The below is from Pithless Thoughts. I not infrequently receive emails asking for help in finding the right book on Orthodoxy or some specific aspect of it. I happily oblige, but I also mention that prayer, fasting, and attending the services of the Church are far superior to book reading. If you've read this blog for a while, you've noted that I have said on many occasions, "If you can read your way into Orthodoxy, you can read yourself right back out." The burgeoning English-language Orthodox book market of recent years has been a blessing to the Church, but it is in the practice of faith that we grow in understanding and grace. The experiential nature of the process requires just that: experiencing the sacramental Church.
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So true. I haven't decided to convert (yet?) but while my interest in Orthodoxy began with reading, it was my first visit to the Divine Liturgy that really sparked a hunger for Orthodoxy.
ReplyDeleteI think "reading yourself in" is an outgrowth of working in a predominately Protestant environment. We do like our propositional truths. The experience, however, awakened a hunger for what I didn't even know I was missing.
Good points, CJ. I don't discount the value of the books at all, they just can't replace participation in the life of the Church.
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