VIDEO: Frederica Mathewes-Green: Why Did You Become Orthodox?

30 thoughts on “VIDEO: Frederica Mathewes-Green: Why Did You Become Orthodox?”

1. I really wish you could do an interview with the opposite case too — with a woman who was strongly drawn to Orthodoxy with a husband who just doesn’t get it. There are quite a few out there.

2. Thank you so much for your videos on Orthodoxy. I grew up in a Greek Orthodox Church, my Grandfather was the Priest. When we moved to Australia, I had a lot of questions as I was growing up, and checked out a lot of other churches and religions which was like doing a dance and deciding this is not right, all along feeling the Holy Spirit of the Greek Orthodox Church I grew up in and the magical angelic spirit I experienced as a young girl. My father was a very austere angry and abusive person, and proud he was a son of a preacher man. I was lucky when I was growing up that he was not around as he was sent to Australia, so I had that time of my upbringing in the church without the emotional and physical abuse. Going to the different denominations and looking for answers recognized some churches used Juses name but denied his power. I kept looking and looking knowing deep down in my heart that the Greek Orthodox church I grew up in was the closest church to the truth of Christ. I am back with the Greek Orthodox church now and I am I awe of the beautiful Icons that tell the beautiful stories of Jesus, I am always looking in the faces of these Icons and I feel the beauty and sincerity of this church to Jesus. The Liturgy of course immediately takes me home to heaven, with the beautiful voices of the Priest and his psaltes. The Greek Orthodox church is a real gift of Jesus to the world. Thank you.

3. I live in the Baltimore area too! I am attending an Antiochian Orthodox Church in the suburbs and thinking of converting.

4. Enjoyed. Informative. Concise.

5. The focus on God instead of self is such a liberation, such freedom. This is the key sentence of the interview.

6. Men are drawn to beauty which is why they get seduced so easily by women (or other men). Women are more wary of beauty. Men think they're paying a woman a compliment by telling a woman "you're beautiful". Women, not all but many, want to be complimented on who they are.
   Seems super simple as to why men would be drawn. It's not logic they care about. It's beauty. Men usually have a better concept of beauty. Women think by putting on makeup, they look more beautiful. Wrong. Men often remark on how they prefer their woman's beauty in the morning before she's "fixed herself up".
   Orthodoxy is not manly. It is neutral. It is organic. We have been exposed to strange (probably western) ideas of masculinity and femininity. People who live in the country and grew up playing in the dirt would understand Orthodoxy.

7. I want to convert and, at first. my husband was dead set against it. God's will be done.

8. I have become Orthodox, very recently. I came from the Episcopal Church. I was Chrismated in October 2019. There is no other Church, in which I have learned more of what the true faith is. Christ is alive in the Orthodox Church.

9. I would love to hear more of her personal testimony, especially regarding the theological differences and how her thought process changed from evangelical thinking to Orthodoxy.

10. Really touching testimony God bless you .the fasting and giving services like you say are true soul liberation

11. Biblically it is a sin to ordain women as presbyters/pastors/elders/Bishops/Overseers. Man should lead in the church and home.

12. II was surprised that she claimed that during her time as being in a mainline Protestant church, she referred to her husband a being a "priest" there.

13. Greeting from Romania! God bless you!

14. so it all boils down to membership in a church (3:49), income thru tithers (5:24), the beautiful rituals? not all non-orthodox focus on the self. eventually it must boil down to the content of your faith. what is the content of your faith that justifies you before God's holy justice? only two groups in the world – Christ's work or your work (even if you say you are infused with God's grace – compelling you ro cooperate making it works-based.) Christ's righteousness imputed to you (Phil 3:9) or your own righteousness? the beauty of your icons, rituals, chants (however they may contain biblical truths) can never justify you, only Christ's righteousness can (Romans 4:6) apart from your works.

15. Orthodoxy shmorthodoxy.

16. Why men? Perhaps we have a more of an inclination to the mystical, but it definitely has much to do with the fact that men no longer have many public spaces where they can just be men without women being around due to the march of Secular humanism, caused in part by the reaction of the Reformation to the overbearing focus in the Catholic Church on the Passion of Christ and its theology of redemption, and not the hope embodied by His resurrection as is the focus in the Orthodox Church.

    "Focus on God and not Self" – I came to Christ through Islam and Buddhism, and that is a shared trope I appreciate (though in Buddhism it isn't God, but the 'Void').

    Pray for me as I begin my journey into the Orthodox Church in Estanopli at the Ecumenical Patriarchy.

17. I recently became orthodox and I felt it in my heart right away.
    No regrets.

18. Being born and raised in an orthodox country and into the orthodox culture, I can't relate to that man/woman pattern she's referring to. In my culture I see more women than men willing to participate in the orthodox demands and rituals.

19. Herman and Protecting Veil productions, ty for a very enjoyable video Why Did You Become Orthodox. This found me as one considering a conversion. My son brought Orthodoxy into his new marriage and i feel blessed to have witnessed their Orthodox wedding and most of their Chrismations along with going to DL with them when visiting from out-of-town for over 3 years. Also, have suscribed to PV and will look for Frederica's books.
    Thanks especially for adding that she has books for the viewer who wants more, what a pleasant and ' approachable' manner and speaking presence she has ( you, too).

20. No wonder the Prodestant Church is struggling, men are to teach and be the head of the household. We Prodestants have lost our way. Thank you for the video

21. I am a convert because it spoke to my heart and told me it was the real truth the Church of Jesus Christ.

22. Significant remarks on men and their favorisation of orthodoxy

23. what a woman of God. May He bless you. Your faithfullnes is nearly unherd of now a days. Not just for God but to your man.

24. This woman is so motherly, warm, and wise whenever she shares. Very grateful for this video.

25. I just went this last weekend with my wife and it's been a similar story Im leaning more towards it but she's finding a hard time finding the beauty of it

26. Orthodox Greek

27. On the orthodox

28. As a single man, this is kind of a bad advert for Orthodoxy – less women, more me 😉

29. Little back story, I was thought from a young age to hate Christianity, and boy did I all the way to the age of 33 and work with a father from the local Orthodox Church, I figured I’ll go and see… BOOM I fell in love

30. The Father referred , not to his own opinion .but to the Church Fathers, the great learned men of the past. Can I suggest a novel idea : Why not refer to the words of Jesus himself or the NT writings, the words of the Apostles and disciples?

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