Part III: Facing the Contemporary World

Crisis and Renewal

The contemporary world is in crisis. Not only do we live in an age of spiritual and philosophical disintegration, we are experiencing social and environmental breakdown in significant ways around the globe. Because the 20th century passed through such great pain and struggle, we are made more aware of human suffering worldwide and the possibility that the destructive forces of holocaust and oblivion can be unleashed. Furthermore, we now see that religious traditions can no longer be isolated nor safely shielded from one another.

Paradoxically, this is also a time of reintegration and recovery. We stand today on the shoulders of saints, sages, and adventurers of spirit worldwide who have provided us with new spiritual vision. Men and women from the past and present, as well as from traditions and disciplines sometimes very different from our own, have given us a perspective that is far more global and comprehensive.

In this new environment, it is important that we recover the authentic wisdom found in the inner tradition of Christianity. We need also to restore aspects of those first orthodoxies different from those which came to dominate the West. We must seek out forms of the Christian tradition which will embrace a viewpoint encompassing all spiritual reality (historical, metaphysical and transcendent), honoring the diversity of human experience across the ages, and integrating insights from our own difficult age. From this new vantage-point there is the need to reintegrate the secular with the sacred so that we may live more authentically and contemplatively in the world we presently inhabit while humbly and gladly expressing our own revelatory uniqueness.

Spiritual Recovery in the West

The following elements, therefore, are integral to the spiritual consciousness and practice of western Christianity if we are to make a full recovery in the West.

The Eternal Wisdom of Jesus. Jesus the Jewish sage was a powerful teacher of unitive wisdom. We must recover his teachings as the source not only of historical Christian doctrine, but as a living transmission of wisdom. Such wisdom, however, cannot be taken simply from the past, it must also come to us from the present—from a living relationship to Jesus as the Master of wisdom now. Only in this way can Christianity once again become a sapiential transmission bringing unitive vision into the present and the future.

Full Restoration of the “Other” Christianity. As we have seen, in the West, Christianity has conventionally been conceived as a belief system reflecting a traditional dogma heavily influenced by the Augustinian and Latin worldviews. Early Christian teaching, however, expressed something far more remarkable—a vision full of hope. It is time that we articulate anew the revelatory vision of the divine Presence working intimately at the heart of human history for the completion of humanity.

The Fullness of the Mystical Tradition. The wisdom of Jesus, known by mystical experience and taught within the inner tradition of Christianity, was often transmitted in alternative systems of thought and symbol that now go almost completely unrecognized. We are heirs to ancient Semitic and Hellenic understanding, to Hermeticism, and to the Pythagorean mysteries of the ancient world. We are also spiritual descendents of medieval theosophists, alchemists, and metaphysicians, as well as Kabbalists and Sufis, all of whom have contributed to the rich treasury of spiritual perceptions that comprise our world today. Our work, therefore, must be to locate essential Christianity within this wider context—a fullness once lost but now being recovered.

A Comprehensive Orthodoxy. Reflecting the early experience of Oriental Orthodoxy, Christianity today must become more inclusive. There is need that it not only be in conversation with its own age and culture, but with all the ages of humanity and the other sacred cultures and traditions with which it shares this planet. And because Christianity is one among the many expressions of perennial wisdom (sophia perennis) it must acknowledge and transmit this metaphysical foundation as an integral part of its understanding of orthodoxy.

The Response of the Order

It is our view, then, that these changes comprise the new reformation that is occurring in the West. As old forms and institutions weaken we have unparalleled opportunities to create something new from the old. The Oriental Orthodox Order in the West believes the following measures are integral to this process:

Creating New Forms of Christian Community. Christians have traditionally associated in communities called churches. It is no longer necessary, however, to think of these communities in terms of the normal standards of institutional Christianity. Associations of men and women drawn to the contemplative life are spontaneously coming into being both inside and outside the church and growing across the world. These broad-based, ecumenical gatherings exist as part of a larger spiritual network. It is the intention of the Order to encourage the growth of this network by supporting communities where the focus is on contemplative living, spiritual formation, and inner transformation.

Encouraging Fresh Patterns of Liturgy, Worship and Contemplative Remembrance. Because recollected awareness and remembrance is at the heart of Christian practice, new patterns of liturgy, worship and contemplative prayer are emerging today. Wherever communities exist in houses or circles of learning and prayer, people are discovering fresh patterns of practice that sustain study and learning as well. These new contemplative forms are expressed in ancient and modern chant, traditional and contemporary liturgy, and in worship that combines head with heart.

Revitalizing Processes of Education. In this age of increased global awareness it is critical that we find modes and opportunities for learning that can access the widening treasury from the spiritual traditions. Mentors are gathering folk where such interactions can occur. Spiritual seekers are receiving authentic transmission from traditional wisdom and inner Christianity that can integrate life in the outer world with the inner life of Spirit, and the Christian tradition with world spirituality. Groups forming in each locale offer ongoing formal study. Academies and schools of wisdom where more extended education and training are provided have formed nationally.

Furthering New Possibilities for Outreach. The goal of the Order is not only to focus upon current participants, but to become a gateway for future generations of seekers and all those who desire to find and develop a life of spiritual practice. As the network grows and becomes more actively engaged in ministering to society and culture, it seeks deep structural change as well. In order to promote such change, the Order will teach a form of life-practice and training through the four Gospel Archetypes; the Way of the Teacher, the Way of the Warrior, the Way of the Healer, and the Way of the Visionary.

We believe our task now is to challenge and enrich the current state and practice of Christianity as it moves forward into the twenty-first century and to transmit truth in such a way that humanity will be transformed into theomorphic being.

L. Bauman, 2003

Part I:
Nature of The Order
Part II:
History of Orthodoxy
Part III:
Facing the Contemporary World
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