PacifistAg said:

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Hey everyone! Just wanted to share an update. Landed a dream job this year that will hopefully be my last job. Also, a couple bits of exciting news...I signed a book deal! It's with a Christian publisher, which I'm excited about. Plus, they want the focus to be on the more central way nonviolence has impacted by life, and less on being trans. I'm thrilled by that as I've grown to see that that aspect of my life says nothing of the kind of person I desire to be. It says nothing of my character or faith.

The most important news though is just how much stronger my faith is as I've pushed away from that community, and actually recently met with an Orthodox priest about the possibility/feasibility of conversion.

Well, I just wanted to jump back here and share an update. Peace to you all!

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Shalom my friend.

PacifistAg said:

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Thank you.

A little more about me and Orthodoxy, I visited a local EO church for their Pentecost service. It changed me. It really did. I was so nervous, and they sat me with who I think is the priest's wife to help explain things to me. The reverence of everything was beautiful. Then the way everyone stood and turned with the Bread and Wine as they made their way around the sanctuary (probably using all the wrong terms). I ended up with 3 people bringing pieces of antidoron.

But then came the Cherubic Hymn. I've never experienced anything like that. The only way I can even find the words remotely close to explain it was that it touched my soul. It just changed me. I've felt this draw of the Spirit to the East for a while, and so grateful I started listening.

So that's where I am.

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God is good.

Glad to hear you continue to walk with Christ! Rolin (my kiddo) has also deepened his faith in Christ. There have been some ups and downs, however, we have found a more welcoming, less judgmental vibe within the laity. Stay in touch!

PacifistAg said:

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That's great to hear about your kiddo!

Will definitely stay in touch. About a year ago, I had a very public break from activist circles. I knew I had moved into dangerous waters when I began hearing things like "the Creed is exclusionary and needs to be changed" or that polyamory should be accepted by the church or all manner of things that were just incompatible with my faith. When I called it out, the backlash from these groups was vicious.

So I stepped away and refocused on my faith. My daughter even said she'd been praying that I would get out of those circles because she didn't like how argumentative I had become and how easily I threw around words like "bigot". There's certainly bigotry out there but now I just talk about my faith. It's been so freeing and peaceful.

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Glad to hear of your faith journey. God will take you into His safe place. Psalm 91 every morning.

Ecce homo

Good to hear from you friend.

Very interested to hear about the EO experience as you continue that journey, I think I may need to go to an EO Mass as well to see what it's all about. Thanks for the update

I don't come here too often, but did you change your TexAgs name? I can't remember what it used to be, but I think I remember you talking about the flag in churches, and mixing patriotism with religion, and I think you also did mission work in either Gaza or the West Bank, and talked about having to escort Palestinian kids to school and stuff. Was that you, or someone else? If so, do you think your time there affected you towards the Orthodox church?

traxter said:

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I don't come here too often, but did you change your TexAgs name? I can't remember what it used to be, but I think I remember you talking about the flag in churches, and mixing patriotism with religion, and I think you also did mission work in either Gaza or the West Bank, and talked about having to escort Palestinian kids to school and stuff. Was that you, or someone else? If so, do you think your time there affected you towards the Orthodox church?

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Yes, that's me. I used to go by GigEm01. But that was before I embraced nonviolence or went to the West Bank. Honestly, I don't know if my short stint (2 weeks) in Palestine had a noticeable impact on that. I think the deeper I dove into Christian nonviolence, the more I found the church fathers. This led to me further study them. I think that led me more directly towards Eastern Orthodoxy. The more I dug, the more I was drawn. Then I would meet Orthodox Christians, such as zobel on here (then k2aggie), and their witness was something I really admired. The reverence that I saw in their faith, the knowledge, and Orthodox theology (imo) looked more like the God revealed to us in Christ crucified.

But what moved me to the point of meeting with a priest and then (this week) meeting with my pastor to talk about this as well, was my visit to a local Orthodox church on Pentecost Sunday. It just did something.

