Journey Stories

I was baptized an Orthodox Christian as an infant in Romania, on Palm Sunday. Romania was under Communism until my teenage years, but it lingered for decades afterwards: a brutal, oppressive regime, with persecution of religion, re-education, and the institution of fear. Despite all of that, by the grace of God, the majority of the people got baptized, buried and were able to say, “Hristos a înviat! Adevãrat a înviat!” (“Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!”) while cracking the red eggs on ... [Read more]

I was raised in a Christian home with my family being in many denominations, primarily Four Square, which to me really just seemed like a blending of Baptist and Pentecostal practices (“Bapticostal” as they say). There was a big emphasis on the Bible and the gifts of the Holy Spirit: speaking in tongues, prophesying, faith healing etc. As a youth, I remember my father talking about how much Christ loved us and that He died for our sins, to save us. So I said “The Sinner’s Prayer” and accepted ... [Read more]

“Do you believe that there is one True Faith? And by that I mean not just that Christianity is true but that there is or can be one right way of worshiping and believing in Christ?” The year was 1999, I was a sophomore at Whitman College. It was a cool spring night and I was sitting on my friend’s front porch. I had been telling him about how I was studying the pluralism of religions in one of my religion classes. I was totally opposed to the belief that there could be pluralism of religions ... [Read more]

You hear a lot in Orthodoxy about how inquirers have to "come and see”—to experience the Liturgy and the spiritual life first—because it can’t be adequately described or written about. You hear that Orthodoxy is experiential; it’s not a list of doctrinal statements to which you intellectually assent from your armchair in your evening gown. I don’t disagree about the nature of Orthodoxy, but I do have to honestly say that “come and see” isn’t how it happened for me. The first time I attended a ... [Read more]

When I was asked to write about my journey to Orthodoxy, it was a perfect moment to reflect back on what brought me here. In fact I was born and raised as Orthodox Hindu. My journey to Orthodox Christianity began while I was studying at college in Arizona. Prior to my college life, I was just happily lost in illusions and myths (now I can say!). Although the core spiritual teaching of Hinduism seemed similar – about love, prayers, self-denial, overcoming pride, fasting etc. – there were many ... [Read more]

When, as a child of six, my mother was suddenly and unexpectedly taken from our lives as the result of an automobile accident, I distinctly remember wondering why everyone was crying. For I knew from a child's perspective and without a shadow of any doubt that she was in heaven and would be very, very happy there. She had been our compass and anchor in God. Little did I know it would be years before such faith would again fill my heart. Looking back on those intervening years, I can clearly ... [Read more]

My husband, Chris, and I were both raised in the Protestant Faith: he was raised Baptist and I was raised Lutheran. When we were in high school, we started attending a non-denominational church, where we met and were eventually married. The church was very large, and I was involved in youth ministries and had formed many friendships. I could not see myself ever leaving that church and I was completely content. Chris began reading the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (the Church Fathers ... [Read more]

A seminarian from England once spoke at my church in Philadelphia. He had been raised Anglican, become Evangelical, converted to the Roman Catholic Church and eventually found the Orthodox Church, where he stayed and was eventually ordained. He spoke of how grateful he was for each one of those churches, for each had taught him a new way of loving God, until he found the fulfillment in the One True Faith. I was raised Evangelical, and am thankful for the grounding it gave me in the scriptures ... [Read more]

I have been asked many times to describe my journey to Orthodoxy, and every time I answer it seems to come out with a slightly different emphasis. I know many people who have had a “road to Damascus” moment, but I was (and am) too stubborn for that. I’m still working to understand my past and the ways, both great and small, that Christ was calling me through it all. So here is the latest version. I was born into an interfaith household: 50% semipracticing Jewish (my father), 50% ... [Read more]

Over the past five years, I have begun to recognize the grace which God has poured over my life from the very beginning. Becoming Orthodox has been the greatest culmination of so many difficult and beautiful events. At the same time, however, my baby steps in Orthodoxy are the start of a whole new journey which is both brand new and yet, at the same time, intimately familiar. I was raised by two loving parents, both of whom were the first Christians of their families. They became Christians ... [Read more]