I have a few friends who are Orthodox (Greek, North American, etc), and since I live in such a diverse area (the DMV), you see a lot of faith diversity as well as racial diversity. I had a neighbor who was from Iraq and had escaped several years prior, and her faith tradition very much reflected the ancient ones that are still present there today. My father had an acquaintance that was an Iraqi Bishop. I had NO IDEA what the origin story of the Nicene Creed was, and now that I do, when I recite it in church, it will be that much more meaningful. It is a direct example of how I can apply what I have learned here to the real world. I also really appreciated the ideas given for how to engage with ancient Near Eastern Christian communities – I attended a Coptic Orthodox church for two years before the pandemic, and really got to the heart of what that group believes, and it impacted me a great deal.
