In Defense of the "Zealous Convert"

A Tale of Comment Threads and Iconoclasts

When it comes to the swelling numbers of Americans who are discovering and converting to Orthodoxy, one is going to find a sort of “twofold” reaction to this phenomenon from established Orthodox Christians. On the one hand, there are great amounts of joy and enthusiasm to be seen as more are finding their way to the Church, to the point where even some news outlets have reported on this unprecedented situation. Many parishes are expanding or establishing mission churches, and one is bound to find growing numbers of young people (and families) showing up daily for liturgy, vespers, and other services.

At the same time, there is the “other side” that has expressed concern about these newcomers. Some are worried that they may be going through a phase and will eventually leave when things become more challenging. Others have claimed that these converts view the Church as the “far right at prayer” and claim they are importing radical political views into Orthodoxy, or that they are simply “LARPing” and are not actually living an Orthodox life. There was the book published by Sara Ricardi Swartz, for instance, on Orthodox converts in Appalachia (paid link) that discusses these themes.

But more generally, there is the sentiment from many that these converts are simply “overzealous”, especially in how they approach those Christian confessions who are separated from the Church. This is especially the case-at least from what I have seen- from those who converted from lower church or non-denominational forms of American Protestantism. There is often a sort of deep hostility shown towards these confessions by those Orthodox who came from them, especially in how these Protestants are often portrayed as stupid, lambasted as heretics, etc. This can be seen as sort of off-putting to those who were raised Orthodox or came from traditions that were closer to Orthodoxy, such as Anglicanism or the Roman communion, and some priests have also warned about those who become Orthodox for erroneous reasons, seeing the Faith as sort of fortress to protect themselves from the various ailments of modernity.

Now, as I have written prior, it is important to not simply just look at your past confession with scorn and hatred. Ultimately, whether you were Baptist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, etc, prior to becoming Orthodox, you still were shown Jesus Christ, even if imperfectly, and you desired to have a deeper relationship with Christ because even though you saw your confession as lacking in some respects, you still saw Christ Himself as the ultimate goal, which you would not have known had you not been in that prior confession to begin with. We can recognize the flaws of our former sect without resorting to outright hostility and loathing. That being said, I want to tell a story today that I hope garners some sympathy for these newcomers to our Church, and may give a glimpse as to why some of them show up to the parish door appearing angry and resentful.

Once Upon a Time, in the Land of Substack…

On December 13, an Orthodox writer and apologist named Michael Garten announced that he had a book published called Early Icons: Christian Image Veneration Before 325 Ad, and is the first volume that deals with “Written Evidence and Paintings”. You can buy the book here (paid link). While the book is independently published, it is endorsed by two other authors, one being Fr. Steve Bigham (Orthodox) who has published the book Early Christian Attitudes Toward Images, and Trent Horn, a famous Catholic apologist who has written numerous books on different topics.

I had posted a comment congratulating Garten on his book, and one of the repsonses was from an individual who, to put it lightly, was not pleased with Garten and responded to my comment claiming Garten was, among other things, a liar, fraud, etc. He also has numerous other comments on the same post. I politely told him that I would examine the book’s arguments and asked him to provide evidence that Garten was being dishonest, etc. This person never replied after that. You can find the original comment thread here.

Now, for those who read through the comments, I want you to see two important details: Firstly, this person is not just claiming that Garten is wrong; rather, he is accusing Garten of intentionally lying to people to try to trick them into thinking icon veneration is sound doctrine. And secondly, this person has a PHD and is apparently a pastor of a Reformed Baptist congregation who, instead of reading and engaging with Garten’s book, just accuses him of deception and labels Orthodoxy as an idolatrous sect. He also had an exchange with Orthodox apologist Seraphim Hamilton on Twitter displaying the same type of behavior.

Now, imagine instead of responding to this man online, you were with him in person. Imagine you are a member of his congregation who has decided to become Eastern Orthodox, and you are informing your pastor (the commenter) that you are leaving. Based on the rhetoric shown above, how do you think that conversation is going to go? Do you think he is going to show compassion to you? Do you think he is going to want to hear you out and try to understand why you are leaving? Do you think he is going to be respectful? I think we all know the answer.

Taking this hypothetical further, imagine this convert is now at your parish after leaving his former congregation. How do you think he is feeling about his prior confession? Probably not great. If I had to guess, he is most likely resentful; he probably thinks they are not open to reason, are hateful, and have no respect for our traditions, among other emotions. As such, there is a chance that, when he speaks of his former pastor, one may be taken aback by his “zealousness” in his opposition to his former strand of Protestantism and love for his newfound faith. If someone like our commenter, who has academic credentials and spiritual authority in his congregation, will act in such an inappropriate and unChrist-like way towards those who are Orthodox, imagine how damaging others could be who do not have at least some semblance of understanding of the issues and debates.

I tell this story because it demonstrates a reality that new converts may be- and are- facing. That reality is this: some Protestants- especially online- are not only discouraging people from becoming Orthodox but are also outright attacking the Faith and its teachings, with icon veneration being one of these teachings. While some are more respectful than others, the truth is that, at the very least, many of them will take issues with the way that the Orthodox approaches Christ, Scripture, Tradition, the Saints, liturgy, etc, and converts from these groups have more likely than not faced a great degree of backlash and opposition for their decision, including from family and close friends. Most are not going to be as absurd as our commenter, but there will still be misunderstandings at best and outright rejection at worst.

It’s with all of this in mind that I am asking Orthodox to approach these incoming inquirers and potential converts with compassion and understanding rather than suspicion or disapproval. There is certainly rhetoric among newcomers that should be discouraged and, in the long run, we should desire for converts to have a steady and level view of how to best approach the heterodox. Yet we need to realize that these people have made tremendous sacrifices to get to the Church; they've strained relationships with family, have lost friends, and have given up the conveniences and luxuries that their former faith offered them so they can join us on the “narrow road” of the Orthodox faith. Rather than hide away, board up the windows and lock the parish doors, we should be like the father who ran on the road to meet the Prodigal Son as he returned to his house, welcoming these people with open arms and a warm embrace.

This analogy may also be helpful: The perception of new converts for some may be that they are wannabe “soldiers for Christ” who think the Orthodox Church is an army to enlist in so that they can fight in a spiritual holy war against heretics and infidels. Yet I think what is really going on is this: these converts are refugees. They are spiritual seekers who, in their desire for the fullness of Truth, have made the harrowing journey to the Orthodox Church. And when they arrive at the parish doors, they are deeply wounded, bleeding and hurt from the injuries caused by their former brethren, and have been buffeted by the stormy winds and cold of the world. They see the Orthodox Church as a shelter from the storm, as a hospital where they can mend their wounds, and a banquet hall where they can be fed and nourished. Just as the Good Samaritan brought the injured and half dead man to the inn to be tended to and restored, so should we bring in these injured and half dead souls so they can be restored to new life in Christ and His Church.

I will end this short reflection with this: I do not post the comment thread to encourage others to attack the commenter. Rather, I ask for all of us to pray for him. He is clearly very angry and bitter, and we need to be examples of Christ to him rather than additional reasons for him to reject the Church. If you do decide to engage him and his claims, I ask that you do so in the spirit of charity and civility and to refrain from insults, name calling, etc. Do not give him anymore reasons to run from Christ and His Body. Rather, as Metropolitan Anthony Bloom once said: “We should try to live in such a way that if the Gospels were lost, they could be re-written by looking at us.”

Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner