A Generous Orthodoxy. Hmmm.
I’m reading a book called A Generous Orthodoxy. It’s good, I recommend it so far, to just about anyone. Just buckle up and be prepared for a very cerebral look at faith. Which is cool, because I just read a different book that approached faith from a very different angle. Mysticism and experience. Eat, Pray, Love was the name of the second book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Both of these books happen to be a part of some things I’ve been thinking about.
First off, let me say, I have yet to be convinced by any of the arguments presented to me intending to convert me to Islam.
However, I’m curious. I’m looking around me and trying to learn from my neighbors, both American and Moroccan. Plus, faith is practiced differently for me here. No weekly communal worship, very little in the way of singing. It was an emtional experience to listen to the recording of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" by the Trinity College Choir, complete with amazing organ music. Just to remember that I am not, in fact, the only Christian/Jesus-follower left on the face of the planet.
But!! This is not all bad! I’m being forced to make this work, just me and my God, and that is a good thing. So, my prayer now includes Yoga, because it focuses me in the present, which is a good place to pray from. I am slowly working my way through the Bible, front to back. And there is, actually a church in Ifrane, a mere 6 hours away. I hope to go sometime in the relatively near future.
All of this has been a bit toungue in cheek, but I am quite serious about all this. Praying gets me through the day. Yoga gets my day started right, and so does reading the Bible. Meditating on 2 Timothy 1:5-7 (-ish) motivates me. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of love and of power and of self-discipline." So when I’m afraid to call a meeting because I don’t know… so many things… I remember that. I am not to be afraid, because of the spirit that was given me. I just have to live in that spirit. (Just? Yeaah… it’s not easy always… not in America and not here either) And I remember that all I really have to worry about now is the next step. The one after that comes after this one, so I won’t really know what it is anyway until I take the step that’s right in front of me so I might as well take it and see what happens. Hell, I came here to take chances! So take ‘em already!!
So, a generous orthodoxy… well, I got sidetracked, but a generous orthodoxy is a cool book. It’s got stuff on all sorts of different Christian denominations and talks about the strengths of each. It also talks about the current downfalls of the church, and he doesn’t pull his punches. For all those out there who died a little inside every time certain political leaders professed their faith brazenly, this is a breath of fresh air. And as for the other book, well it’s about healing. From the heart, in a place of openness and freedom. Freedom to practice devotion in whatever way comes sincerely from the heart. And that, too, is a breath of fresh air. Perhaps especially here, in a place of tradition that guides and encloses. Not always in a bad way, but not always in a good way either. So yeah, I’d recommend either book, and if you do read it, please DO share your thoughts with me. I love talkin’ about this stuff! By whichever modes of communication I find available to me. J
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