Orthodoxy as a response to the crisis of traditional churches in the USA

Ben Christenson has Orthodox icons at home in Virginia. Photo: nypost

More and more young Americans, disillusioned with the rapidly changing Protestant and Catholic churches, are turning to Orthodoxy.

As told to a conservative US publication New York Post converts, attracted them to Orthodoxy in the first place stability, traditionalism, lack of politicization and LGBT propaganda.

27-year-old Ben Christenson from Virginia and was raised an Anglican. “The hardest thing is that in the church I grew up in, even during my lifetime, there were a lot of changes, – he said The Post. – I realized that there is really no way to stop change.”.

He watched as tradition fell by the wayside: the robed choir was replaced by a spiritual group, the lines on women's ordination were blurred, and long-held positions on LGBT issues changed. So Christenson began exploring other faiths in college and, in his opinion, settled on the most traditional of all: Orthodox Christianity. IN 2022aged 25 years oldhe turned.

NYP explains to his readers that after accepting Orthodoxy, Christenson is now “must confess frequently, recite prescribed prayers, and undergo extreme fasting, sometimes for more than 40 days. Weekly services are also very ritualized and regimented, and can last up to two hours.”.

“I think there are a lot of Protestants who want a more traditional, historically grounded faith, and I think that's especially important for young people because so much of our lives is constantly changing.”,” Christenson concludes.

As more Protestant churches unfurl Pride flags and Black Lives Matter banners, young people are leaning toward more traditional forms of religion, a report says. The publication notes that the number of young people converting to Orthodoxy has increased significantly in recent years. Converts are predominantly male, seeking a more structured and traditional form of worship.

“A survey of Orthodox churches across the country found that in 2022 the number of new converts in parishes increased by 78% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. And while historically men and women have converted in equal numbers, many more men have joined the church since 2020.”writes the American media. They feel that in a rapidly changing world, Orthodoxy offers feeling of stability and reliability.

Father Josiah Trenham led the parish of St. Andrew's Orthodox Church in Riverside, California, for nearly three decades, he noticed a sharp uptick in interest: “The last four to five years have been a huge surge. It shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, it’s still growing… It’s happening en masse in untold quantities all over the country.”. Trenham Church has 1000 active parishioners.

“Christianity in North America has become extremely emotional, – told The Post 17-year-old Elijah Vi Sitbrought up in the evangelical faith. – When I attended evangelical services, I found them to be like emotionally charged rock concerts with a show of hands.”.

The 12th grade student says he was attracted to Orthodoxy because it is more traditional and masculine. He especially values ​​the challenge and discipline required to maintain intense prayer and fasting. He is taking catechism classes and plans to convert to Christianity in the new year before he graduates from high school.

His father, an immigrant from the Philippines, was wary at first. thisbut now supports him and takes him by car every Sunday so that he can visit the Orthodox Church of St. George.

Zachary Porcu He has been a catechist at Trenham Church for 36 years, meaning he helps train new members in the faith. He says there are now more classrooms 100 people waiting for baptism, and that among them there is always “a small group of young people”. In recent years, he believes that many people are learning about Orthodoxy through the Internet: “People constantly come to us and say: “I argued with people on the Internet, and then I discovered Orthodoxy and found your church.””.

Porcu, a theology professor who converted at age 24 years oldunderstands why his faith attracts young people: “Orthodoxy is a call to adventure because it requires you to fast, to pray, to do all these physical things, to go through this journey of self-improvement, which I think can be put into a very masculine, attractive dimension.”.

Psychologist and writer Jordan Petersonwhich has gained enormous popularity among young people, said The Postwho has noticed more Gen Z boys like Elijah leaning toward Orthodoxy—in part, he suggests, because tradition makes it undeniable.

26-year-old Bailey Mullins grew up in a Baptist family in South Carolina. She began to have questions about religion in high school and college when she noticed that many major faiths “absorbed by politics”splinter into conservative and liberal branches, and are distracted by cultural debates such as LGBTQ issues. A religion course taught by a professor who was an Orthodox Christian inspired her to attend her first liturgy at the age of 21 years old. Two years later she converted. “I wanted to be in a place that was stable and wasn’t going to change,” – she said The Post.

Mullins, graphic designer from Alexandria Tennesseesays that “Orthodoxy is not about us, it is about God, and I think that young people today intuitively feel this”.

He attends St. Peter's Orthodox Church, which he says is largely filled with young converts like him who also want a sense of stability in a chaotic world. “Everything is changing. Protestant churches are changing. The Catholic Church is changing. The culture is changing. The government is changing. People want something historical and not changing. They want something stable and durable, not built on sand.”he concludes.

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