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I Will Never Become Orthodox & Days Away From Sola Scriptura Tattoo: Then Eddie Discovered Orthodoxy
“Never Orthodox.” Famous last words.
“I will never become Orthodox.” And he meant it. He was days away from getting Sola Scriptura tattooed on his kneecaps—ink as conviction—when his closest friend, James St. Simon, entered the Orthodox Church. The line he’d sworn by began to wobble.
What changed him wasn’t a debate or a takedown. It was prayer. Join Cloud of Witnesses discussion between Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, James St. Simon, and special guest, Orthodox Catechumen, Eddie.
“My heart has always been about prayer,” Eddie says. “My Protestant background told me to pray. Orthodoxy showed me how to pray.” He found “step one” clarity—morning and evening prayers, psalms on the lips, a simple rule that steadied the heart when emotions ran thin. Prayer moved from improvisation to communion.
Others recognized the same hunger. James realized his spontaneous prayers had drifted into performance—aimed at people, not God. Mario found freedom from the anxious loop of “Am I saying enough? Am I praying right?” The ancient patterns didn’t smother the Spirit; they formed the heart—Scripture-soaked, Christ-centered, time-tested.
Then came the moment Eddie couldn’t shake. During the Divine Liturgy, his two-year-old tried to make the sign of the cross—clumsy, sincere, unforgettable.
“This is why Christianity outlasts civilizations and fashions,” Eddie reflects. “It isn’t just for us—it’s for them, when we’re gone.”
The man who almost branded Sola Scriptura into his skin is now learning the rhythms of ancient Christianity—not rejecting Scripture, but receiving it within the prayer-shaped life of the Church. The vow “never Orthodox” didn’t end in an argument. It ended in adoration.
If you’ve ever said your own version of “never,” or longed for a prayer life that’s deeper than resolve and stronger than mood, Eddie’s journey is your invitation. Look again at the ancient paths.
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I remember when we were at Cigar Night. I think you staunchly said I will never become orthodox.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't doubt it, man. I remember saying that.
Speaker 1:I will never be orthodox.
Speaker 3:It might have been after a few sips of cognac or some bourbon.
Speaker 1:You were strongly, strongly opposed to that.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's wild and I was like okay, I mean there is a power of God, though right Like.
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Speaker 2:yeah, well, I mean, I remember that encounter at that cigar night with you specifically, and like it was kind of a bigger group at that time, yeah, that night, and I was just like, why isn't this guy arguing back with me? You know, that was like a big thing it's. I'm like I'm seeing X, y and Z and you were primarily just, yeah, I get it, I get this and I get that. I get where you're coming from. I'm like, yeah, but why did you change that? Like, why am I the? Why am I the oddball now? Like, meanwhile, everybody used to be Protestant at the cigar and now everybody's Orthodox and so I'm like the solo guy in the circle. But, um, I'm like the solo guy in the circle, but I think it was that at that point where I was just kind of fed up with arguing.
Speaker 2:I've been having multiple conversations with funds and or, excuse me, james, call him Jamie, yeah, jamie, but like, even, like, even before funds converted into orth orthodoxy, um, I'm gonna keep calling you Fonz, dude, I don't know, I'm not used to James yet. It's fine, I'm sorry, buddy. Um, yeah, even before that, like talking with Mario and he would come to Bible studies and, um, it was just interesting to see his understanding from what we were all saying in Bible study, and there wasn't a difference per se, it was just a deeper understanding, and so I used to just sweep Mario off like yeah, he's a weird Orthodox guy in the corner in the background, and it's so true, but every time you did say something, something it was.
Speaker 2:It was very deep, it was, it was on a different level from where we were all at and uh, I remember, like those are some key moments where you can start seeing the holy spirit like kind of just chipping away, chipping away right and um, leading into conversation with saint j James over here, honestly, like seeing his conversion and his family's conversion in general, like it wasn't just him, it was his family as a whole. That's what kind of like in the beginning just pissed me off, like it really did. Yeah, because I'm like, dude, we've been studying cold, like wholeheartedly calvinism like you did this deep dive into like a confession, like the westminster confession, and I was all about it. I was like, dude, this is a new stuff and I was all about it and I, you know, I mean I would go to people and I would be like I wouldn't instigate arguments, you know, but like mean I would go to people and I would be like I wouldn't instigate arguments but like for the purpose, because honestly, my heart has always been like to just try to reach people in general.
Speaker 2:I don't know why, but the Lord has given me this evangelical heart where I mean it just goes into like my work, it goes into my culture, my life, everything encompassing who I am, is like this evangelical person. So when they converted, um, I was just, I was just kind of annoyed and I'm like what the heck is going on, you know, and I'm like, am I gonna lose my friend over this? Like because we had a really strong relationship, I mean we've left churches together, you know, and not because he's leaving, I'm leaving. It was just we were always on the same page, sure, and it's funny, like where you see in the in, like multiple bible stories where you just see friends moving in life together and I thought that was pretty cool, like the Lord has done something in his life, and I was upset. But then the Lord chiseled away at my heart and here we are now.
