Unveiling the truth: Why I left Eastern Orthodoxy

This is the testimony of Evangelist Jason Terpack about why he left the Eastern Orthodox Church. Jason holds both the MDiv. from an evangelical Seminary and a Certificate in Orthodox Theology from AHOS. He is an ordained Christian Minister and also served for a time in the minor clergy of the Orthodox Church.

Other helpful videos:

[aquiladavid]

If you are here in the Comments and you’re Orthodox, pray for this man!

[charlesiragui]

I am an Orthodox Christian and I listened to your thoughtful comments and enjoyed them. Please allow me to react to your comments, in a spirit of brotherhood, not attempting to prove you wrong. Broadly, I think you have valid criticisms but they are of incorrect understanding by Orthodox Christians you encountered, not of actual Orthodox theology.
Icons are worthy of reverence for that which they represent. The 7th ecumenical council specifically suggested that icons were useful for instruction. Following this teaching, I used the icons placed in the middle of the church each Sunday to teach my children when they were small, asking them what they saw and describing to them what the icon represented and taught to us. As Christians left a status of persecution in the early 4th century, they naturally began to make representations of Christ. An image of Christ was certainly something to be revered, because of what it represented, God. The Church took care to guide the production of representations to make sure that they did their best to not offend the dignity of holiness and that they properly conveyed what was represented (accurate, theologically consistent). From the holiness of relics and the image of God, the Church made the analogy to the two natures of Jesus as man and God: the relics are bones and they are holy, the icons are wood and paint and they are holy.
Mary is not viewed as sinless in Orthodoxy. Jesus Christ is specifically called the "Only Sinless One". Mary, the "birth giver of God" (Theotokos or Bogorodnitza) has a great veneration in the Orthodox Church but this is from the fact that she and only she bore God in her womb, raised him, loved him with maternal love, spoke with him throughout his life on Earth, accompanied him to the wedding at Cana and requested of him that he bless that joyous gathering with his first miracle. Christ remembered her and cared for her with his last worldly task: "This is your mother. This is your son." Christ's own behavior on the Cross tells us that Mary was worthy of great care, great love, great reverence.
Salvation is the gift Christ calls us to: to have God as our Father and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, to leave worldly concerns and partake of his life. "It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me." To say that "we are saved by acts" or "we are saved by faith" are both wrong. We are saved by the love, the grace of God. The first step is repentance: "Repent for the Kingdom of God is Nigh". The Publican was justified by a broken spirit of repentance. Repentance is our great personal contribution to our salvation, the rest is given to us by God. That is our act and our faith: repentance. As with the Prodigal Son, all he needed to do was see with new eyes the pigsty of his existence, to think about his Father's house and to decide to return. When he arrived, his words were of repentance but it was not his practiced speech that saved him; it was his Father's unfailing, abundant love. From afar, before the son could even speak, his Father ran to him, embracing him with joy.
Fasting is voluntary and a practice that is given by the Church tradition as a powerful spiritual tool, especially a tool for repentance and spiritual purification. We are sinful and judge so easily. None should be proud that they are fasting and none should distain those who do not fast. Is this what Orthodox all practice? Sadly, Orthodox are sinful like everyone else. From long ago, there was a kind of splinter Christian group in Russia that came to be called the Molokanye because, shockingly, during Lent they continued to drink milk (Russian: moloko). This is so foolish it is funny and shows what you say is true: one can be proud and judging in fasting.

[paulhudson]

People come and they go! I pray the Holy Spirit shows you the correct path. See ya bro. 🌺☦️🌺

[Gregori-mivyncy]

"When someone who is not Orthodox comes to the Orthodox Church he must go through a furnace of repentance, of change and regeneration of his entire way of thinking and living. This will take a long time. In order for someone’s positive attitude towards Orthodoxy to become an experience of his heart, he must lead a life of asceticism and crucifixion for many years, otherwise the ‘old self’ will remain, with the result that unbelief and the inclination to go back to the old way of life will often occur."
- Saint Sophrony of Essex

[wladimirpustovalov]

