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The NYT published an article the other day, entitled "Orthodox Pews are Overflowing With Converts," by Ruth Graham. I was pretty disappointed with the overall tenor of the article. It focused, if not exclusively, then primarily, on young men who are now attracted to the Orthodox Church, with the implication that it is in the Church that they can encounter a "manosphere" to their liking. In the words of the article:
"Across the country, the ancient tradition of Orthodox Christianity is attracting energetic new adherents, especially among conservative young men. They are drawn to what they describe as a more demanding, even difficult, practice of Christianity. Echoing some of the rhetoric of the so-called manosphere, new waves of young converts say Orthodoxy offers them hard truths and affirms their masculinity."
This is very misleading because of the fact that there are so many women, from many and varies backgrounds, also attracted to the Church - as in our own parish! Be that as it may, the Orthodox scholar, Fr. Nicholas Denysenko, wrote a very thoughtful and balanced response to the NYT's article, which I am sharing here:
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Today's NYT article on converts to Orthodoxy elicited lively discussion. Some rejoiced. Others criticized the journalist for the limited scope of her presentation. One friend commented that she ignored mainstream Orthodoxy and misrepresented the Church.Peeling back the layers of the gravitation of young American men to Orthodoxy is a story that will draw readers, no matter how much of the larger picture is left out. I'm not making excuses for the journalist. I'm mentioning this because I remember what it was like to have one of the least substantive lines from a long interview used for a story. Some of those unhappy with today's story feel like most of the substance of Orthodoxy was excluded.
I don't know what is going to come of people who come to Church because they feel like it validates their political views. The people they meet in the Church might disappoint them. Maybe they'll become digital creators and use social media platforms to make their case. There are many potential pitfalls.
The one I fear the most is that the people will try to recreate the Church in the image, the name, the metanarrative that comes from some ideological platform, and not from God.The Church becomes monstrous when it worships itself and reduces its identity to lists of moral principles or a retro historical ideal. The Church betrays the tradition she has received when it delights and indulges in confessional polemics, ever seeking to mock and humiliate people who belong to other churches and religious communities. It is as if we try to unlearn the ascetical tradition the Church has us rehearse on a daily basis.
I hope that the people coming to Church will allow their ears to be opened to hear the word of God and to meet him. I hope they will stay the course and learn early on that the gifts of the Spirit received in becoming and being Christian did not include a big, red easy button.I hope that the pastors receiving new people will see the image of God in them and invite them to join a communion of saints in a civilization of priests, prophets, and kings who fail frequently but have the courage to try again the next day.
Those of us committed to the ministries to which we have been appointed are overwhelmed by this moment and many of us are learning on the job, as we go. We need a lot of grace to be the body of Christ in this moment. And maybe that acknowledgement is what can open our eyes to the reality that we are called to be gracious to the seekers and inquirers God sends us.
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This is a very exciting time for us as members of the Orthodox Church, a so many "inquirers" are finding the Church. It demands both openness and pastoral discernment as we encounter and greet spiritually-thirsting human beings - women and men - who are seeking entrance into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We greet them with the love of Christ, for it is Christ - incarnate, crucified and risen - who is the ultimate goal of that spiritual thirst.
