Newly Added to the Blog Roll: Blue Jean Theosis

If you direct your attention stage right, you'll see there is a new link among the Orthodox blog rolls. I would like to introduce the Codex's readers to Blue Jean Theosis, the blog of a new convert to Orthodoxy, the servant of God Christopher. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Oh boy, another new convert blog." True enough, new convert blogs are almost as ubiquitous as conversion books. However, Christopher's conversion is not the typical "I used to be RC/Protestant until I learned about Church history" sort of story. Christopher was, for many years, a practicing Buddhist. Having deeply penetrated the Far Eastern mysteries, Christopher found himself shocked to discover personhood behind the supposedly transpersonal eastern divinity. This ultimate led him on a quest for the personal God that landed him squarely into the Orthodox Catholic Faith.

Blue Jean Theosis is down to earth, mystical, and a fascinating insight into the mind of someone who has explored the (now fashionable) trip through Far Eastern spirituality and found that the search for truth within it led him home to Orthodox Christianity. I am looking very forward to reading more of Chris' meditations on the intersection of the Far East and Eastern Orthodoxy

The Academy and Learning

Matthew made an interesting post at The Champions of Western Culture on the laughable state of "general education" in the modern university. It's worth looking at and thinking over.

The Unofficial Guide to Being an Orthodox Convert

Title is a link to Subdeadon Steve's new book, Orthographs: An Un-orthodox Primer on the Spiritual Life for Converts. Here's what he had to say about it at his blog, Pithless Thoughts:

I just finished the first edition of "Orthographs". It is 100 of the best of the Orthographs, Curmudgeophan, Ortho-mags and miscellaneous cartoons (so far).

Thanks to all of the followers, lurkers and commenters who have fed my vaingloriousness and idiocy for these past few months. As Curmudgeophan said in his review, "If he was really humble he'd-a waited until he was dead and let one of his psychophants publish it for him." As usual, of course, he's right.

To purchase your very own or baptism/chrismation, name day, catechism and parish tract rack gift copies of "Orthographs - An Un-orthodox Primer on the Spiritual Life for Converts" click HERE.

If you haven't been following the progress of Steve's Orthographs as they've been published on his blog, I highly recommend checking these out--and hey, your parish bookstore could use several copies of this. You can give them to new converts along with those OCA rainbow books.

He said it better than I could

The servant of God, the Subdeacon Steve, has written a wonderful piece of reflection on the spiritual journey and the feeling of true humility that says "Lord, I know I am not worthy nor sufficiently pleasing that Thou shouldst come under the roof of the house of my soul..." It is well worth a read. Title links, but you can also click here.

Aristotle, on Ethics and Happiness

Dr. Robert Woods has posted a very fine piece over at Musings of a Christian Humanist on the subject of Aristotle and the Nicomachean Ethics. Astute readers will know that the connection between Aristotle and Christianity, and the operations of and connections between εὐδαιμονία and ἐνέργεια in both are of great interest to yours truly. Check it out--you may learn something.

Orthodox Monk vs. 'The Anti-Tradition Traditionalists'

I hadn't read any on Orthodox Monk's blog in a while, so I decided to check it out this afternoon. He has been righting the deranged, once again. I recommend checking out his most recent post.

I, for one, am glad that such a clear, honest, educated, and Orthodox voice is still around to explain to the whackiness-spreaders the nature of their errors.

It is no surprise to me that there is much interest in resurrecting Origenism in the current social climate. After all, an Origenist conception of the universe would be much more open to ecumenical dialog, syncretism, and pagan philosophy--because that's exactly what it did to Christianity when it was propagated the first time. Despite what Kyriakos Markides says, you can't dig Origen back up, overturn the findings of three ecumenical councils concerning his teachings, and introduce that back into the Church. Such a thing is a total denial that the Holy Spirit has been leading, guiding, and instructing the Church since the Fifth Ecumenical Council, when the condemnations of Origenism were issued.

Lord, have mercy on the innovators!