simplyorthodox:

There’s a saying that Orthodox Christianity is the “best-kept secret” in North America. But should our faith be so unknown to the people around us?

St. Romanos the Melodist tells us to imitate St. Photini, the Samartian woman, and share our faith:

You were not worthy of having what…

While I understand the push toward actively engaging in conversation about the Orthodox faith and perspective, as an American Orthodox Christian I’m concerned about the trend in the our parishes to adopt evangelical tendencies.  At the core of our faith we maintain the agency of the Holy Spirit as the One who changes minds, hearts, trajectories.  We pray for peace in the whole world.  We pray for all suffering, all rejected.  We pray for mercy for ourselves and all people.

Representation is different than proselytizing.  I whole-heartedly support accurately representing the Orthodox faith to friends, family, coworkers, colleagues as it naturally and organically happens.  Especially for us American Christians, we have to recognize that evangelistic tendencies are in the water.  Unless we guard against them, we will be influenced by colonial/pushy/judgmental attitudes.  And we know these are incompatible with true faith, in America and everywhere.

(Source: ancientfaith.com)