Christianity is still rather popular these
days in America. If you live in
the South as I do—the so-called “Bible Belt”, to be precise—then you might even
say that it’s wildly popular.
And therein lies the problem. Popular. Pop.
When things are popular in our modern
culture, then one needs to take a serious look at just what is being taught and
practiced. Much of what passes for
Christianity these days rarely resembles the ancient Tradition[1]. Christianity in today’s world is too
often simply a reflection of the culture itself. And modern culture is most decidedly not Christian.
The goal of this blog will be to present
essays, articles, quotes, art, and prayers that are representative of
traditional, classical Christianity.
Conversion
About 8 years ago, I “re-converted” to the
religion of my youth.[2] And 4 years ago, I formally converted
to the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy
is ancient, classical, and traditional.
That’s what I love about it and part of the reason for my conversion.
I grew up in the South—Texas, Arkansas,
Alabama—and, like a vast majority of southerners, what I learned about
Christianity came from my upbringing in the Southern Baptist Church. And, although I am sure that there are
classical Christians in many Southern Baptist churches, the church doesn’t
teach, and therefore practice, classical Christianity.[3] When I discovered Christianity as it
was practiced in the Early Church, and then the classical branches that sprang
forth from it, I recall being miffed that none of it was taught in the churches
I attended during childhood.
But that’s exactly what this blog is going
to be about: Classical Christianity, its thought, and its practice, and how it
should be applied in the modern, secular world that we live in. Here are some of the things that we
will cover (although this is not necessarily an exhaustive list):
- Classical theism: Traditional Christians, both ancient and modern, were, and always have been, proponents of what is typically termed classical theism. This is in opposition to what is commonly (but not always) termed theistic personalism. Most modern-day atheists, for instance, attack not classical theism, but theistic personalism, but that is not the theistic God of classical Christianity. (Nor is it the God of classical Islam or Judaism, for that matter.)
- Sacraments: Classical Christianity is, by and large, sacramental Christianity. (If you are confused at all by what that means, I will attempt to find plenty of articles to answer your confusion.)
- Salvation: When classical Christians speak of salvation—especially as the term is often used in the Early Church—they typically mean something different than what is meant by modern-day Americans. (Along these same lines, we will discuss theosis as the synonym for salvation.)
- The reading of Holy Scripture: Classical Christians typically read scripture in ways other than literalism—although it may certainly be read that way on occasion, too. Often, the allegorical, metaphorical, and mystical meanings of scripture are just as important—more so, in many cases—than the literal meaning. We will approach Holy Scripture from the vantage of point of how it was classically read in the Early Church and by the Church Fathers.
- Saints: Christianity—to paraphrase Tertullian—was built on the blood of the martyrs. We will discuss why the Saints are important in order to properly understand Christianity in its classic context.
- Prayer: Prayer is much more than the vague prayers
that many modern-day Christians utter to an equally vague deity. Classical Christianity has a rich
heritage of prayers that will be posted here.
Varied Sources
I have a couple of other “Christian” blogs
that primarily deal with specifically Orthodox issues and elements. Unfortunately, due to the time involved
in crafting pieces, I never get around to writing on them. That’s where this blog comes in; it’s
going to be different. Instead of
relying on my own mind and writing ability, I will post articles, essays,
quotes, and excerpts from books written by more qualified authors than
myself. Much of the material will
be directly from classical—and, therefore, ancient—texts, while others will be
new material written from the classical point of view.
I will try to include a lot of material
that will be of interest to the average reader and churchgoer. A lot of the artwork, poetry, prayers,
and theologically rich hymnography of the Church can be understood by all people—I don’t want readers to think that it will
simply be stuffy academia that’s presented (although I won’t shy away from some
of that).
I will try my best to include writers both
Eastern and Western, Greek and Latin, Orthodox and Catholic—not to mention some
Protestants that “fit the mould” of the classicist.
[1] Here I have
in mind much of popular “non-denominational” Christianity, mega-churches, and
movies such as the recent “God is NOT dead.” If modern Christians actually think these things constitute
Christianity, then we are already in deep trouble. And, yes, I understand that there are well-meaning, “good”
people that are followers of all of the above, but it’s still not Christianity,
in the classical, traditional sense.
[2] To put an
exact date, or even a year, on it would be inaccurate. It wasn’t simply a matter of there
being a “before” and an “after”, but, rather, it was an ongoing, organically
evolving process with many halts, and then many leaps forward—and sometimes
backward—at other times.
[3] A lot of
evangelical Christians are “conservative”, to be sure, but this doesn’t mean
that they are traditional.
No comments:
Post a Comment