An Atonement of Shame Orthodoxy and the Cross

March 6, 2017 Fr. Stephen Freeman

Some decades ago in my early (Anglican) priesthood, a parishioner brought a crucifix back from South
America. The question for me as a priest was whether I would accept the crucifix as a gift and place it
in the Church. I like crucifixes, my taste was always towards the Catholic direction. But, you have to
bear in mind that Spanish/Latin crucifixes have a tendency to be, well, rather gory. My congregation
was pretty straight-up WASP. But, I was young, a still largely unbruised banana, so I installed the
crucifix over the rear door of the Church. Everyone could see it as they exited.
The first Sunday was the test. I got my clock cleaned pretty quickly. An irate woman said, I want that
thing removed! I do not want my children seeing it. I believe in a risen Lord! We had a short
theological discussion the outcome of which was that I left the crucifix where it was. I do not think she
adjusted. I also do not think her children were scarred for life.
But I understood her sensibilities. The brutality of the crucifixion is easily overwhelming. It is
particularly overwhelming if the brutality is depicted in Spanish splendor. My defense of the brutal
crucifix, however, did not prepare me for my later encounter with Orthodox presentations of Christ on
the Cross.
Like all Orthodox icons, the Crucifixion is somewhat stylized, conforming to the norms of Byzantine
grammar. It is a theological rather than historical presentation. Typically, the icon presents a very calm
Christ on the Cross. He is clearly dead (His eyes are closed). But there is no particular sense of agony.
The suffering is more a note of sadness rather than pain. And, contrary to history, the plaque over the
Cross reads: The King of Glory. As glory goes, it is indeed subdued. There is a profound stillness that
comes with it.
The icon of the Crucifixion could also be placed with two other icons that are common to Orthodox
Holy Week: the icon of The Bridegroom, and the icon of Extreme Humility. The portrayal of Christ
in both icons is similar. He is seen with head bowed, arms folded in a dropped position in front of Him.
It is a picture of submission and acceptance. The Extreme Humility makes a certain obvious sense: it is
Christ in death. The wounds are obvious; He is seen in the tomb; the Cross is placed behind Him; the
spear and the sponge are there as well. Indeed, the placement of the hands are reminiscent of the
hands on the Shroud of Turin.
If Christ in death is extreme humility, then Christ as Bridegroom is extreme irony. For the term
bridegroom is a title for Christ associated with His coming in glory (Matt. 25 ff.) The Orthodox focus
on the Bridegroom, however, is a Holy Week devotion, a call to repentance. On the first three days of
Holy Week we sing with great solemnity:
Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight!/ And blessed is the servant whom He shall find
watching,/And unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless./Beware, therefore, O my
soul./Do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given unto death,/And lest you be shut out
of the kingdom./But rouse yourself crying, Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God./ Through the
Theotokos have mercy on us!
This is the Great Irony: the Great becomes small; the Rich becomes poor; the Mighty becomes weak;
the Author of Life enters death; the God of All becomes the servant of all. This same irony lies at the
heart of the Christian way of life. It strikes down every pretense to power and exalts the emptiness of
humility as the fullness of being.
Of great note, however, is the absence of pain and torture in this presentation. The theme of the
Orthodox account of Christs suffering and death is that of bearing shame and mockery. You can search
the texts of Holy Week for the word pain, and come up with almost nothing. The mocking and the
shame, however, color everything.
The same is largely true of the New Testament as well. When St. Paul describes Christs self-emptying
(kenosis) on the Cross, he says that Christ became obedient to death, and adds, even death on a
Cross. The point of the even is not that the Cross is painful above all pain, but that the Cross is
shameful above all shame. There are no gospel accounts of characters taking some sort of masochistic
pleasure and delighting in Christs pain. However, there are repeated descriptions of His humiliation.
The purple robe, the crown of thorns are not unique images of pain, but torturous bits of mockery.
All of this runs counter to the penal theories of the atonement. In those theories, Christ is punished on
our behalf. It is His pain and suffering as sacrificial victim that come to the fore. What Western (cf.
Spanish) art did to the Crucifixion, Western rhetoric did to the atonement. The Reformation did
nothing to change this other than to avoid its artistic presentation in Churches (it looked too
Catholic).
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 But what role does shame play within an understanding of the atonement? It is, I think, essential,
though hard for us to understand. America has been described as a shame-based culture where shame
itself is not acknowledged (its too painful). It helps if we understand the nature of shame itself.
Shame is the natural response to broken communion. [Kaufman, The Psychology of Shame, 1996, pp.
32-33] The relationship of communion with others is the very essence of safety and comfort. Its most
primal expression is the bond between mother and nursing infant. Face-to-face, the child is held and
nurtured. There the child is comforted and protected. [footnote] Every later experience of union draws
on this primal experience. It is not accidental that the ultimate relationship, that of union with God in
Christ, is described precisely in the language of face-to-face.
The first instinct of shame is to look down, to turn the face away and hide. Blood rushes to the face (it
burns with shame). Shame is the very sacrament of broken communion, the most proper and natural
expression of sin. When Christ enters our shame (and bears it), it is as though God Himself stands
before us, takes our face in His hands, and turns our eyes back to Him. This is the action we see in the
parable of the Prodigal Son. The Fathers actions demonstrate his running to meet his son in his
shame. Had the father remained in the house, the son would have born his shame alone. The father
not only shares the shame, but in sharing it, restores communion, illustrated by the robe and the ring.
Even the shame of the elder son is met with the same meekness and shame-bearing.
The shame that we experience in the natural settings of our lives is an image of something truly and
ontologically real: sin shatters our union with God. Christs incarnation is an entrance into this realm
of ontological shame and brokenness through union with our human nature. That reality is made
manifestly clear in the events of His passion and the description that has come down to us.
Pain and suffering are tragic parts of our lives. They are the burden of our mortality. But far deeper
and more profound is the shame that represents our ruptured union with God. Pain and suffering are
only symptoms.
The Orthodox portrayal of Christ in the events of Holy Week clearly reflect the themes found in
Scripture. It is only in understanding Christs bearing of shame and mockery that we will fully
understand what has been done for us in His death and resurrection. Our culture, as noted above, has
an aversion to shame (its one of our greatest secrets). We have somehow come to prefer stories of
violence. Our cultural treatment of the Cross majors in violence. But nothing sinful can be understood
apart from the role played by shame.
In the Ladder of Divine Ascent we hear: Shame can only be healed by shame. As difficult as this is for
us, it is the place of atonement and exchange that Christ has set. I have been learning recently,
however, that to speak of bearing a little shame (in the words of the Elder Sophrony) is
overwhelming to some. Popular shame researcher and author, Brene Brown, uses the term
vulnerability when she speaks of confronting and healing shame. Vulnerability, at its core, is nothing
other than bearing a little shame. It is the willingness to be real, to be authentic with the risk that it
entails. This is on the psychological level. There is a deeper level, though we cannot really go there
without enduring the psychological first.
God give us grace to be vulnerable in His presence, vulnerable enough to discover our true selves.

