Thread by @PaulVanderKlay

I've been doing "thief in the night" livestreams lately. I call them that because I come unannounced into the Discord server and see what mix of randos I can find and what kind of conversation we can generate.

One guy who I spoke with a couple of years ago who used to be an angry atheist shared how he was joining the Coptic church in the UK and wanted to talk about all the interest in Orthodoxy. Hence the meme I made.

He also had some strong opinions about music. He felt that he had used music pornographically in the past and appreciated the restraint shown in the Eastern churches he was in the process of joining.

The conversation that ensued about music was quite profound. @PaulAnleitner once quipped to me that music WAS the sacrament in some of his former churches.

I noted that I think in many megachurches music functions as sort of a psychedelic. Sam noted a number of Protestant traditions where instead of visual arts music is the predominant art form and its boundaries are guarded.

Discussion shifted back to the main topic. One commenter wondered if in some ways the embrace of Orthodoxy was sociologically parallel to the attempts to embrace ancient paganisms. @PageauJonathan comment on that is important

I do wonder if the current infatuation with Orthodoxy will be a passing phase for many or if it will lead to a lasting commitment. I suspect some of both. I also wonder how these new converts will change the Orthodox churches in the West.

I wonder if we're going to see a major sea change for churches in the West possibly into some ancient/new amalgams of various traditions with unique adaptations to address the challenges the church faces today. I hope so.

I am encouraged by what I see happening all around me. I think we are in the cusp of seeing an exciting new revival of the church in the West in many unexpected ways and places. The Orthodox are certainly playing their part.

If you want to read this thread as one blog post you can find it on my substack. It's free paulvanderklay.substack.com/p/the-surprisi… Subscribe for other video summaries and afterthoughts.