"THE EYE OF CONTEMPLATION" IS A CORRECTIVE ANTIDOTE TO THE DOMINANCE OF SCIENTIFIC MATERIALISM - Kyriacos Markides
Most western Christians are familiar with the Roman Catholic Church but know little to nothing of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Here is a long historical, robust, incarnational way of following Jesus that runs deep with the church fathers, trinitarian liturgy, Jewish forms of worship, and sacramental understanding of our world around us. "The Mountain of Silence" is a true story of how one man found his way to Mount Athos and was taught by monastic teachers an ancient way of following Jesus today.
I have several wonderful Eastern Orthodox friends and I am only at the starting of Kyriacos Markides book that shares his personal struggles and spiritual journey. This book tells its own story of recovery of the ancient tradition and how our contemporary culture is dominated by western science for interpreting everything from what "is" the biblical text (textual criticism) to how we should understand the scriptures. How can we break out of this naturalistic way of seeing and doing that is everywhere we turn? Here is what Father Maximus says concerning the western church's over-emphasis on searching for God almost solely with the intellect. "The way we know God is neither through philosophy nor through experimental science but through systematic methods of spiritual practice that open us up to the grace of the Holy Spirit" (p.12).
There is so much here but once again the church needs to reach back to the ancient practice of the earliest Christians who lived very spiritually disciplined lives before a Holy God. We also need to remember the next time we open the Bible G. K. Chesterton's words, "The trouble arises from man trying to look at these stories from the outside, as if they were scientific objects."
Most western Christians are familiar with the Roman Catholic Church but know little to nothing of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Here is a long historical, robust, incarnational way of following Jesus that runs deep with the church fathers, trinitarian liturgy, Jewish forms of worship, and sacramental understanding of our world around us. "The Mountain of Silence" is a true story of how one man found his way to Mount Athos and was taught by monastic teachers an ancient way of following Jesus today.
I have several wonderful Eastern Orthodox friends and I am only at the starting of Kyriacos Markides book that shares his personal struggles and spiritual journey. This book tells its own story of recovery of the ancient tradition and how our contemporary culture is dominated by western science for interpreting everything from what "is" the biblical text (textual criticism) to how we should understand the scriptures. How can we break out of this naturalistic way of seeing and doing that is everywhere we turn? Here is what Father Maximus says concerning the western church's over-emphasis on searching for God almost solely with the intellect. "The way we know God is neither through philosophy nor through experimental science but through systematic methods of spiritual practice that open us up to the grace of the Holy Spirit" (p.12).
There is so much here but once again the church needs to reach back to the ancient practice of the earliest Christians who lived very spiritually disciplined lives before a Holy God. We also need to remember the next time we open the Bible G. K. Chesterton's words, "The trouble arises from man trying to look at these stories from the outside, as if they were scientific objects."
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