1. Deacon James says: One of my most profound spiritual experiences was a prodigal son moment with
my parents when I was 10 years old. Your explanation of shame and its role in communion has illuminated that
experience for me and explains why it was a foundation storiesne in my own life for my later conversion to
Christianity. The restoration of parental love and trust which I had voluntarily broken was only accomplished
through my experience of shame and consequent restoration of love and communion with my family. To
understand this more deeply now will profit my Lenten journeys for this and future years. Thanks be to God.
2. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Deacon James,
My studies in shame are opening up lots of stuff for me. Very fruitful, more than I would dare write.
3. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: It should be noted that in our prayers, the equivalent of paradise is to
stand without shame or fear before the great judgment seat of Christ. That, I believe, is the essence of Pascha.
The resurrection of Christ is the forgiveness of all sins, the abolition of shame and the banishment of fear.
Let us call brothers even those that hate us, and forgive all by the resurrection
4. Michelle says: So then is the greatest sin to shame someone else?
5. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Michelle,
Traditionally, the Church has always held murder to be the greatest sin. But all of this needs to be viewed in a
very connected manner. This sin, that sin, treats sins in a manner that can seem disconnected. Shame is,
according to some clinical discussions, the master emotion. It has more to do with the shaping of personality
than any other emotion. It creates certain boundaries, for example. I do not think that murder takes place
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 outside of the context of shame. Cain kills Abel we can say it was envy or jealousy but it is clearly driven by
his shame that God seems to prefer the sacrifice of Abel over his.
To shame someone else is sinful and depending on the level, form and depth of that shaming, is lesser or
greater. Certain forms can virtually destroy another human being. I just finished reading a clinical guide for the
analysis and treatment of shame. It was staggering. Theres pretty much nothing out there in the mental field
that isnt shame-based, or for which shame is not a primary, or the primary factor.
Shame is an affect not just an idea. It has a root physical component that can literally shut a person down. Its
one reason why some medications actually help (they can turn down the shame response, for example).
It fascinates me that the Tradition of the Church is so utterly insightful here far wiser than many
psychological/scientific theories have been. But becoming aware of that part of the Tradition is required in
order to understand what were hearing and seeing.
6. Paula says: Father, you really hit the nail on the head. Thank you for making some kind of sense to the
craziness, living with secrets, the shame I grew up with. Some things were never spoken of, some whispered,
some came out in the form of abuse, anger, even in joking (making fun of) about a particular personality trait.
In these later years, I often wonder what in the world was that all aboutmy familyon the outside everything
is just fineoh, were doing this, doing that, going here, going therebut now, years later, were all scattered
and separatedand weve developed some serious problems, mental and physical. My family, who used to live
in the same area, where we did things as a family, where it was an unspoken thing that you NEVER went
against the family (Italiansgangster mentality),,,we are now all strangers to each other. Now if I said this to
any relative, they wouldnt have a clue as to what Im talking about. In 1978 I moved as far away from the
craziness as I could, and Im still trying to sort things out. Yes, SHAME has everything to do with it. The duality
(all is well, but is not) confusing and conflicting.
Deacon James mentioned a restoration of parental lovelike the prodigal. That indeed leads to healing. The
kind of love that many people experience is, however, quite conditional. That may not have been my parents
intention, but thats what I experienced. A frequent response to my behavior would be what would THEY
think???.again, shame, as plain as the nose on my face.
I better stop here. Forgive me for vomiting all this out. God help us all.
7. Trevor says: Thank you very much for this Fr. Stephen. In C. S. Lewis book The Great Divorce, there is
this interchange between a ghost and one of the Bright Spirits:
The Ghost made a sound something between a sob and a snarl. I wish Id never been born, it said.
What are we born for?
For infinite happiness, said the Spirit. You can step out into it at any moment. .. .
But, I tell you, theyll see me.
An hour hence and you will not care. A day hence and you will laugh at it. Dont you remember on
earth-there were things too hot to touch with your finger but you could drink them all right? Shame
is like that. If you will accept it-if you will drink the cup to the bottom-you will find it very
nourishing: but try to do anything else with it and it scalds.
This passage has always struck me whenever I have read it.
Father, do you have any thoughts on this passage from Lewis?
8. Buck says: Father,
I read all your articles as they truly help dust off the eye of my soul; I am truly thankful for the gift of your
insights. Whenever you speak of shame I am particularly attentive. One specific thought regarding shame is a
distance I feel with one of my sons. Its a feeling that I am on the discount rack with him, at a deep level that
he is really not interested in me. This certainly feels shame based as in truth I suspect that I am of vital
importance to him as he is to me. Somehow shame gets activated in our relationship and it is a source of great
grief. That said, your mentioning of the prodigal and his father as exemplary of mutually facing shame is most
interesting and perhaps a step I can take in his and my behalf. I think this takes the form of exposing my
secret of shame as a way to initiate healing to the shame that activates our mutual distance/broken
communion. If you have a particular response I would be interested and thankful.
Buck
9. Michael Bauman says: Is there any way to help a loved one recognize the root of their struggles may
lie with unaddressed shame without shaming them further?
10. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Buck, May God give you grace. Shame is sneaky stuff it hides and is not
always easy to see or understand. For men, particularly, shame can be difficult to deal with or even admit. To
heal shame requires vulnerability. We have very few male models in our culture of vulnerability. My prayers
are with you.
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11. Sam says: As a Catholic, Ive always found it difficult to identify with the painful descriptions of the
crucifixion. Not that I think they are entirely wrong, but how can one truly imagine the pain of the scourging,
the crown of thorns, etc., having never experienced that level of pain? As a former protestant, I used to listen
to hour long sermons on the pain of the crucifixion and I found they always left me repulsed rather than with
feelings of love or repentance. Also, I think this emphasis on pain is often based on the idea that Christs death
was the most physically painful in history, when I dont know how we can possibly know if it was. Human
beings are masters at inflicting pain on each other. The cross was horrific, yes, but there have been many
agonizing deaths in history, likely equally as painful or more so as Christs, and yet none of these atoned for the
sins of the world. A mere measure of pain cannot be the basis for reconciliation with God.
Shame, on the other hand, I can identify with. It is a universal experience, and we have all felt it at one point or
another. Sometimes, it even visits us in our dreams (like the dreams in high school of showing up to class in my
underwear!). Seeing the crucifixion through the lens of a healing solidarity does often seem to make more
sense than atonement through the infliction of a great degree of pain. Thank you for this reflection, Father.
12. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Sam,
It is striking, I think, and of great historical significance, that there is a virtual absence of meditation on the
pain of the crucifixion in Orthodoxy. It is, for me, continuing evidence of the absence of the penal theories of
the atonement in the East. Their presence in the West, for me, is evidence of a deviation from the Tradition.
13. St. Longinus says: Father,
Can you tell when and why you think the West deviated from the East regarding the pain and atonement of
the crucifixion? I find that the Eastern tradition is almost light-hearted for lack of a better description when
it comes to the passion of Jesus. They dont talk about the crucifixion in the same manner as the West.
