REVIEW: Encountering the Mystery
djm
by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW
(Doubleday, March 18, 2008; 304 pages)
The world is in a mess and is headed for impending gloom, doom, and disaster. At least
that's one way to look at it. Another way is: The world is in a mess and is headed for an
imminent, ecumenical, even interreligious, encounter. So seems the belief of His All
Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW according to his new book, Encountering the
Mystery – Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today.
Whatever one's religious beliefs, Encountering the Mystery is enlightening. No matter one's
culture, Encountering the Mystery is engaging. Regardless of one's personal and political
opinions concerning the environment, Encountering the Mystery is educational. Regardless,
the book is about encountering. Rarely does an encounter exist without struggle, a struggle
toward understanding. Upon reading this book, my chief struggle is in trying to understand
its purpose.
[...]
please, read online, the newsgroup technique doesn't permit italic letters, and the text
being long, it's hard to see quotes!
http://southern-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/2008/03/review-encountering-mystery.html
=
this book review by fr. Joseph Huneycutt (Antiochians, Houston) is TOP reading!
Kandy...@gmail.com
> ENCOUNTERING THE MYSTERY - Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today
>
> by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW
> (Doubleday, March 18, 2008; 304 pages)
>
> The world is in a mess and is headed for impending gloom, doom, and disaster. At least
> that's one way to look at it. Another way is: The world is in a mess and is headed for an
> imminent, ecumenical, even interreligious, encounter. So seems the belief of His All
> Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW according to his new book, Encountering the
>
> Whatever one's religious beliefs, Encountering the Mystery is enlightening. No matter one's
> culture, Encountering the Mystery is engaging. Regardless of one's personal and political
> opinions concerning the environment, Encountering the Mystery is educational. Regardless,
> the book is about encountering. Rarely does an encounter exist without struggle, a struggle
> toward understanding. Upon reading this book, my chief struggle is in trying to understand
> its purpose.
>
> [...]
>
> please, read online, the newsgroup technique doesn't permit italic letters, and the text
> being long, it's hard to see quotes!
>
> =
>
> http://tinyurl.com/344ztl
>
> this book review by fr. Joseph Huneycutt (Antiochians, Houston) is TOP reading!
I'm having some trouble with this review. Up to the last sentenance it
sounded weakly positive toward the book, then suddenly SMACK. The last
sentance is, to me, a rude and crude statement to not bother reading
this unworthy book. Was that the intent?
Candy
ortho...@aol.com
BARTHOLOMEW's intent?
I had hoped to write a positive review and, had I ignored certain
passages, I could have. But, just from the quotes I included in the
review, I cannot recommend it for those seeking the fullness of the
Orthodox Christian Faith (which was my main interest). Someone
seeking something other than (or less than) a traditional exposition
of fullness of the Orthodox Christian Faith might have no problem at
all with the book. Muslims, Jews, other Christians -- even
nonbelievers -- might find great comfort therein. As I said in the
review, even for Orthodox Christians, there's much good to be found
there!
I am not judging the author, but the book. Therefore, I'm not sure
what is "crude and rude" about saying that I wish His All Holiness had
said less.
iannis...@googlemail.com
the last few days to say what I feel its purpose to be.
Orthodoxy for better or for worse has had a habit of appearing other-
worldly. What the Patriarch seems to be saying, and to be saying very
forcefully, is that the liturgy, indeed the Church as a whole, is not
a place apart from the world, but very much within it, and that
Christians should be drawing strength from the liturgy and their
patristic traditions in order to be fighting for this world today,
because this is the world that has been entrusted to them. And this
includes not just ecology but a whole range of issues to do with our
fellow human beings, including those of different faiths and beliefs.
That seems pretty purposeful to me. And also fully Christian. If djm
believes the Orthodox Church and, above all, its members do not need
such a message, so much the better. That is not my experience here in
Greece today. Indeed, I wonder if I have been reading the same book as
djm?
Iannis.