Speaker 3:So can I ask, eddie, because that sounds like it would be a pretty uh difficult thing, you know, given your guys' friendship, given the centrality of what our faith means to us Protestant Orthodox, it's the center of your life and to have that massive shift. Can you talk to us about what were the things that at the time, you said you were, you were, you're mad about it. What was it in your head then? If you can recall that you were thinking he was doing like, what? Was there anything that you're like? Yeah, why would, why would he go to a Catholic church, like or like? How were you envisioning it at the time?
Speaker 2:If you can recall, yeah Well, as you guys know, the story is is I was going to get tattooed on my kneecaps solo scriptura. I was going to do left knee, right knee solo scriptura. I was gonna do left knee, right knee solo scriptura and you were weeks away from I was weeks away.
Speaker 2:I'm not kidding, like I usually get a tattoo every like birthday. You know, like it's like this is my thing, yeah, and uh, and so, like I remember in the conversation, um, like you were there, I'm like I'm gonna get this thing tatted. So the entire time I'm I just thought that was truth, that solo scriptura, living by the bible and bible alone, was that was what I was all about. You know, I mean, that's what we were all about. And in that I start seeing changes. It's like he started talking about tradition in church. I'm like, well, where's that in the bible? That was question Always. Prove it to me in the Bible. Prove it to me in the Bible.
Speaker 2:And, uh, he, he did in in in a way that I wasn't willing to listen to, right, because I've I've had multiple conversations with people.
Speaker 2:It's like tradition now means totally something different to me now than what he was talking to me, the way he was explaining to me, in the mindset I was at during that time, right, so, seeing him explain tradition, seeing him explain the importance of the apostolic succession, seeing him explain, um, the icons in the wall that started appearing in his kitchen, and now I'm smelling incense and I'm like this is grossing me out, like you know. You know I'm not used to this. This is totally foreign to me. Like I'm american, damn it. You know. Like that's the, that's the mentality, you know, like going from I'm first generation american, right. So like my dad, and like they bred this in our in our minds, like you are going to be American, you don't need to be part of your old heritage, like this country has done so much for us Interesting. So align yourself with it. You know, and I think that kind of plays into it as well.
Speaker 3:Do you see any connection from this ancestral history even, and your early years in some ways preparing you for where you're at right now?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I would. It's kind of interesting that the one thing that did kind of transform my heart was prayer in the orthodox sense of doing things. Um, coming from a protestant, non-denominational background, we all know like, if you are coming from that background, you know you're not like taught how to pray, you're just told to pray. Well, my question was like how does that look like? Well, I understood what that looked like because I was raised around people who prayed and so I just copied, right, and it was just you do what you see. So I thought that was what they meant. It's like more prayer, of that. But coming to Orthodox Church, you can see like my, my heart's always been about prayer, since that's where I've always I've been like involved with that since I was a little kid. Um, it's one of those things where it's drawn me even more Like I'm. I'm more like I'm seeking more of prayer now, right, because there's more teaching about it, right.
Speaker 2:And there was this one question that I had. It's like how do I do X, y and Z and I would, I remember going over the very first time I'm talking to like the priest at an Orthodox church. It's like how do I do this? Tell me step one. And there was a. There was an explanation for it. There was a. There was a step one that I never had before, and so that was like the bridge for me on, like this passive orthodoxy you would call it right. Yeah, yeah, amen Does that answer your question.
Speaker 3:It does, it does. I want to talk a little bit Well.
Speaker 1:Eddie, real quick.
Speaker 3:Yeah, please Go ahead.
Speaker 1:I remember when we were at Cigar Night. I think you staunchly said I will never become orthodox. I wouldn't doubt it, man.
Speaker 3:I remember saying that I will never be orthodox. It might have been after a few soups of cognac. Or some bourbon.
Speaker 2:You were strongly, strongly opposed to it, know I mean, and there's a power of god, though, right like we we, I and you guys know this about me like I'm all in or not, you know, like I'm, I don't put one foot in, or and then like kind of like willy-nilly, do it half way. Um, I'm all in or not. So that's why I'm like I was willing to get solo scriptures exactly, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So that brings up the obvious, obvious question what are you going to get tatted on your body now, as no, I'm kidding don't ask you.
Speaker 1:I'm not even a catechumen and you're gonna make me go to confession, but what I would like to do is we're going to end up with eddie.
Speaker 3:I want to confess it, right, right, right. But what I would like to do is we're going to end up with Eddie. I want to go around, because we're all converts here. Talk to us briefly about what was it like coming to written prayers, james. Tell us what that was like for you. Mario, and then Eddie, let you kind of close us out on that question. Does that sound good?
Speaker 4:Yeah, For me it was a desire to have a more consistent prayer life. You know, coming from growing up Catholic where your prayer rule is quite rigid, you know, in the rosaries and things like that, to then becoming non-denominational, it's very impromptu and a little more charismatic. The prayers became very performative. You become very mindful of when you're praying around people and you could hear a person's voice change when they would pray and it was like they got into their prayer voice and it all of a sudden turned into like a sermon in the form of a prayer. And I found myself getting into that same habit where I was very mindful of I have to say something that's going to resonate, it's going to impact, it's got to land, you know, and I didn't feel like prayers were meant to be performative. If you read, you know, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus actually speaks against. That, like, your prayers shouldn't be a performance, it should be something private and intimate. It should be something private and intimate. So but when I was, you know, by myself, in my prayer room, I mean, the performance was there was no audience except for the audience of God. So it either turns into a whining session or a gimme session, you know, and so it felt very unsatisfactory to me.