The West describes the pain Jesus had to endure for our sins. (The Stations of the Cross of Saint Alphonsus
Liguori comes to mind.) The East talks about the humiliation he had to endure. I see pain and humiliation as
two sides of the same coin. Not all pain is physical, although emotional pain often has physical consequences.
Not every humiliation is emotional, although humiliation may be accompanied by physical pain.
14. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: St Longinus,
The reason I see it as deviating is that it is not a particular theme in Scripture (the death is more strongly
associated with shame, as are the accounts of His passion). It is the pain/punishment theme that seems to take
root at a certain point in the West, coupled with the notion of atonement as punishment that begin to create a
way of thinking about Christs Passion that, in certain hands, becomes a serious distortion of the gospel.
Pain and humiliation certainly have a relationship. It is interesting to me that the West has found it necessary
to pull back from time to time from the excess that the pain/punishment occasionally engenders. Those
excesses were absent in the East. It is not true that there is anything light-hearted in the East about the
matter. Indeed, the spiritual Fathers of the Eastern Church write about uniting oneself with Christ in Hades.
Nothing light-hearted there.
I have worshipped in both keys (as a former Anglican). I think there are problems (deviations) in the Western
development viz. the Cross. It might only be the place that the punishment theory of the atonement came to
hold (I believe it is a false theory) that drove the imagery to an extreme pitch.
15. mary benton says: As a lifelong Catholic, my sense is that much of the emphasis on the physical
suffering of Christ in my childhood was an effort to bring us to a deeper compunction for our sins and greater
love/gratitude for Christs sacrifice.
Though not necessarily stated directly, there was the implication, See how much He suffered for you. Or
worse, See what your sins have done to Him. I emphasize the word see because I think the visual was
employed to make tangible the enormity of Christs sacrifice.
Unfortunately, there were/are some problems in this approach, in addition to the theological ones noted
above. First, it created a great deal of guilt in a lot of people, particularly in children who were of a more
sensitive nature. Second, it failed to provide a positive and cogent understanding of how Christs suffering
brought about our salvation.
This suffering-focused model created a bottomless pit of shame for sin but didnt offer a clear remedy. I take
that back partly. We were given the Resurrection as a remedy, but little or no bridge of understanding
between the shame of what we did to Christ and the joy of His victory over death.
Hence, a great emotional relief occurs as the horrible sadness and emptiness of Good Friday gives way to the
joyous celebration of Easter. But we were not really given much to help us grasp the meaning of it all. I dont
believe that I was indoctrinated with the penal substitution model as much as I was just left in confusion.
I recall being in highschool back in the 1970s and pouring through a Catholic Encyclopedia, trying to figure
out how Christs death saved me from my sins. I really wanted to understand and there was a sort of shame
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 that I didnt, having had so much religious education. I was able to pull up enough to help me then and later,
to even try to explain it to a friends child. But it remained uncomfortably murky.
Just in the last year or two, after much reading here and elsewhere, I think I finally understand at least at the
level any of us can comprehend so glorious a mystery. Though I regard it as sad that my Christian education
was so limited in this way, I am not sure that it is purely an East-West issue.
I sense that many people who have grown up with the faith do not have a deep understanding of this beautiful
mystery. Those who have lived with persecution and had to fight to keep their faith from being quashed are
likely to understand more. Those who have struggled with the truth so as to accept, reject or convert have also
probably plunged deeper into the mysteries of redemption.
However, there are many, I suspect, who have just followed what their parents did, without really
understanding until they grew up and were swallowed up by the modern project. Sadly, this has happened to
too many from both Western and Eastern Church traditions.
(This view of mine is by no means a criticism of the Eastern Church. It is simply a statement about our common
fallen nature and corrupted culture. I remain very grateful to God for leading me here and for all the spiritual
growth that has resulted.)
16. mary benton says: As I just re-read my own comment, I noted also that the suffering-focused model
was more directed to what we did to Christ by sinning than it was on what we did to ourselves. This is a
crucial error, I believe.
17. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Mary,
What we did to Christ is, indeed, a common part of the punishment/pain approach. I can recall long, long
sermons/talks on the pain of the Cross, how it was our fault, etc. It distorts Christs passion.
There is a deep emphasis within Eastern liturgical texts on the voluntary character of Christs sacrifice both
Chrysostom and Basil are very careful to state this. Though our sin is the reason we are in bondage it is
Christs compassion and humility that are emphasized.
I think that the punishment model carries with it the equal notion that we deserve punishment and that Christ
took what we deserve. It is part of the Western tendency to view humanity in a very dark manner such as
the depravity spoken of by Calvinism.
The East does not have so dark a view, though it certainly takes sin seriously. But always at the core is the
proclamation of our goodness and Gods love. The tone of the prayers tends to see us as victims of sin and
death as much or more than willing sinners. St. Basil:
When You created man by taking dust from the earth, honoring him with Your own image, O God, You set him
in a paradise of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of eternal blessings in the observance of
Your commandments. But when man disobeyed You, the true God Who had created him, and was misled by
the deception of the serpent, he became subject to death through his own transgressions. In Your righteous
judgment, O God, You expelled him from paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he
was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Your Christ Himself. For You, O good One, did
not desert forever Your creature whom You had made. Nor did You forget the work of Your hands, but through
the tender compassion of Your mercy, You visited him in various ways: You sent prophets. You performed
mighty works by Your saints who in every generation were well-pleasing to You. You spoke to us by the mouth
of Your servants, the prophets, who foretold to us the salvation which was to come. You gave us the law as a
help. You appointed angels as guardians. And when the fullness of time had come, You spoke to us by Your Son
Himself, through Whom You also made the ages.
Oftentimes, I feel like Im attending two different plays about the same subject. I feel strongly that the
liturgical tone in the East is more faithful to the gospel itself and the core teachings of the faith. Its like the
same song only one is in a major key, the other in a minor.
18. Jessica M. says: Theres much to reflect on here. Indeed, shame in the Crucifixion is something that I
have not thought about enough, as an American Protestant. But one thing that I found and still find helpful
about reflecting on the physical pain of the Crucifixion is in relation to the problem of suffering. The PSA
model I was taught caused me plenty of doubt and misery. But for many years now I have also thought of the
physical pain of the Cross as a time when our Lord entered into the physical suffering of the world. I was a
sensitive child and read too many news magazines too young. But thinking about the Cross allowed me to
trust that Christ could enter into that suffering and be present with the sufferers. I once spent a wonderful
afternoon meditating in front of the Isenheim altarpiece. I didnt find the plague wounds disturbing, but rather
reassuring in that no amount of gore, pain, or misery can separate us from Christ. As I type this it occurs to me
that as others said above, physical pain and shame are not that easy to separate surely part of the misery of
contagious disease is the disgust it engenders in others and the shame that brings in return. Nevertheless, I
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 think that a great source of comfort would have been missing for me if my teachers had never emphasized the
pain of the Cross.
19. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Jessica,
Yes. This is pretty much the same way that I think about Christs pain on the Cross. That pain on the Cross is
indeed the pain of the whole world which, somehow, is a very different way of thinking than in terms of
punishment.
