Fr. Vasileios Thermos examines the religious conversions of Americans to the Orthodox Church, which have skyrocketed to the point of attracting coverage in the American press. He adopts an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychoanalysis and theology, as well as cultural criticism, sociology, and political reflection, given that the topic relates to the “culture wars” in the U.S. He has conducted 150 interviews with converts (80 men and 70 women with an average age of 52), some of which are included in the book. He does not theologically idealize the cases of conversion, as they often take place as a search for conservatism, “orthodoxy” in the political sense of the word—as an appeal to the original, faithful version of a movement, sometimes in a fundamentalist manner. He examines these shifts as a symptom of postmodern nihilism and the stagnation of Western Christian denominations at a time when the youthful vigor of Christianity is shifting to the global South.

His critical perspective, however, is compassionate, and so the reader has the opportunity to read a wealth of moving personal stories. On the one hand, the book attempts a theological reflection, aided by psychoanalysis, on the phenomenon of mass conversions to Orthodoxy; on the other hand, it examines, in a way that is also of interest to a non-religious audience, cultural processes within the United States that influence the rest of the world and, specifically, our country. It is, moreover, the result of a tour of six states—California, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Washington, and Alaska—to gather material primarily from Greek, Serbian, and Antiochian churches.

Conversion as the Unification of a Fragmented Self

Conversion is primarily viewed as the unification of a fragmented self and an effort at synthesis and wholeness. The main attractive features of Orthodoxy are identified as its therapeutic approach to salvation, grounded in ontology, rather than the legalistic approach that dominates Western denominations. The “key” to Orthodoxy’s recent success appears to be the combination, on the one hand, of a strict symbolic system that attracts disorganized personalities, and, on the other hand, an embrace of leniency toward the “sinner” due to its therapeutic and non-judgmental approach.

Seeking Inner Peace Through Discipline

Liberals are more flexible and less prone to imposing their ideas, notes Fr. Thermos. According to Philip Helfaer, author of the seminal work *The Psychology of Religious Doubt* (Boston: Beacon Press, 1972), “the liberal belief system, in contrast to the conservative one, is structurally characterized by a higher degree of internalization. The projection of images of the supreme good and the supreme evil has either been eliminated or softened and depersonalized.” In the U.S., the quantity of conversions does not necessarily correspond to a quality of self-criticism. Converts often seek a more solid symbolism, seeking an obedience dictated by guilt as a method of inner appeasement. At times, they go so far as to accuse the senior clergy of the Orthodox Church of compromise and pressure them to be stricter in their teaching. They may be aggressively critical of other believers in an unconscious attempt to punish themselves for their past lives. The pressure of the superego in these cases does not lead to personal growth, but clings to childhood fears. Moralism, dualism, puritanism, suspicion, blind obedience, and personality rigidity that can lead to totalitarianism are traits more often found among converts than among those from Orthodox families. Many seek in Orthodoxy a refuge from the postmodern fluidity of the West, hence we often see cases of converts who are pro-monarchy, pro-Russia, drawn to rules and hierarchy, and skeptical of democracy and pluralism.

According to Dean Kelley, stricter religious groups demand a higher degree of behavioral conformity and for this reason attract certain converts far more than liberal ones, for whom the content of the teaching does not matter, but rather stability and certainty—a set of truths that will remain unchanged forever. Tensions were particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Orthodox Christians raised in the faith generally supported government measures, while converts opposed them, often believing that the church is a sanctified place, that participation in the divine mysteries works miracles, that the divine blood does not spoil but acts as a source of healing, and so on.

"Orthobros" in Search of "Masculine Religiosity"

Related to this is the anxiety surrounding gender issues. A particularly well-documented case of converts, which has even been the subject of articles in The New York Times and other American media, involves young men who believe that masculinity “is under attack” or “demonized” in modern society and seek a more masculine form of religiosity in the Orthodox Church. The neologism “Orthobros” has been coined to describe this phenomenon, derived from “Orthodoxy” and the word “bros,” meaning “brothers,” but essentially referring to a close-knit group of men. Orthobros thrive in hybrid communities of parishes and the internet, and, at times, their mass influx into certain communities effectively transforms them, especially if the priest shares a similar mindset. We thus even see instances of weapon display or priests posting their shooting achievements on social media. Fear of women, anxiety about sex or intimacy, excessive guilt, and a search for refuge are sometimes the motives for such conversions.

Identification, introjection, and transference during conversion

Father Thermos’s critique is not, however, sweeping. Following Pehr Grandqvist’s observation, the author notes that the experience of conversion springs more from needs rooted in the emotional and relational sphere, bearing striking phenomenological similarities to the experience of falling in love. And, as in any emotional relationship, a religious conversion may conceal psychological pathology, but also a dynamic of liberation and a more mature rebirth of the self. Toward the end of the book, Fr. Thermos explores how Christ can serve as a connecting figure, allowing for the reappropriation of stories and the integration of undeveloped aspects of the personality. In conversion, processes of identification, introjection, and transference often come into play. Through transference, a person’s self-love can become love for God and humanity, while the hatred that was previously directed against God is now directed against the evil self. Conversion is often a quest for the greatest possible empathy, while Fr. Thermos concludes toward the end of the book that conversion is a constant call, even for those born into Orthodox families, with an eschatological horizon.