Speaker 4:And then going into kind of like, my reformed theology was very intellectual, so the studying of scriptures was very satisfying and gratifying, but my prayer life was almost non-existent, Unless it was starting Bible study or praying before my meal or something like that. There really was no prayer because, strangely, the more theological you become in the intellectual sense, it becomes more like a philosophy that you have, not necessarily something that you actively live out. And that was where the disconnect was happening for me, when I realized I know a lot of scripture and the scripture demands that I have a life of prayer right, that if I'm a child of God and I'm one of his people and Jesus says my people shall be a people of prayer. I'm like, well, I know a lot of the Bible but I don't pray very fervently as it says. But don't pray very fervently as it says.
Speaker 4:So I desired and that was part of actually my conversion story was that desire to pray more. But I felt something lacking. So in working at an Orthodox university and seeing how I had their prayer book from the university and I ordered the Book of Common Prayer and my wife and I kind of together between our Catholic background and then these, you know, you know common prayers, and so we had like this hodgepodge of all Christendom's prayers and we would just kind of pick and choose. But even then it was better, but I felt it should be easier than this.
Speaker 1:For me, the written prayers have been very helpful. I keep this prayer book on me. I actually just lost my prayer book so I just bought a new one. Um, I have a mind that is always against me and so anytime I pray especially like my free, free verse prayers or whatever um, I often am like did I pray enough? Did I say the right things? Did I forget anything? So having these like scripted prayers really gives me an assurance, knowing that I'm not missing anything. You know, and there is a section for you know your own devotion.
Speaker 1:And again, I have my prayer roll, just like James was saying that my priest gave me, which helps me a lot. But it's really helped with my anxiety, you know, and I can feel a difference when I do my prayers and when I don't. You know, even just like the thoughts I have, I'm just like, oh man, I need to pray more. You know, even having this prayer in time of trouble, like I pray that all the time because I feel like I'm always in trouble, you know, and it's using just my mind. So I love it Again, when I would have to pray in front of people, like I would get super duper, like I'm a shy person, so I would just kind of freeze up and I would just say like three words and I'm like dang, I suck, you know, because I only said like God be with us.
Speaker 2:Amen, where's the Philly man Exactly?
Speaker 1:Because I'm like I don't know. I don't know what to say.
Speaker 3:I was that guy, james, that big family gatherings. Jeremy, can you lead the prayer for us? Because I was that guy, I was Mr. I didn't think about it, I didn't think it this way at the time, but I was Mr, performative Prayer, I just, for whatever reason, and so I had so many memories of exactly what you were saying, where I would pray, and I would even be thinking, okay, I prayed for that that time before. So I'm going to do it different this time. You know this kind of thing and it's just like that's not right. No, it was sincere, I was sincere and like you were saying, eddie, it's how I was.
Speaker 3:I'd learned to pray because of what I saw people praying around me, right, and the voice would change. You know, dear heavenly father, we just come before. You know, it was just that thing, and I want to be careful here because in many ways and I think we all agree, there's nothing wrong with that, there's not. But what I found when I came to orthodoxy, I'll never forget the first, you know few times of opening up their prayer book and doing my morning prayers or evening prayers, where I'd be in the middle, for example, of the prayer of saint philaret and I. He says things you're praying, things that are so incredibly piercing and profound, and I would have never thought about it on my own, but I'm like that's exactly what I needed to pray. That's what I needed to pray, because? Why? Because the church, in so many ways, has vetted these prayers. These prayers have been vetted, as you were saying, mario.
Speaker 4:I need something that will reorient me to the mind and the heart of Christ and, like you said, vetted by the church has. Yeah, sure, you can probably come up with something that's really good, and not to say that it's bad, but you may have not. You may not have thought of praying Psalm 51, you know. You may not have thought of praying the our father, that covers everything. Or the prayer of St Philaret of Moscow, you know, which is like one of my favorites, and all of the other things like prayers for occasions, and my kids pull that prayer book out, which is something that's crazy. My kids pull that prayer book out more often than I do when it's for something like sickness, a toothache, stomach pain, a headache. If I say not right now, a kid, I'm struggling with a headache, they'll be like well, let's pray, let's get some holy water, because they believe even stronger than I do where I will quickly go to a Tylenol. They're like go to the Lord Powerful.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful. I will attest to that. Seeing you guys's prayer life as a family has definitely um motivated me to lead my family into that as well. I mean seeing my two-year-old attempting to do the sign of the cross during the liturgy. That's beautiful. I was in tears right, and he's two and he's copying everybody and I'm like this is the tradition of the church, this is the teaching to our children. This right here is why Christianity has surpassed civilizations and culture and time. Right Because the church is saying it's not just for us, it's for them in their life when we're gone.
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