February 5, 2008
Coming Home: Introduction
Hello, ya’ll, and, as Jamison said, welcome to my story. Like Jamison, I plan to post my story in parts. I expect I will probably use three parts, though I haven’t outlined everything yet, and I may have to extend to four. Before we get into all the gritty details, I though I’d like to introduce myself.
Online, I go by the handle ‘coderforchrist.’ This gives a small amount of info about me: I am a computer geek, programmer, and a Christian. I’m the youngest of the four here, being (as of this writing) in my mid 20’s, and graduated from college a few years ago with a B.S. in Computer Science. Despite my youth relative to the other authors here, I am the only one of us four who has, currently, completed Catechism and been received into the Church (I was received into the Orthodox Church by Holy Chrismation on May 20, 2007). Having been Orthodox for only less than a year, I often feel like an infant learning to walk. Orthodoxy is not something you do on Sundays; it demands your entire life (as it should). Likewise, our Tradition does not merely govern how we worship in Church (or even merely how we pray at home); it is a way of life. There is so much to learn, but, at the same time, there is also so much help. Why this is appealing to me is something I hope to explore as we continue this blog.
And so to the currently proposed structure of my story: I intend to start my story with my “conversion experience” in a Southern Baptist church in high school and my first experiences in the SBC and how my theology began moving drastically away from Baptist teaching in my next post; afterwards, I will recount my departure from the SBC and “wandering in the wilderness;” finally, I will discuss my “coming home” to the Orthodox Church, going through catechism, and up to the present day. The reason for going so far back is that, based on some reactions from those who have known me, my conversion to Orthodoxy seems rather sudden: one day, I was a good, Southern Baptist, and a few months later I’m being received into the Orthodox Church. The truth, however, is that I started on the path that led me to Orthodoxy almost from the beginning. In hindsight, I can look back on all the various detours I took and see God’s Hand guiding me gently into the Church over a number of years.
As my next post will begin with my “conversion experience,” I will finish this introduction with the story leading up to that point:
The oldest of three, I was born in North Carolina, and moved to Georgia when I was very young. My mother raised us going to the Southern Baptist church (we went to a couple churches before settling in First Baptist, where I was mostly raised); for many years, my father did not attend church regularly, though he is now as faithful in attendance as my mom. I made a profession of faith and was baptized when I was 11 years old. However, as I began middle school (grades 7-8), I began to move away from the church. I still attended, and even went to Sunday School, but that was mostly because I had to. In high school, one girl I dated came to our church with her family, and we would often skip Sunday School and, instead, go sit in a stairwell and talk.
Of course, instead of being formed by the church, I was largely formed by my friends. I joined in with the “freaks” and “goths,” and also hung out with the “skaters,” “punks,” etc. I developed an interest in vampires, serial killers, demons, and other evil things. In my junior year, I hit my darkest point, and began taking various drugs. My junior year was also when I first joined marching band, and had, the summer before, a bad break-up with a girlfriend. Even a couple of my friends began to express some concern for me at that time.
Oddly, despite the darkness I had immersed myself into, I still confessed myself as a “Christian” (though often with caveat, “I’m just not very good at it”). I even still wore a cross necklace my mother had given me. When my Literature teacher asked for a volunteer to read Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” I volunteered, because, in my mind, I went to a “fire-and-brimstone” church, so it just made sense for me to read such a sermon (the day I was to read it, I—rather unintentionally, actually—happened to wear a black t-shirt with the face of Darth Maul on the front). Eventually, I decided that I didn’t really want to be a good Christian because “Christians can’t have fun.” Then again, I didn’t worry about my eternal salvation because I believed in God and Jesus and believed I was “saved.” Therefore, it didn’t matter what I did, because I would still go to Heaven.
As the Scriptures say, though, “Where sin abounds, grace doth even more abound.” My family and some friends had begun praying for me, and Light began to break through.
Written and posted by Matt on February 5, 2008, 11:32 am.
Filed under: Communicant, General Discussion, Looking Back, Orthodoxy, Our Roots, The Journey
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Michael said,
February 5, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
*waiting with breathless anticipation for part two*
wezlo said,
February 6, 2008 @ 7:04 am
OK, the funny thing is that I helped at least three of the people posting here on the moves towards the ancient - and yet I’m still a baptist pastor. Can anyone explain this to me?
Michael said,
February 6, 2008 @ 9:30 am
I liken you to Morpheus, my friend — freeing the minds of those still living in Wonderland.
John said,
February 6, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
Nah… he’s the only one getting paid to stay where he’s at.
Sorry! Had to say it…
No, seriously… he has a master plan to move all baptists closer to orthodoxy. He’s sacrificing himself for his flock you see…
Matt said,
February 7, 2008 @ 12:19 am
Ah, so wezlo is trying for another Evangelical Orthodox deal, huh?
Erik said,
February 8, 2008 @ 11:54 pm
(took me a bit to get around to registering so the joke is late)
I’d say wezlo is the Orthodox equivalent of a bodhisattva.
(not even a particularly good joke, but once i’ve come this far…)
Michael said,
February 9, 2008 @ 10:28 am
LOL! After having actually looked up what “bodhisattva” meant, that is so appropriate. Good job Wezlo!