Referring back to the movie Moses the Black; I’m thinking about the main character’s grandmother. I’ll assume she was an Orthodox Christian, although I don’t know too many Churches in an inner city. The hero hadn’t had the time nor put in the effort to be fully catechized and brought into the faith. Yet, his … More Lessons of St. Moses: The Good Seed
As expected, members of my parish wanted to know my opinion of the movie, “Moses the Black.” As an African American clergyman and a longtime member of the Fellowship of St. Moses, I guess my opinion would carry some sort of weight. I’m not a cinematographer or director of any sort. I’ve seen the lead … More Lessons of St. Moses: Redemption
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations …” Matthew 28:19 This was the great commission Jesus Christ gave to the eleven disciples after His resurrection. Likewise, the 120 men and women followers who received the gift of languages in the upper room on Pentecost (Acts 1:15, 2:1-4), in particular the 70 (Luke 10:1) obeyed … More St. Simon the Zealot: Universal Origins of Orthodox Christianity
It never fails to amaze me how many conscious and woke brothers and sisters overlook African Christian Saints. It isn’t hard to find memes about the glories of the golden eras of Pharaonic Egypt on social media. Many African-Americans have had an affinity for various branches of Islam. There is a growing Hebrew Israelite identity … More Living an Orthodox African-American Christian Life: Embracing Our Saints
I read the lives of the saints from the Prologue of Orhid every morning. This is how I created a very long list of African holy men and women and created my book, Become All Flame: Lent with African Saints. A member of my parish gave me a copy of the Ethiopian Synaxarion. I find … More Abba Akaweh: An Orthodox Link to West Africa?
Noah cursed his grandson, Canaan, because Ham exposed his father’s nakedness while he was drunk. For thousands of years, accidental and intentional misinterpretations of scripture placed the curse on all descendants of Ham, especially the various peoples of Africa and that brown and black skin was a symbol of the curse. Yet, God made a … More Saints of Africa: December
There is an African proverb that is growing into a rather scary prophecy; “If you don’t know your past, you don’t know your future.” This frightens me for the future of Christianity as a whole and the black church in particular. Many ancient roots of the faith are deeply grounded on our mother continent. Traditional … More Saints of Africa: October
It is important for all Christians in general and African Americans in particular to be familiar with the saints of Africa. When we are unknowing and unwilling to share the history of blacks as a people of the faith among others of different lands sharing the universal belief in Jesus Christ, there is room for … More Saints of Africa: September
Perhaps every African American Orthodox Christian has August 28th circled on a calendar. It is the feast day of Abba Moses the Black. He is also known as the “Ethiopian” (due to his very dark “burnt” complexion), “Robber” (he was a former gang leader and thief), and “Strong” (mostly by Copts referring to a story … More Saints of Africa: August
“‘But you, when you pray, go into your room and pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly’” Matthew 6:6 “‘Go sit in your cell and your cell will teach you everything’” Moses #6, Sayings of the Desert Fathers Prayer is a … More Saints of Africa: July
Desert Fathers Dispatch 