20. Michael Bauman says: Jesus mystically took on both the spiritual and physical pain of us all in deep
empathy. That includes death. It is the polar opposite of punishment.
21. GretchenJoanna says: St. Longinus, Have you participated in a Matins of Holy Friday service with its
Twelve Gospel Readings? The tone is anything but light-hearted, probably because in all of the Scriptures we
hear that evening, Christs deep shame and humiliation are impressed on our hearts.
22. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Gretchen Joanna and St. Longinus, Indeed the 12 gospels readings are all of
the passion gospel narratives in Scripture. Anything lacking there would, it seem, be extraneous to the gospel.
23. Dan says: I wonder if the difference between East and Western language about the Cross is in part due
to the Wests emphasis on Christs humanity against the Easts emphasis on His divinity? If we look at Catholic
art, especially since the Renaissance, it is realistic and naturalistic portraying Christ as a man. He may or may
not have a halo for example. In contrast, Eastern icons deliberately portray Christ and the saints in their
glorified state and naturalistic art is shunned. In liturgy, prayer and meditation this is again a clear point of
contrast.
I wonder therefore if this extends into language about the Cross? In the West, the Crucifixion is suffered in
place of us we each deserve to die for our own sins and suffer as He did. Christs suffering in His humanity is
relatable and can be touched and felt. Each nail can almost be felt, each blow of the whip is to be imagined.
However, with the Easts emphasis on the Divine Logos entering into history and His rejection by His own
Creation, we focus instead of the shame of the Cross Creatures rejecting and despising their own Creator
and subjecting Him to death.
The Wests focus on Christs humanity results in meditation on His pain and suffering; the Easts focus on
Christs divinity results in meditation on His shame.
24. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Dan, The East would not perceive itself as emphasizing Christs divinity at
the expense of his humanity. Indeed, the dogmatic nature of Orthodox liturgical services generally means that
that conciliar dogmas concerning Christs two natures are repeated again and again. Orthodoxy often
describes itself as the original humanism.
The difference, I think, particularly from the Renaissance forward, is an emphasis on a false humanity. We
begin to get the revival of a pagan (later secular) humanism that considers humanity in isolation from Christ
and frequently comes up with a frighteningly negative view.
The West took Protagoras saying man is the measure of all things and began to apply it within its culture.
The East would have said that Christ is the measure of man since Christ is what it means to be truly human.
That, I think, preserves a continued dignity for human beings.
We do not subject Christ to death. At least, that is not our language the voluntary character of His death is
never forgotten.
Naturalistic art is shunned in Orthodoxy because it does not represent the truth the world viewed apart
from God is not the true world nor even the true nature of the world (thus not natural). In religious art, or
art in the Church, the doctrinal content of an icon matters. The West began to use naturalism as a way of
saying this is how the world really is and thus placed truth within history rather than within God. In the
course of it, the West began to doubt that you could actually find truth in history, and today to think that
theres not really any truth to be found.
25. St. Longinus says: Much to think about here. Thank you Fr. for putting the word misled in bold font.
The tempter was victorious. But the ones tempted were not forced, but made an act of their wills.
And thank you to others who have made comments. Im a traditionalist refugee from what is called the Novus
Ordo Missae.
Yes, GretchenJoanna, I have indeed attended the 12 gospel readings quite a number of times. Ive made a
point of doing so. I guess my upbringing makes it difficult for me to separate the agony of the 14 stations of the
Cross and my own guilty tears
To JessicaM.: I think of Jesus entire life as one of suffering since He had to endure human, physical and
emotional pain throughout his time on Earth. Yes, there must have been moments of what we might call
happiness or joy, but my interpretation would be that those moments were colored by what He knew to be
His impending/eventual sacrifice and His only reason for taking flesh.
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26. Byron says: If we look at Catholic art, especially since the Renaissance, it is realistic and naturalistic
portraying Christ as a man. He may or may not have a halo for example. In contrast, Eastern icons deliberately portray
Christ and the saints in their glorified state and naturalistic art is shunned.
Of interest is that I recently went on a two week pilgrimage to Russia with my parish. We visited several
monasteries and over 80 churches! I was amazed at the amount of naturalistic icons in the churches. There
were many churches done in a Western style. I only add this to note that the distinction is not hard-core;
Orthodoxy finds a great deal of beauty in the portrayals of Christ and the Saints in the West.
27. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Byron,
For what its worth, that Westernizing period in Orthodox Churches, is sort of embarrassing within
Orthodoxy. It reflects, especially, the influence, first of Emperors (Tsars), who sought to ape the West for all
the wrong reasons. As you track the rise of such art, you can also track a corruption of Orthodoxy and a
spiritual decadence in its society as a whole. It is not a sign of Orthodoxy, or a version or a style. It is a sign of
decline and captivity.
Naturalistic religious art was largely devoid of doctrinal content, substituting sentiment. The love of
sentimentality is a mark of a deep deviation from Orthodox tradition in which sentimentality would quickly
have been identified as delusion.
28. St. Longinus says: Some traditional Roman Catholics clerics have pointed out that the Renaissance was
the beginning of the decline of the Roman Catholic Church and that the Middle Ages were not quite as dark
as current history has made most believe. One revisionist, in fact, contends the decline began in 1515 under
Pope Leo X (Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici) when he opened the Monte di Pieta bank and began to gradually
relax and dilute the immemorial dogmatic law against the charging of interest on loans of money, which led to
a papal revolution, in that ecclesiastical penalties for usury were abolished by Pope Pius VIII in the bull Datum
in audientia (1830), and those penalties were also absent in the 1917 and 1983 Codes of Canon Law.
I would agree that the art of the Renaissance was a direct result of the infestation and decline of the Latin
Catholic Tradition. And that infection has unfortunately spread.
29. Dan says: Do you think the anti-Western rhetoric in which everything Western is wrong is a barrier for
potential converts from the West? How does this relate to making Orthodoxy plausible for Western converts
and Orthodixy no longer being an Eastern religion but finding its feet within the Western world, in the same
way that a Russian will not see their church as Greek due to inculturation?
30. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Dan,
I am not engaging in anti-Western rhetoric in which everything Western is wrong. I am describing a genuine
difference and a genuine deviation from the deposit of the faith. Its a topic that is not only natural in this
context, but necessary.
I see little difference between that and a critique of modernity given that the seeds of modernity lie in
certain turns within Western civilization. If Orthodoxy is attractive to someone in the West, or in modernity
it certainly wont be because of its Westernism or its modernism. To enter Orthodoxy as a convert is already,
to some extent, an action of critique and rejection.
If I were to extol Orthodoxy as Russian or Greek I think that would be a barrier. But the average modern
person in the West is neither aware of being modern nor of being Western. A hallmark of modernity is that
they think theyre just normal. The critique of that normality is, I think, a necessary part of waking up.
Do you say to John the Baptist, Dont you think that youre turning people off with all of this talk about them
being a brood of vipers?
