Orthodox Christianity Gaining Converts

July 29, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On July 29, 2000, the Star Tribune published an article entitled "Christianity's Ancient Face; By Honoring and Preserving the Oldest and Most Mystical Elements of the Faith, Orthodox Christianity is Finding Converts Among People who Rebel Against Modern Trends that Seem Too Fluid." Allison Blomberg, grew up Lutheran and later attended an Evangelical Covenant church. Later, Blomberg was introduced to Orthodox Christianity, and found it was just what she had been looking for. "I wanted to find a church that stood the test of time, that underwent very few changes over the centuries," she said. And "also one that recognized the importance of Christ's incarnation - the mystery of the physical...I love the physical side of the faith, making the sign of the cross, lighting the candles, the incense and smoke, the icons," she said. "Symbol and reality are so closely joined."

In a time when "evangelicals and fundamentalism seem the future of Christian expansion, the Blombergs are part of a different vanguard, one that finds peace in the most-ancient traditions of the faith. Boasting a liturgy from the 5th century and a reverence for the apostolic fathers, Orthodoxy is attracting converts who question the modern changes found in many different churches"