Living an African-American Orthodox Christian Life: Dealing with “Bumps and Bruises”

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 strange looks family and friends have when one mentions an interest and desire to become a member of the Church. One dear sister told me that her neighbors thought that she and her husband were cult members. But, many parishes are more accepting of converts and realize that evangelism is a calling that the Lord Himself gave to the Apostles. Just as European immigrants assimilated and blended into American culture, new converts are finding themselves being accepted among Greeks, Russians, Serbs and are constructing a growing OCA identity.

But, we didn’t immigrate here (unless slave…