Dan, I dont I do anything other than make Orthodoxy plausible for Western converts. My experience over
the past 10 years with this blog is that, on the whole, Ive got the tone about right. Not that I dont get off key
now and again.
That said, I think it is possible to make false judgments about the West and just bash something for being
Western. I generally try to avoid the term West and Western and locate the problem in a different manner
for just that reason. I did a global search of the blog for West and Western and actually turned up very
little. My efforts to tone that specific rhetoric down have been consistent and successful, I think.
I will note, for the record, that my first exposure to the critique of the West and of modernity was not in
Orthodox conversations, but in an American University in conversations with post-modernists. Now theres
some heated rhetoric!
31. Karen says: Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.

7
 It seems to me joy (which is something far more profound and weighty than light-heartedness) is inextricably
bound up with the shame of the Cross in this way.
I cannot explain it, but in a very, very tiny way this week I, in my bumbling blind groping way was thrust by my
infirmities through the mysterious hidden hand of God, into a situation where shame was heaped on me. I bore
it as well as I could, but as you all know that shame is difficult to bear. The whole situation stirred me up so
much with grief, anxiety and confusion, I havent slept more than a few brief hours for 3-4 days now, for the
roiling thoughts in my mind. But the confusion fairly quickly resolved into understanding as several pennies, a
few of which have been from time to time noisily jingling around in my soul niggling at me for more than a
couple decades now, suddenly dropped one-by-one neatly into their places. One of those was to make crystal
clear what you were teaching, Father, in your post about our sins being our salvation! This may not be quite
the miraculous (to me) burst of illumination that brought me to the Church in the first place, but its been
ground-breaking for mea monumental gift of grace I did absolutely nothing to deserve. Glory to God!
I only want to say that somebody must have been praying especially fervently for me lately (not long ago I
confessed some pretty serious and dark struggles with despair right on this blog, so perhaps it was a few of
you! If so, thank you from the depths of my heart!).
Much more to say, but not now
Blessed repentance to all!
(P.S. Agata, my dear email friend, thank you for your noteit was much appreciated, and I hope to restore some
order and peace soon so we can connect again.)
32. Paula says: Regarding the above posts on the East and West,
Dans question Do you think the anti-Western rhetoric in which everything Western is wrong is a barrier for
potential converts from the West? comes from hearing over and over again in Orthodox circles this anti-
western talk. This is not our imagination.
Father, you seem to have taken this question personally, where I dont see that Dan pointed a finger at you
specifically. You no doubt have objectively researched this topic and have a clear understanding of what
brought about such differences, and its impact on Christianity. I most certainly respect that. However, most of
us do not have that clear understanding. I ask you, do you agree there is much anti-western talk within
Orthodoxy? If so, how are we to accept this one-sided approach? It is enough for us just to have some kind of
basic understanding, to accept the differences, and to do the best we can, having been born and raised in the
west. It is very hard to be deemed the illegitimate child of the world. We know our faults. We hear over and
over how the conflicts in the east (north, south, all over) are our fault. OK, I get that. I ask, is there any
responsibility on the part of the east for allowing western influence? And, is there anything redeeming that
can be said about western influence.anything? Changes that Orthodoxy has encountered that watered
down the faith is blamed solely on the west, with little mention of why the changes were accepted. And is all
change as bad as we think? Does ones view have to do with how closely one adheres to the fundamentals? Are
fundamentals in any way fluid? (I am not talking here about Christology, Trinity, etc)
This endless rhetoric is critical and divisive, serving to separate further an already fallen humanity. Is there a
better way to speak of these things? Is there a solution, so that we do not become so defensive? Does this
rhetoric not present a very real barrier to loving our neighbor? The barrier extends as far as the east is from
the west. This is quite the conundrum.
33. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Paula,
There is indeed some West bashing out there that becomes a tiresome drum beating. And I can completely
understand, sympathetically, how bothersome it is. Internet Orthodoxy has some very, very scary places. Its
hard, for example, if you dont know the players to discern between what is of value and what is not. It is one of
the reasons I write with my hierarchs blessing. This is official Orthodoxy, if you will, rather than a few guys
whove dabbled a bit in very shallow treatments of the Fathers, etc., and are now proclaiming themselves as
the guardians of the faith. Among some of them, Ive been labled a heretic. So, I understand that, absolutely.
But simply because others may abuse that rhetoric cannot be for me a reason to refrain from a critique. I am a
Westerner, born and bred. What can be labled the East is only the East because its representatives in the
West became silenced by certain historical events and movements. What can be called the East is simply
the early faith of the Fathers.
Some of what you are vocalizing is the effect of what we could call West-shaming. If our primary response is
to feel shamed then our reactions will themselves become dark. Ill give an example of something different.
As my own study of Orthodoxy became deeper and more consistent (during my time as an Anglican), the
rhetoric that I had been fed in seminary of the so-called branch theory and the notion that I was, in fact, in
communion with the ancient Catholic Church, simply fell apart. I can recall the day that I had to admit to
8
 myself that I was actually in a Protestant Church and was simply a Protestant minister. It was hard. It was also
a recognition for me that regardless of how difficult the journey might become, I had little choice other than to
enter the communion of the Orthodox Church.
The critique was necessary. On the other hand, there were many aspects of my Anglicanism that were quite
salutary and remain with me to this day. Im not sure where a critique of the West (which for me means little
more than modernity, and I prefer to speak of modernity) creates divisions. It illuminates differences, to be
sure. But ignoring those differences can be more than a little problematic.
Heres something that I do. I dont read the noisy complainers. I read very little on the internetI prefer
booksand I prefer them to be meaty and scholarly, or meaty and well-grounded in the Church.
The sins of the East are manifold though it has not adulterated the faith. That much remains. One of the
nasty parts of historical geo-politics is that what we might call the West has worked endlessly and tirelessly
to subjugate the East, culturally, politically, religiously, for around a thousand years. It continues today, up to
and including bombing them. The push-back we see today is but a drop in the bucket compared to the
wholesale onslaught of Western scholarship and political powers over the centuries. Its just true. I suppose
there is the notion of why cant we just get along. But that hasnt actually been the case. The getting along
has consistently been accompanied by pressure from Western forces to subjugate the East. It just is what it is.
34. Cody says: Father,
I finished listening to your talks at the Climacus Conference in Louisville. Thank you so much for coming to our
parish, Im sorry I missed it. Your ministry was instrumental in my conversion. Please make a book out of all of
these thoughts on shame, this is so powerful and liberating.
I have a question about the theme of shame and our salvation coming through bearing a little shame. What
do we make of Gods miracles? I am struck by your message that God is with us in the darkness, and especially,
as you said in your talk, if there is someone in Hell then Jesus is with him there.
I find this comforting as God does not deliver me from my shame, but rather voluntarily bears it alongside me
as He saves me through it. It then made me wonder whether we should hope for a miracle to save us from our
shame. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, I feel like we see Jesus in this very victorious moment, not
bearing, but taking away Lazarus shame. However, the flip side of that coin is John the Baptist in prison asking
Jesus if he is really the One (I kind of wonder if he is asking Jesus If you are the Messiah, arent you supposed
to break me out of here?). Jesus does not save him from prison or raise him from the dead (at least not yet).
