Welcome to Appalachian Orthodox

But what is that, exactly?

As a man living in a highly religious Appalachian culture, faith is seen as a part of life. For better or worse, some form of religiosity is nearly a cultural expectation. BBQ, Bibles, and Beer, as I have coined - the Bible is right in the middle of the rest of it, where it belongs. In this part of rural America, it is charismatic mainline evangelical protestantism that reigns as the primary form of religious expression, and is the first part of my own religious pedigree. But I always felt like something was missing and I could never quite put my finger on it.

My faith has been a journey, as I believe it is for everyone. I’ve attended a variety of churches, even previously serving on staff at one, but my questions have persisted. Questions that seem simple on the surface and are often glossed over, but I believe require a deeper, more contextual, understanding.

My reading and understanding of scripture and church history, as I have studied within communities throughout the years, have never quite fully aligned with any one denomination or expression. It is rather some amalgamation, taking what I believe to be best in class from everyone and folding it into my own personal philosophy and faith journey. Does that mean I cracked the code? Quite the opposite. But it has led me to believe that no one else has cracked the code either. This is the tension in which I continually find myself - drawn to the Church while also feeling a bit like an alien, moving through with a disguise that’s a little cracked and starting to draw suspicion, worried that someone will notice I haven’t fully bought into their specific, nuanced practices.

To be clear, I love Jesus very much, and these questions and wrestlings are all directed toward helping me love Him more. My faith itself is not in question, and I have zero qualms over essential Christian doctrine. Rather, I am working out with “fear and trembling,” as it were, how to live out that faith in the most practical, meaningful way possible.

I’m not Protestant; I’m not Catholic; I’m not true Orthodox. The closest I’ve come to describing my particular hybridized religious expression is, as my mother so eloquently put it, Appalachian Orthodox. Rooted in the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the intrinsic religious ideals within while also trying desperately to connect to the communion of saints and those who have come before me, I journey as a pilgrim toward finding what the whole of the Church says throughout the ages, not just any one denomination.

This newsletter is not intended to be an eloquent, manicured, manifesto. Instead, it is the wrestlings of a man who wants to love Jesus and His Church as good as I possibly can in this life. The thoughts, ideas, and philosophies within may or may not be fully realized, fully held beliefs, but rather a snapshot of where my journey has led me up to this point, and where it may still go. I hope you’ll join me as we work our faith out together and strive to honor the Lord with all of the efforts therein.