One of the things that amazes me about the Great Dismal Swamp Maroons, (and leads me to believe the flight of the enslaved Africans to such a place after the 1730 Chesapeake Uprising was no accident of location), was how they were able to feed themselves. Obviously, they caught fish, hunted and trapped wild game, … More Maroon Cultivation: A Way of Spiritual Growth
Abba Pachomious, like so many other men and women dissatisfied with the laxity of the Christian world around them, sought refuge for his soul in the desert. But it probably didn’t take him long to realize that not everyone was cut out to live in such harsh conditions alone. This is especially true for ladies … More Swamp Monasticism: Brotherhood Among the Maroons
I was blessed to be with three of my brothers of St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church on a journey to the Great Dismal Swamp. The City of Chesapeake had recently opened the Historical Village Park on Glencoe Road between Rt. 17 and the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail. The main museum building was filled with … More Great Dismal City of God and Refuge
There is no shortage of people who use white images of Jesus Christ to support the idea that blacks should turn away from the Christian faith in favor of some form of Islam, Hebrew Israelitism, or some other faith based on a traditional African religion. It is not hard to find the presence of brown … More Living an Orthodox African-American Christian Life: Ancient Iconography for Evangelism
Malcolm X was an influence for me to become an Orthodox Christian. Born the son of a preacher, Malcolm Little was disenchanted with the Christianity of his time as he developed into a Harlem street hustler. While in prison, he was drawn to the teachings of the Nation of Islam which preached black separatism. Leaving … More Living an Orthodox Christian African-American Life: A Meaning of Malcolm X
In a recent post on Facebook, I mentioned that “There will be some bumps and bruises in some parishes for black Inquirers.” Over thirty years after a wave of evangelicals converted to Orthodox Christianity under the Antiochians, the hurdle of ethnicity can still be daunting for anyone seeking the faith. Along with that are the … More Living an African-American Orthodox Christian Life: Dealing with “Bumps and Bruises”
One thing that keeps black people from inquiring about and becoming catechist of the Orthodox Church is a lack of music that we are familiar with. Growing up Baptist, we never heard of Byzantine or Slavonic tones. I was working a summer job when I met someone from the Greek Orthodox Church and it was … More Living an African-American Orthodox Christian Life: Maintaining Our Musical Heritage
“Let us imitate our Fathers: The lived in this place with much austerity and peace.” Abba John the Eunuch, from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers “But some on’em would rather be shot than took, sir.” from A Desolate Place for a Defiant People The runaway slave was among the bravest of our African ancestors. … More Of Desert Fathers & Maroons
It never ceases to amaze me how the Ancient Faith & Afro-American Conference brings us all together. So many of us have now been a part of these Brotherhood gatherings that we have made the event a family reunion and homecoming combined. It is the only time when one can see an African-American priest of … More 2019 St. Moses Conference: The Broader Scope of the Ancient Faith
I grew up with traditional black Baptist revivals. Over the years, I’ve been to various conferences and services of different races and denominations. No matter what the event, there always seemed to be a push to get some sort of “high.” Perhaps from the keynote speaker, music concert, prayer session, something was supposed to give … More Ancient Christianity and Afro-American Conference 2018: A Sober Joy