In the one story universe everything is a miracle of communion, and as we bear our shame it makes sense that
he doesnt liberate us from saving shame. What are we to make of these miracles of healing and such that raise
us above our shame in some regard? Is it wrong for us to long to be released from our shame?
35. Michael Bauman says: Paula, we cannot just all get along. Untruth needs to be clearly identified.
I will agree that the epithet hereticis wildly and inappropriately used. There are hardly any real heretics in
todays world. Unfortunately there is an heretical mind, the modern mind,the mind of this world that impinges
on us all. It is quite harmful to go heresy hunting as in that effort we condemn ourselves. It is a manifestation
of the same mind we say we reject.
That mind can be devastating in its effects.
In the early years of the Church those who were actual heretics sought to divide the Church. Siphoning away
folks from the life-giving reality of the Church.
They failed in dividing the Church as that cannot actually be done. However there was great success in
drawing people away.
Now the effort has changed focus. The effort now is to recognize no differences. To proclaim all belief and
practice equal even identical. Any attempt at distinction is labeled unloving even hateful.
Many high profile religious leaders are doing that right now. That is a lie.
One of the overt yet subtle tactics in this battle is to deny the reality of the Incarnation of our Lord, God, King
and Savior as became man, fully man, remaining man with no loss or dimimuation of His divinity.
Many western innovations are of this ilk including the institution of the Papacy, the anti-sacramental
Protestants and both the denial of Mary as Theotokos and her elevation to some type of near goddess. It also
includes those Orthodoxwho proclaim a truncated legalism rather than the fullness of the faith. Many
manifestations of illusion and delusion. Only one Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Everywhere the Incarnation is rejected, death follows.
Salvation only comes in union with Christ which is made possible only by His Incarnation.
The way to union is by embracing His Cross and Ressurection.
None of these are theories but are embedded in the reality of the Church.

9
 It is not often found in crowds or in the marketplaces, especially the marketplace of ideas. It can neither be
bought nor sold nor bargained for. It is a gift given freely to all and it lies underneath the brambles of ones
heart. Clear the brambles and there it is.
36. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Cody,
I dont think its wrong to hope for miracles in anything. The fact, however, that Christ specifically urges us to
take up our Cross, tells me that I will die. But whatever shame I bear in my dying (even daily) is united to
Christs death and thus tramples down death. Itll be ok.
37. Paula says: Father Stephen,
Thank you. Your response helps clarify some of my thoughts communicated in frustration. And yes, a response
to feeling shamed. Forgive me.
A better way is to not take offense, as per your example of your exit from Protestantism to Orthodoxy. It is in
light of critique that you simply could not justify remaining, and took courage to move forward. So yes,
critique is necessary to tackle the issues. Where I see critique of the west causing divisiveness is in the
endlessness of the west-bashing. And in truth it may not be quite so endless, but only seems that way to me
because of my sensitivity to the subject.
I will take your advice on limiting my reading time on the internet. The wealth of information becomes too
confusing, and I actually do prefer books. I admire your wisdom in doing your writings with the blessing of
your hierarch. Also, it is very easy to call one a heretic when your put yourself as a guardian of the faith!
As for subjugation, there is no way to get around the oppression this causes, whether imposed exteriorly
(nation upon nation) or interiorly . That sayingpower corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
power, wealth, the need for control/dominationthe hunger for it feeds on itself. I understand.
Finally, Father Stephen, may God bless you *as far as the east is from the west*

38. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: Paula,

Thank you. That was very gracious (full of grace). It is an interesting part of Orthodox history that it was
indeed under the domination of Western European ideas and theology for a time. The dominance of those
countries in their technology and science, and especially military, made them very attractive. In what is today
the Balkans and Greece, the Turks were in charge and oppressed them without mercy. In those days, to get an
education, one had to leave the Orthodox lands in the Balkans areas or Greece and travel to Western Europe
and study there. They were often treated as though they were primitive, lacking in sophistication, and simply
not as evolved as the denominations of the West. And, in a not unusual response to such shaming, often
responded by Westernizing. They believed that perhaps they needed to get with it.
Russia was a different story. There the Tsars (from Peter the Great forward) tended to admire the tidiness and
efficiency in the Germans and the Swedes. They sought to modernize the country in almost every way from
agriculture to engineering to military to government bureaucracies. Again, the universities of the West
seemed very sophisticated, so that model was copied. In Russia, for example, up until nearly the end of the
19th century, theology was being taught in Latin (in order to be like the Western European countries).
But it was in the 19th century that local and national movements began to arise that began to ask critical
questions. Greece and the Balkans overthrew their Turkish masters. Slowly (and I mean very slowly) they
began to take their civilizations back. Believe it or not, theology only began to emerge from that period of
captivity in the mid-20th century. In some ways its still happening.
So, on a serious, official level, the critique you hear is part of an important historical movement of recovery
within Orthodoxy. It also get trivialized in internet arguments where children are mimicking their parents
and not doing a very good job of it.
39. Paula says: Michael,
I appreciate your commentand agree with all you saythere can be no compromise in our faith. If it werent
for the defenders of the faith Christianity as we know it wouldve scarcely survived. I may have led you to
believe that I would lean toward compromise due to my statement about the fundamentals, but that is
because I was piling question upon question, unable to find the right wording.
And again, I must have implied that we must all get along. While I very much want that, and always hope for
nothing less than that, I know realistically this is not going to happen in this age. My hope can be likened to
the same type of hope that all will be savedits unlikely, yet a hope not to be dashed. I agree that our faith
needs to be reiterated and reinforced. Michael, I simply need to understand more fully the reason for the
much west-bashing, but as Father said, with a careful eye to the limits in reading and with discernment. And

10
 with an understanding that proper critique is needful. So I ask, forgive my rants, my passions released.
In the end, it is as you say Only one Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is Truth.
40. St. Longinus says: Fr. Freeman; an honest question.
Why is it that I have so often read (over these last 8 years) that Eastern worship is so much deeper than
Western Liturgical worship because of what is deemed by those in Eastern rites to be the necessity of
participation by the people during Liturgy?. The Eastern tradition places great emphasis in oral (singing)
participation by the faithful. If you arent singing, you arent participating. I come from a tradition wherein
silence doesnt mean one isnt participating or assisting in the Liturgy. Silence doesnt mean you arent paying
attention.
41. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: St. Longinus,
Those using that comparison are quite mistaken. There are plenty of Orthodox Churches in which the singing
is primarily by choir or chanters. The everybody must participate thing is actually a thing from the
contemporary liturgical renewal movement and was pushed endlessly by the liturgical renewal scholars.
Some of that bled over into Orthodox thinkers as well.
I would never use that point of comparison. What I would point to (if I was pointing) that justly indicates
deeper worship is the vast amount of liturgical/musical/poetic/theological material that is pretty much gone
now everywhere in Western practice. I had no idea about this before I converted. There is simply nothing
whatsoever to compare with it outside of Orthodoxy.