Congrats on all the life updates. Love hearing orthodoxy stir the nous. Will pray for you and your family as you dig into catechesis. My first visit to an orthodox church I was humbled by a simple kids book on St. Spyridon. Another family handed me this book called Paterikon simply depicting the life and importance of this saint with God using them in settling the first church counsel with a miracle. I had never heard of them, and had just started to dig into the church counsels. "A kids book has a better foundational understanding of Christianity than I do."

Soak up the cycle of repentance and the three legged barstool of prayer fasting and almsgiving. It is like a breath of fresh air. Just a heads up, evil forces know you're headed towards truth. Our priests have shared to expect troubles and difficulties and not be dissuaded by what happens in this world.

General resources my wife and I have greatly enjoyed:
Lord of Spirits, Orthodox Talks, and Whole Counsel of God Podcasts
Welcome to the Orthodox Church by Frederick Mathew Green
10 minute bible hour's youtube interview series an orthodox priest
Ready to Harvest's youtube videos on early church history and denominations

These are all very new, accessible forms of media. I'm sure your priest will have plenty of references for you. They've got 2000 years of material to select from.

Thank you for all this. I did just speak with my pastor about where I'm feeling this pull of the Spirit. I didn't want it to be an "I'm leaving", but more a "help and pray for me as I discern". It is hard because we are in a church that we love so deeply. It's our first liturgical church as well. When I lost my job a year ago, we had 3 families offer to let us move in so we wouldn't have to leave Michigan. We had one family (still no idea who) gift us $1000 right before Christmas. It's been such an amazing place, and right now we're studying Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love. We have a lot of people who are professors at Calvin, and it's a place that, in a way, reminds me of my interactions with the Orthodox. Loving and highly educated.

I'm visiting the Orthodox church again this weekend with a friend who is also feeling this draw.

PacifistAg said:

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That's great to hear about your kiddo!

Will definitely stay in touch. About a year ago, I had a very public break from activist circles. I knew I had moved into dangerous waters when I began hearing things like "the Creed is exclusionary and needs to be changed" or that polyamory should be accepted by the church or all manner of things that were just incompatible with my faith. When I called it out, the backlash from these groups was vicious.

So I stepped away and refocused on my faith. My daughter even said she'd been praying that I would get out of those circles because she didn't like how argumentative I had become and how easily I threw around words like "bigot". There's certainly bigotry out there but now I just talk about my faith. It's been so freeing and peaceful.

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"Polyamory should be accepted by the church"?

What idiot said that?

Apparently here:
https://www.centerforfaith.com/blog/why-christians-need-to-think-about-polyamory

It's something I saw quite a bit in the uber-leftist communities in which I had found myself. When I began to hear things like that, or that the Creed is outdated and exclusionary, that trans women have periods, and all manner of absurdity, I realized I had found myself in something like a gentle river current that, before I knew it, had drawn me into a whirlpool of that which is absolutely incompatible with my faith.

There was actually a whole blow up on twitter in Sept 2023 about me quoting St. John Chrystostom because in those circles, that made me antisemitic apparently. The final tipping point was when Jo Leuhmann came at me after I pointed out that she weaponizes marginalization to bully people into silence. It had become popular for that extreme (or what I referred to as progressive fundamentalists) to even call me a Quisling (Nazi collaborator) because I was openly friends with people who are non-affirming.

I never realized just how toxic that extreme was, but I should have known better because I was raised in the opposite extreme. But it was an eye-opening 6 months or so that left me hurting, but I just turned back towards seeking a healthy faith.

Jo Leuhmann Has described herself as a "Christian Atheist"

I'm genuinely curious - what the heck were you doing hanging with those people anyway?

Glad to hear the Lord has moved you from that sort of leftist cesspool. Many churches are infected with it. I hope you find peace in your newest faith journey toward 'the way.'