Orthodox here, you could answer some questions of me?
0:52 for how long have you been orthodox?
2:13 on what did you based your assumption, that early Christian symbols where closer to Christianity (I guess what you mean) than icons, and if so what would make the practice of icon veneration etc. false?
3:28 so I guess you reject the teachings of saints like John of Damascus?
3:42 so what makes you think that it makes icons veneration wrong? Aside from councils and saints there are many cases in the Bible, that show us people had images. For example the Angel statues on the arc of commandments or statues in the first temple, on which churches are based. Or the shroud of Turin, where Jesus face is imprinted?
4:30 if you have been orthodox, you should know that images and icons are not the same. In biblical terms images refer to things that did not existed, like idols. But icons depict real people that lived holy lifes.
5:40 apostolic succession is only found in the Orthodox Church, how can you argument that your church has apostolic succession?
6:39 how is the veneration of the Holy Theotokos not biblical? The Angel who brought the good news to her literally venerated her like orthodox do, which is in the Bible.
7:41 the body parts of someone are not the same category as the person itself
10:00 basically your assumption is, that everything is false what was not in the first three centuries. The doctrines and rituals of the church where established in those three centuries and manifested at the holy councils, when Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire. That is why we listen to the saints and the church fathers, that were disciples of the apostles (hence apostolic succession), where the Orthodox Church can track their succession back. Reformed churches are out of the question to be THE church of Jesus. So my last question is, what is your believe based on on what the true church is supposed to be according to you? Sorry if my questions sound condescending, but I think your arguments are weak. I hope you can answer some of my questions, because I want to understand on what grounds people like you reject the Orthodox Church.

[William_Farmer]

If this is how you feel about Orthodoxy, I don't understand why you joined the Church. It seems like you never left evangelicalism.

[Aleksandr-Herman]

I converted to orthodoxy almost 3yrs ago. I should say, its not easy at all to be an orthodox. I entirely rely on God's mercy, that He will help me to remain faithful, because it is beyond my abilities.
I found, that to be real, not nominal orthodox, it takes hard work, lots of mental, physical and spiritual discipline, constant self assessment, and the most important - humility and obedience. If you are not determined to be obedient to The Church and to your spiritual father, even if it contradicts your personal reasoning, it's better to stay away from the Orthodox Christianity.
Taking that into account, it is very tempting to be evangelical, because it takes much less effort. You live the way that suits you, because no matter what, you are already saved, flawless child of God. You can "follow Jesus" the way you feel right for yourself. Everything in the church is about you, you can be sure that the "praise and worship team" and the pastor will do whatever needed to get you entertained, so that you are not bored, not dissatisfied with the church and not frustrated with God.

[Principlesof]

Why shouldn’t Christians venerate Mary (not the same as worshiping). Why shouldn’t Christian’s ask her to pray for us? Why shouldn’t we ask any saint to pray for us? We are all part of the family of God, whether living or dead. We are all alive in Christ.

[David-kzim]

Hi Jason,

I'm sad to see this, but I wanted to let you know that Craig Truglia and Suan Sonna have two separate projects regarding the icon (and their veneration) question, so it's something to keep your eyes open for.

I pray you come back to the Church.

[Cosmere]

I watched your video, and I’m not sure about your genuineness. As a convert from a zealous Reformation belief against Roman Catholics, I eventually realized I didn’t know why I was supposed to hate them aside from concerns like Mary's worship and the “call no man father” phrase. So, I studied their beliefs, which seemed messy but not more than the Reformation or modern Protestantism.

Studying Church history led me to the Orthodox Church with strong claims. I compared Orthodoxy to Reformation Protestantism and found the Solas I held dear falling apart, especially Sola Scriptura.

PSA seemed troubling, while the Christus Victor and restored Icon models made more sense. They avoided portraying the Father as a cosmic child abuser punishing the innocent for others’ crimes. PSA also appeared contradictory to the Trinity, though it’s challenging to unlearn.

Icons scared me initially, but seeing them at a local Parish made sense. Learning they are not to be worshiped helped a lot too. After all, God in the OT had icons and images in His worship spaces like the Temple, Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant contained molten images of cherubim on top of it, the Temple had statues as well. Icons often serve as visual representations that help individuals connect with their beliefs and stories, in some cases, I have felt as if the Saint was there with me at times in such a way allowed by God. Icons were clearly used in the Church and the catacombs and even the Synagogues used them for a time before Christianity. It's true after persecution ended and Christianity became more public they developed more but that's not an issue.

I honestly have a hard time thinking of going to any other denomination after going to the Orthodox Church. I'm not sure what I would do if I lost confidence in the Orthodox Church and apostatized. I don't see any other denomination as an option, I just don't believe in them and Orthodoxy seems to be the early Church to me. The Holy Spirit said it would guide us into truth, and it's clear the Holy Spirit used the Orthodox Church in a big way throughout history.

I don't think you should let what that one scholar said deter you from the fullness of the truth. Maybe it would of been beneficial for you to visit other parishes and find one better for you.

Also I think you are taking some things in Orthodoxy in a legalistic spirit and it's not supposed to be that way, fasting, Icons, Saints, The sacraments, etc are for our spiritual benefit not bondage.

I wish you luck on your journey! God bless!