These texts, or similar ones, existed once-upon-a-time in the Western tradition, but have been reformed and
reformed out of existence.
Paying attention, by the way, is overrated. Everybodys mind wanders. Only a really jazzy entertaining
megachurch production can hold your attention through an entire service.
42. Paula says: Father,
I find the history of the East, in the bits and pieces I have read, like the events in Greece and Russia you
mention, so very interesting. The oppression (Turks) of the Greeks, the submission of the Russians (to the
Latins), really does help in understanding the form Orthodoxy has taken up to the present time. It is
interesting that the dominance of science and technology (knowledge/wealth) you mention, usurped True
knowledge. How very tempting, the lust for power. So yes, I see in this, the west is culpable. And the east, for
entering into its temptation.
What gives hope and is most uplifting is that, as Jesus declared regarding His Church, the gates of hell will not
prevail. With all that the Church has endured and still isShe is still here. Yet, St. Paul told us to keep putting
on the whole armorits going to be a rough ride.
Again, many thanks, Father.
43. Michael Bauman says: Alas Paula, some of the bashing is due to a sort of institutional and familial
rememberance of wrongs for all the bad things Rome in particular has done down through the centuries. The
Roman list for us is probably as long but those are not remembered. It goes back to at least the Sack of
Constantinople in AD 1204 and the imposition of Roman Patriarchs after that.
Some of it is an over-reaction to the dominant cultural expression which comes up with some pretty bizzare
and astoundingly wrong theological propositions that do great damage to people. We seem to forget that
most of the great heresies were originally propagated in what is now considered the East.
But as Fr. Stephen alluded to the western political powers have at best routinely turned a blind eye to the
oppression and genocide of indigenous Christian communities and peoples in the East as is happening right
now. A few specifics:
The last US President to take a genuine stand against Moslem enslavement of Christians, for instance, was
Thomas Jefferson.
Ulysses Grant sent Presbyterian missionariesto Alaska to convert the heathen natives most of whom were
Orthodox doing great damage to the Native communities in the process.
A similar feat of amazing arrogance has been replicated in our own time with many of the missionaries to
Russia when the Soviet Union fell. Not to mention the machination of Western powers to over-throw Czar
Nicholas so Lenin could gain power. More recently Clinton bombing the capitol of Serbia on Pascha and
turning over the Serbian Orthodox heartland to Muslims, the Arab Spring and the decimation of Apostolic
Christians in their homes.
There are lots of reasons. Doesnt mean we have to buy into them or nurture them in our own hearts.
Certainly we can and should listen and respond to particular people in an open manner, as Christ Himself
does.

11
 In any case there is little in the west that has been a benefit to Orthodox Christians. Least if all the
philosophical nonesense that are the foundation for the modern project and the myth of progress.
It is now nothing less than unadulterated nihilism.
The only antidote is in the Orthodox Church. But we have to guard our own hearts to keep as much of the
darkness out as possible . That is not easy. Many are likely to succumb even within the Church.
Lord have mercy.
44. St. Longinus says: Thank you for confirming my suspicions.
45. St. Longinus says: @Micahel Bauman
Would you please specify what you mean by western powers in this, your sentence from your comment
above:
Not to mention the machination of Western powers to over-throw Czar Nicholas so Lenin could gain power.
46. John (Ioannis) Chiladakis says: Father, thank you. Could you please clarify what you mean with the
deeper level of vulnerability? ( though we cannot really go there without enduring the psychological first).
47. Michael Bauman says: Germany boxed up Lenin and shipped him back into Russia after supporting him
monetarily. Britain and allies played footsie with the Ottoman Empire for decades despite their treatment of
Christians including the Armenian genocide facilitating the population exchange between Greece and
Turkey. France has been the only country to try to make Turkey reopen Haliki Seminary and try to protect
Hagia Sophia. The US from Clinton to Obama as Presidents has the blood of thousands of Christians in Serbia,
Iraq, Egypt and Syria on our hands. The woman Gen. Matis wants as one of his too assistants is a known
supported of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Christian Zionism of political powerful Evangelicals in the US has
made life for Orthodox Christians in Israel more difficult.
There has been a consistent foreign policy to ignore the plight of Christians in the East because we hold no
political power or influence.
This is just off the top of my head.
48. Paula says: Thank you Michael. Some of the history you mentioned I am more familiar with than
others. One thing, I did not realize that Clinton bombed Serbia on Pascha.how gross. The atrocities are
grievous. So yes, Im beginning to understand the illegitimate child picture of the west. I dont like it. Its a
hard truth. You also make two interesting points with some it is an over-reaction and most great heresies
originating in the east. And no doubt, we are to listen and respond in an open manner.
49. Eleftheria says: Fr. Stephen,
Your blessing.
I ask your forgiveness if what Inhave to say is too political; it is, however, necessary.
From my perspective as an American residing in the Republic of Cyprus, things in Greece are actually worse
than they have ever been with regard to being ashamed before the West (EU, IMF, Troika) and with having an
avowed atheist as Prime Minister. Policies have been put in place to destroy the Orthodox phronema
(mindset/frame of mind) of the people, including in the schools. One example is that the ringing of church bells
has been banned in some areas for being too noisy. yet the calls from the muezzin are allowed to show
consideration for the refugees. What a paradox that is in a country that lived centuries under the barbarism
imposed by the Ottoman Empire! I think that I am in agreement with the primates in Greece, who are calling
for the people to return to the church, to patriotism rightly practiced and to stand firm against EU policies that
subvert Orthodoxy and the Greek culture.
Michael, Paula
To emphasize Michaels point to Paula ( in the hopes that it will wake us all up to what all such policies, be they
EU or US, are really up to), here is a quote from Henry Kissinger (Turkish Daily 1997):
The Greeks are hard to govern, so we must strike deep into their cultural roots. That we may knock some
sense into them. What I mean is that we must strike into their language, their religion, their cultural and
historical heritage in order to eliminate any possibility of their progress, prominence and domination so that
they would stop having a say in the Balkans, the East Mediterranean and the Middle East which are the key
areas of a great strategic importance for the policy of the USA.
There is more, but I think that that is enough to convey the general idea. One thing is very clear for majority
Orthodox countries in the EU, and that is that we are well on the way to becoming, once again, a church of the
catacombs.
The clouds are indeed gathering, Fr. Stephen.
50. Eleftheria says: I forgot to mention that here in the Eastern Mediterranean, for Cyprus, home to the
last divided capital in the world, Kissengers words continue to play a role. Once again, talks for the
reunification of our island republic seem to have hit solid walls on all sides. Interesting though, that every
12
 time talks about the Cyprus problem make headlines, bones of contention in the form of uninhabited rocky
islands suddenly crop up between Turkey and Greece, while the EU, the US and the UN all seem to be trying
to foster the talkshmmm.
OK, enough politics! They are, however, unfortunately tied in to the Hellenic religion and culture due to
comments such as Kissengers.
