Over the years, I’ve read quite a few accounts of people transitioning (I don’t want to use the word ‘converting’, as conversion is to Christ) from Evangelicalism to Orthodoxy. There don’t seem to be many published about folk moving in the opposite direction, but if there were I’d devour those too. (Suggestions, please!)
A friend recently raised with me the possibility that healing may be a neglected aspect of Evangelical-Orthodox dialogue. Yes, we seek to heal relationships at the corporate level, encouraging groups to work together where they can to serve God’s mission in our broken and hurting world. Part of that is through creating a space in which positive relationships can be built, providing a context for addressing some of the issues which cause such pain to members of one tradition or the other. And by God’s grace LOI seeks to encourage joint efforts in areas where communities need to see God at work bringing healing.
But isn’t it true that some of us have been affected by our experiences in moving from one Christian community to another, whether those experiences were good or bad? How does that skew our perception of the community we have left? How does it affect our ability to work with, and relate to, that community? And how can a dialogue process between two Christian traditions take this dimension into account? It would be good to hear what you think …