[saragodvlogs]

21:07 says it all. Pray for deliverance of pride. You want a "wife", you want all the "meat" to eat, you want to be saved by no works, you want to disregard the Mother of God. You want your way. You want the flesh. You want easy. Works along with fasting give you the tools to change the sins of the flesh we all battle with. To foster a deepening in your faith.

[josephmiller]

Thank you, Jason, for your thoughtful treatment of a difficult subject. I, too, have struggled to know what to do with the appeal of Eastern Orthodoxy. Much of it is powerful and of very deep thought. I was always afraid that my reservations meant I trusted my own thinking or was too enslaved to my Western mindset. I have learned much from Orthodox theology. But I have peace about my decision to remain in the Protestant realm. Errors abound it seems no matter which way you turn. But Jesus always.

[spence]

James 2:24 "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only"

James 2:26 " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"

Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works"

[Varangian]

Read into the archaeological digs of ancient eastern Christian churches. They clearly have iconography, as do contemporary sources in Rome.

[TrentonErker]

first century synagogues have been found with icons and statues. first century apostles were mostly jews...ergo very likely apostolic

early christians were persecuted, so they did everything in secret. you can't do that with icons and statues, so they minimized them with symbols.

"icons appeared around the 4th century" - ya, you mean when it was no longer a crime in Rome? what a coincidence...

[davidyess]

You should have visited EO church longer and never converted to it if the veneration of saints is so problematic to you. This veneration has been part of the practice of the church for millennia.

[joshuamkk]

Former Baptist here, I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy at the beginning of this year, and it quickly became manifest to me that it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I will never go back. ☦️

[pavlickrobert]

Jason, I have to ask you: Did you go through any kind of Catechetical Classes prior to being either baptised or chrismated into the Holy Orthodox Church? I only ask this because every point that you are now questioning should have been covered during those lessons. And then too, on the day of your anointing, you were asked a series of questions relating to the very topics that you now question. How could you have responded "Yes" to any of those questions then and yet now question them all after the fact?

The Service For Reception of Converts contains this vow. "This true faith of the Orthodox Church which I now voluntarily confess and truly hold, that same I will firmly maintain and confess, whole and unchanged, even until my last breath, God helping me. And I will teach and proclaim it, insofar as I am able. And I will strive to fulfill its obligations with zeal and joy, preserving my heart in good deeds and blamelessness. In witness of this, my true and pure-heated confession, I kiss the Word and Cross of my Savior, Amen."

Some of the other questions covered are these: "Do you believe and confess that the saints reign with Christ in heaven, and that according to the understanding of the holy Orthodox Church, it is proper to honor and invoke them, and that their prayers and intercessions avail with the kindhearted God for our salvation, and that it is pleasing to God to venerate their incorrupt relics? " Response: "I believe and confess it". "Do you recognize that it is proper to keep and to honor icons of Christ the Savior, the ever-virgin Mary, Theotokos, and other saints, not as idolatry, but that by gazing on them we might be inspired to piety and to imitate the deeds of the righteous persons represented in the holy icons? " Response: "I believe and confess it."

And surely, you knew about fasting, which is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments and praised by Our Lord. He only condemned fasting when it was done to "be seen by others" and to appear penitent and holy "in front of men".

You seem to be falling into the pattern of so many Protestant denominations who believe in "Sola Scriptura" and that just reading and interpreting the Holy Scriptures for oneself are adequate. But if that were the case, then Our Lord would have said so, but instead, he instituted a Church for the benefit of His followers, so that they would not have to "go it alone" or lean on their own understanding and fall into error. And He clearly warned of the errors that would come down the line as a result of followers straying from the Path and from the Truth. In the 24th chapter of Matthew, Our Lord prophesied the eventual coming of "False Prophets", " And Jesus answered and said to them: Vs 4 “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, ’ and will deceive many. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. "

In Matt 16:17-19 Jesus discusses the foundation of His Church after asking his disciples who they understood Him to be. Jesus answered and said to him, 17 “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” So Our Lord gave the Church and the Apostles the power to grant forgiveness and also to establish liturgy and correctly interpret Holy Scripture. And that is why, except in rare instances where God makes an exception; salvation is only possible through His Church and through his anointed ministers who He uses as vessels of salvation. Do not be deceived. Martin Luther opened "Pandora's Box" and as a result of his "Sola Scriptura" ideas, we now have hundreds if not thousands of false man-made contradictory denominations.

[tmw]

This is why new converts to Orthodoxy should keep quiet and not make videos about their conversion or enter into theological debates. Protestants enter Orthodoxy with a lot of enthusiasm and that needs to be converted into true spiritual understanding before they open their mouth. They need to learn everyone doesn’t need to know their testimony. Stay quiet, humble yourself.

[Ettoredipugnar]

I other words you never stoped being a Protestant