I hate to break the news to you, but there are more Lutherans than Orthodox. Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian Church in the world, followed by the Lutherans ... I am not lapsed at anything, nor do I need to convert. My family has been Lutheran since the reformation. Moreover, I love belonging to a church that is socially conscious and follows Christ's teachings to the utmost - helping others. The Orthodox church has nothing to compare with Lutheran Social Services (the largest non profit in the USA), and the myriad of related organizations from Immigration and adoption to the Lutheran World relief - one of the most respected international charities. You talk about heresy and lapsed Christians and all that ... we try to live as Christ taught us --helping others - locally, nationally, internationally .. LSS was a faith-based organization long before the Shrub alleged coined the phrase.
John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus was a man of peace ... He died so that you may live.
But don't go around trying to tell people that they are "lapsed Christians" when, in fact, they may be living a far more Christian life than you are - I wish everyone was Lutheran (and not Missouri-Synod) -- especially in government -- we would have less weapons, less wars and more hospitals ... but that's not going to happen ...

I get in trouble when I OD on my faith -- but I don't tell people that they have to convert to find the "Truth."
[Marlene, there is a single Truth, a single Church as God is one and He is never changing. Therefore, there are such things as heresies, as departures from Truth. In an absolute sense, heretics are lapsed Christians, as heresies are distorted Truth. Now, being a heretic doesn't automatically condemn one to Hell, unlike what Protestants would have us believe, "thanks" to the heresy of predestination. Christ is impartial and judges each of us according to their own conscience (Romans 2:10-15) unless born and raised Orthodox: if one never got the chance to learn the unaltered Truth (i.e. Orthodox Christianity), he or she is not at fault and so will be judged according to his/her conscience. In the Orthodox understanding, even a canibal amazonian or an atheist can go to Heaven, if he or she lives up to the conscience formed in him/her in his/her youth. This is the reason why the Orthodox Church, unlike the Protestants who want to save all non-Christians from Hell, sees proselytism as un-necessary.
God bless!
Borbon Fan
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I guess I should have been a bit clearer about what I meant by "lapsed Christians." In an absolute sense, I repeat, all non-Orthodox are lapsed/heretics from the viewpoint of the Orthodox Church - the only true Church - to Which they do not belong, for to say otherwise is to admit their heresies as Truth. In a relative sense, though, each Christian, lapsed or not, Orthodox or not, within his/her denomination, can be devout or lapsed, depending on how well he/she lives up to the respective denomination's understanding of Christ. You may very well be a devout Christian in this relative sense, living your life up to the Lutheran teachings to the utmost, yet in an absolute sense still remain a lapsed one/heretic, as long as you do not convert to Orthodoxy. But again, I cannot emphasize this enough, this does not bar the non-Orthodox or even non-Christians from salvation, as Romans 2:10-15 teaches us.
As to my understanding of the Bible, I am not at all confused, on the contrary. However, I do not wish to continue this clearly off-topic discussion here. Perhaps on another thread, although I doubt such a theological debate is within the confines of the royalty theme of the forum.
God bless!
Borbon Fan
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