51. Michael Bauman says: So, what is the Christian response to all of this? Prayer for our enemies, be wise
as serpents, gentle as doves, prepare for maryterdom. Nothing new. Pray, fast, give alms, worship, repent,
forgive. Most of all, fear not. The spirit of the age is the spirit of fear Fear and shame and intimate cousins.
52. Fr. Stephen Freeman says: John (Ioannis),
The Elder Sophrony made a distinction between the psychological and the spiritual. He said that most will not,
in this lifetime, do more than experience things on a psychological level. He didnt disparage this, but said that
the spiritual was quite difficult and rather rare. There are levels of experience that are more ontological, a
matter of our very being. They are not unlike the psychological, except that they are deeper more profound.
An example: someone might very well become very well-integrated psychologically, and healthy. But the
spiritual man will not only have that experience, but it might well be accompanied with the uncreated light,
etc. Both are forms of holiness but very much of a different level and intensity.
53. Paula says: Eleftheria,
Appreciate your comments. I am not familiar with many details in past and current history, but I get the gist of
how the players play. Kissingers comment proves to be a continuation of the quest for powerits horrible. I
also appreciate Michaels response that this is not newpray, fast, etc,and most important, fear not. I might
add, bear the shame. I do not like to use the word must, but here I willthat we Christians *must* walk in
unity. It is so important to live within the Church, and observe how those in the past endured persecution
looking to the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
54. Eleftheria says: Paula, Michael,
Of course, this is not new, and of course, there is no other way to live but with our hope in the risen Lord.
My maternal grandmother, from whom I had learned my rudimentary prayers, had emigrated to the US from
Eastern .Thrace at the height of the Asia Minor Holocaust. Even after waking us all with her screams as she re-
lived horrors in her nightmares, she would always compose herself afterward by signing herself with the cross
and with prayer, Panaghia mou, help the children of the world.
I pray that I have one ounce of the strength of her faith; may the Lord grant such faith to all.
It is indeed, Paula, the prayer of all faithful to pray for all, or as you had said, our walk in unity.
55. Michael Bauman says: What Fr. Stephen calls the modern project is the philosophical, cultural,
political and economic ethos that the west is founded on. It is fundamentally Nihilism in action, denying Christ
and His Church. It cannot help but try and destroy us.
56. Paula says: Michael, Just a thought I recall in a recent post you stated that youve studied Nihilism for
40 something years now, so I know you have a firm grasp on its intricate workings. In my basic understanding,
this ethos of the modern project, the root of which you describe as Nihilism (the belief that there is no truth
in the world; unbridled pessimism), is that it is an ideal that was propagated. I also recall Fr. Stephen saying
that Christianity is not an ideal, not a religion, not even a way of life, but truly life itself. So, of necessity, this
ideal which denies Truth, Christ, and His Church, as you say, can not help but try to destroy us. Try as it may,
this quest for destruction, this warfare, is as old as creationthey are fighting a battle that was already won.
Now a questionwhere would be a good place to start reading on Nihilism? I want to know how it all started. I
have on my list the book Father recommended The Unintended Reformation, but Im unsure if it will answer
my questions.
Eleftheria,
Through the prayers of your grandmother, and yours as well, I trust the Lord will give you that measure of faith
in those times of need! How wonderful to have her as an example.
57. Thomas says: What I would point to (if I was pointing) that justly indicates deeper worship is the vast
amount of liturgical/musical/poetic/theological material
Which saved the Orthodox faith when the Ottomans forbade all religious education in the Balkans and when
the communists banned religious education in the Soviet Union and its satellites. Ive heard it said that to
attend all the services for a year (Matins being the most important, IMO) is to receive a thorough theological
education.
Also, when the Greeks gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, it was with the help of the Western
powers who promptly installed a Bavarian (who hated Orthodoxy) as king.

13
58. Michael Bauman says: Paula, your definition of Nihilism is not correct. Nihilism is neither pessimistic
nor is it dissmissive of truth. It posits that all truth is human in origin and humans can and should achieve their
greatness without God or any external code of virtue or morals(over simplifying).
The best book I can recommend is by Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose. Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the
Modern Age. You can also watch the movie The Never Ending Story. Both the book and the movie give you a
taste of what Nihilism is without immersing you in it. That is a dangerous place to go without guidance and
protection. We are immersed in it enough already. Read Genesis 3. Pay particular attention to the devil saying
we shall not die but be as God. That is the essence of Nihilism.
Nihilism is literally everywhere. You dont need to go looking for it. It can be quite seductive but leads quite
literally to nothing, indeed to nothingness. I was led through all that as part of my salvation. I did not choose it.
I would caution against choosing it. As you are already in the Church it might be a bit like Lots wife.
Several key writers though: Nietzche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Epicurus. Many of the Enlightenment
philosophes were fundamentally Nihilist. I suspect you have read more than you realize. Emersons nihilist
proclivativities means that there is much nihilism at the heart of American literature. Melville certainly picked
up on it. Look at Ahabs quest for Moby Dick and the destruction it wrought. Or Bartelby, the Scrivener. The
list is quiet long
No, look to the Truth, immerse yourself in Life in what is real not the seductive darkness of nothingness. Trust
me when I say there is nothing there.
59. Karen says: Michael, Your last two comments on this thread have been incredibly helpful to me, too.
Would it be possible for me to correspond privately with you and Merry? Father has my private email
information if you are okay with that, and he has my permission to give it to you.
For the readers, I will only add that everything I have suddenly been more deeply sensitized to by the
revelations that came from the political email leaks (in news reportage) confirms your assessment of Nihilisms
influence on American culture.
I will also ask for readers most fervent prayer for a group of grassroots led protesters in the midst of planning
a peaceful demonstration for this March 25 at 11:00am in Lafayette Park near the White House in
Washington DC. The purpose of the protest is #ALLCHILDRENMATTER. I believe these protesters, unlike
many up to this point which have been corporate sponsored, are bravely actually risking their lives and
reputations to speak (the real) truth to power here. It is no accident I believe that this secular group has
chosen this date on which to try to get their message out to a wider public (though I suspect mainstream news
reportage will be minimal, if not also quite distorting of the facts about it). May our Lord, Who Himself became
a Holy Innocent for our sakes on this Feast, and His Most Holy Mother be the Protectors of the organizers and
participants and all like-minded others and fight this battle for and with them, for indeed the battle is the
Lords. In fact, there is another Stand Up for the Children (Beyond Borders Haiti) group on Facebook also
planning a Million Lost Children March in DC on March 18. Details are at the FB page. May the Lord do the
same for them.
60. Paula says: Michael, Thank you so muchyour advice is well taken. You say I suspect you have read
more than you realizeyes, Ive experienced some of that darkness you spoke about when I had involved
myself much in the world of conspiracy theory. I had to stopit was bad. But I did learn of this other world of
darkness. As for reading about Nihilism, I will read Fr. Seraphim and watch the video it for a taste, as you say,
though I have already tasted it. My thoughts are that I feel like I have to be aware, lest I be taken by surprise.
Or to put it another way, a help towards discernment, yet knowing that discernment is a gift, to be received
with care, by immersing in Lifeyes, the darkness is seductive.
Lots wife.God forbid!

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