to have witnessed their Orthodox wedding and most of their Chrismations along with going to DL with them when visiting from out-of-town for over 3 years. Also, have suscribed to PV and will look for Frederica's books. Thanks especially for adding that she has books for the viewer who wants more, what a pleasant and ' approachable' manner and speaking presence she has ( you, too).

I’m interested in becoming orthodox. Been attending a Orthodox Church for a while now and planing on making first steps to officially joining!

I am a convert because it spoke to my heart and told me it was the real truth the Church of Jesus Christ.

No wonder the Prodestant Church is struggling, men are to teach and be the head of the household. We Prodestants have lost our way. Thank you for the video

Little back story, I was thought from a young age to hate Christianity, and boy did I all the way to the age of 33 and work with a father from the local Orthodox Church, I figured I’ll go and see… BOOM I fell in love

Enjoyed. Informative. Concise.

Thank you 🙋 love your books💓

Thank you for posting this. It was refreshing.

I love this video. I completely related with being the one pushing Orthodoxy and my wife being reluctant. Whenever I feel I might be too pushy I think back to this video and tone it down for her so she can soak it in at her pace.

At the very end she was explaining how the norm for the evangelical church. I really wish she could follow that with the difference in the Orthodox church. Please 🙏

I really wish you could do an interview with the opposite case too - with a woman who was strongly drawn to Orthodoxy with a husband who just doesn’t get it. There are quite a few out there.

Christ is born! Many years to this endeavor

Being born and raised in an orthodox country and into the orthodox culture, I can't relate to that man/woman pattern she's referring to. In my culture I see more women than men willing to participate in the orthodox demands and rituals.

Thankful to have just (today!) discovered your channel -- grateful for God's work through you, and for the gift of the Google feed! (There's a phrase I never thought I would use! 😄) I love the title -- the story of the protective veil "incident" is one of my faves! 😏 I have appreciated Khouriye Frederica since first reading her ubiquitous article about visiting the Divine Liturgy 😊.... Interesting observation about relative ease of mens' and women's moving into Orthodoxy from other Western Christian traditions. I suspect the ancient Church (with its comparatively demanding practices of spiritual discipline) is a harder sell to most of us comfy first-world moderns, while to women more inured to hardship (in the traditional old world cultures, many subjected to significant oppression until -- today!) the structure of the Church (Roman as well as Eastern) might seem more comfort than stricture...? Note -- as a catechumen myself who grew up in a U.S. military family, a mere preliminary reading about the structure/practices of Church prayer and worship revealed many aspects of Orthodox practice as "native" to me: the Office of the Hours, especially in combination with the concept of nepsis, or watchfulness, has the sense of spiritual guard duty, etc. I wonder how many other women whose core family values have explicitly included rising to challenges and overcoming adversity are somewhat readily drawn to Orthodox practice...? (A friend recently expressed frustration at the "Jesus is your boyfriend" 'messaging' she experiences -- not meant to sound creepy, just an articulation of the mollycoddling referenced in the interview.) I work as a healing professional, and the brilliance of "Orthodoxy" (= right faith/belief/glory/practice, etc....) seems to me to be, at least in part, the beauty of balance in the way that it "holds tension" between structure and freedom -- the "rightness" being found, at least in part, in the balance. I have described this in healing work as maintaining the "safe container" and "inviting space" within it. Imagine my surprise to read in the prayers of the Church 2 of my 3 favorite expressions of this aspect of the faith (so far!): [please forgive beginner paraphrase! 😌] -- Christ the Uncontainable (as 2d person of the Trinity) choosing to be contained in Mary's womb; thereby making her womb more spacious than the heavens; because when God wills, the order of nature is overturned! Amen. Lord have mercy on our coming more deeply and rightly into the faith!

I'm a trad Catholic (SSPX) convert from Calvinism. My son was a Pastor who moved from Protestantism to Anglicanism to Catholicism (he's the reason I converted) and last year he and his family converted to the EO Church. Since that time my Priest has counseled me strongly that EO is schismatic. I still listen to your channel as well as others and Ancient Faith Radio. I hope God will lead me to the truth, if I am not in it. I can relate to feeling "allergic" to the happy-clappy Protestant churches! My husband is still there and refuses to be Catholic (Pope issues). We have not visited an Orthodox Church yet. God bless you all.

My daughter, my granddaughter, who was three, and i converted to Orthodoxy on December 16th 2006 My daughter is a Chanter St George of Troy, Michigan My granddaughter, is the only female Altar Server in American, lower 48 states, Orthodoxy My granddaughter has no desire to be a Priest or Deaconess. My granddaughter only wishes to serve the Lord, as her mother; my granddaughter inis a wonderful Reader. Our Priest knows that she, at many services, is the only Altar Server; Divine Liturgy cannot be served with an Altar Server and a Chanter. May the Lord open the eyes of Metropolitans & Bishops to recognize that sometimes a female needs to serve behind the Lord's Altar. Perhaps the Lord is speaking through the service of my granddaughter. Christ is in our midst!

Amen amen glory to Lord🙏❤️

Awesome

I have a 15 year history of looking for Truth. Joined the Catholic Church 9 years ago convinced that I had finally found it. Now I don't know. And as usual I am on my own.

I just went this last weekend with my wife and it's been a similar story Im leaning more towards it but she's finding a hard time finding the beauty of it

Very nice video

Significant remarks on men and their favorisation of orthodoxy

II was surprised that she claimed that during her time as being in a mainline Protestant church, she referred to her husband a being a "priest" there.

Question, why did you choose the word "protective veil", what its meaning to you or in itself?

The Father referred , not to his own opinion .but to the Church Fathers, the great learned men of the past. Can I suggest a novel idea : Why not refer to the words of Jesus himself or the NT writings, the words of the Apostles and disciples?

IC XC 🌵🕯☦️🕯🌵NIKA Saludos desde Flagstaff AZ estados unidos

so it all boils down to membership in a church (3:49), income thru tithers (5:24), the beautiful rituals? not all non-orthodox focus on the self. eventually it must boil down to the content of your faith. what is the content of your faith that justifies you before God's holy justice? only two groups in the world - Christ's work or your work (even if you say you are infused with God's grace - compelling you ro cooperate making it works-based.) Christ's righteousness imputed to you (Phil 3:9) or your own righteousness? the beauty of your icons, rituals, chants (however they may contain biblical truths) can never justify you, only Christ's righteousness can (Romans 4:6) apart from your works.

What happened at Chrismation?

Within the Orthodox Church in the 90th, it was bad manners to state one's own opinion in any matter, as only the opinions of Saint Fathers matter. Now we have another tendency than joined the stream of Orthodox Faith. We know where it comes from and why.

I am wondering how she is doing now

What does ‘prismated ‘ mean?

Orthodoxy is not about male or female orientation. Please do not create any confusion

On the orthodox

Biblically it is a sin to ordain women as presbyters/pastors/elders/Bishops/Overseers. Man should lead in the church and home.

As a single man, this is kind of a bad advert for Orthodoxy - less women, more me ;)

Orthodox Greek

If you believe that you personally had to do something to obtain your salvation [ you had to give God permission to save you IE you could say no not interested or you could "invite" Him in----Then once you invited Him in you now have to do or not do things to remain "in" then you are not a Christian. Your concept of God is not biblical. The God of the bible who spoke the universe into existence do not need your help when bringing a person who is dead in trespasses and sin to spiritual life.

Orthodoxy shmorthodoxy.