Turning to Tradition: Intra-Christian Converts and the Making of an American Orthodox Church

Orthodox Christianity, still popularly known for consisting of ethnic enclaves, has attracted a significant number of intra-Christian converts in America, including a number of African Americans.

This dissertation argues that what occurred in representative cases of intra-Christian converts to Orthodoxy in America can be best understood as a turn to tradition, an ecclesiological conversion wherein a period of church history was privileged and the Orthodox Church was seen as the continuation of the church from that historical period.

Such conversions assumed both a past historical standard and an uninterrupted life of an institutional church (even while acknowledging that some aspects may change over time).

The Orthodox Church's claim to be the true church, or the fullness of the church, assisted with the convert's ecclesiological conversion.

Additionally, there was one of two possible third factors at play.

For some, a third factor was a heightened concern with being in schism from the church they sought.

For others, a third aspect was the Orthodox worship experience.

Intra-Christian conversion to Orthodoxy as a turn to tradition is demonstrated from the case studies of Roman Catholic convert, Nicholas Bjerring (1831-1900), Eastern Catholic convert, St.

Alexis Toth (1853-1909), African American converts, Fr.

Raphael (Robert Josias) Morgan (ca. 1869-1916), Fr. Moses Berry (1951-present), and Al Raboteau (1943-present), and Protestant Episcopal convert, Fr.

Nathaniel (Ingram N. W.) Irvine (1849-1921), and evangelical converts, Fr.

Peter Gillquist (1938-present), Frank Schaeffer (1952-present), and Frederica Matthewes-Green (1952-present).

The conclusion argues that conversion literature needs to include a category of ecclesiological conversion, stated as a turn to tradition.

Also noted is the need for Orthodoxy to continue sustaining her ecclesiological claim to be the true Christian tradition if Orthodox Christianity wishes to continue facilitating the kind of conversion studied here.