Speaking personally as an enrolled Orthodox Catechumen in a convert Antiochian parish (to be Chrismated in December...Lord, have mercy), I can tell you from my own experience of the EOC folks...
Those that I know have left behind (boy was THAT an awful choice of words) and will repudiate the “Ortho-stant” of “ProtesDox” approach of those in the old inner circle of the EOC leadership.
Kolo is right, you can’t do it both ways. Personally, I wouldn’t want to - I couldn’t go back to Protestant worship now AT ALL.
I’ve been told an HILARIOUS story about Bp. BASIL, the Bishop of the Antiochian Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America...
Before the elevation the other Diocesan Bishops in the AOANA, there were only two Auxiliary Bishops... +Antoun and +Basil.
+Basil was celebrating Liturgy at a new convert parish in VIcksburg, MS. And there was a woman playing an organ during Communion. +Basil turned to his assistant, a Subdeacon whose name I shan’t give on this forum. The Bishop said, “Please go tell that woman to stop playing the organ.”
The Subdeacon (a former Marine) went up over to the organ and said, “His Grace said to stop playing that organ...RIGHT NOW.” She apparently couldn’t get her hands off the keys fast enough.
Quitely, but audibly, Bp. Basil said, “This is NOT a Baptist church.”
“If an inquirer stays around and becomes Orthodox, the ethnic part,ironically, becomes an added attraction, or so I am told.”
I am eating felafel for lunch as I type this. Not to mention the fact that, growing up, my parents were friends with a Lebanese family...and my mom still has their family recipe for kibbee.
I LOVE Mediterranean food...
Yep. I too am a convert from protestant evangelicalism. Happy to call Antioch home now for three years, but who’s counting.
Ethnic attraction? Not really, but more like having a pentecostal experience every time I attend services when I hear portions of the liturgy in Greek, Russian, Arabic, etc...
I didn’t search out Antioch. It was simply the only one in my area. I was already prepared to feel out of place, but surprised to find that half the parish were converts from Rome and her wayward children like myself. It’s good to be home in the Church.