The difficulty of writing about conscience lies in its malleability, that is, in its complete rel... more The difficulty of writing about conscience lies in its malleability, that is, in its complete reliance on an already-formed worldview. The concept of conscience shifts with ease, at the mercy of a complex tapestry of other integrated concepts. Certainly, no concept or realm of knowledge escapes this conundrum, but conscience seems to be of the most dependent. Several important concepts deserve attention when considering an “Orthodox Christian” perspective on “conscience.” There exists an ethos of Orthodox Christianity that necessarily loses coherence when put in writing but whose transcription will help elucidate this perspective on conscience. More specifically, in this article I will demonstrate the ways that the following concepts shape an Orthodox Christian perspective on conscience, rendering conscience at once necessary yet insufficient in wholly orienting an agent Godward. These include a narrative of humanity that accounts for its fall, the integral narrative of salvation, a muscular ethos of spiritual struggle, and careful appropriations of the concepts of truth and shame.
This article modestly anticipates the still-unfolding reception of the laudable document For the ... more This article modestly anticipates the still-unfolding reception of the laudable document For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church by two broadly-envisioned communities—those of non-Orthodox Christians and Coptic Orthodox Christians. There is much to be commended by the former, especially regarding the document's balanced assessment amidst complicated issues uncharted in the Orthodox world. This balance is possible through the effective coalescence of a theocentric worldview, a comfort with mystery, and a loosely-defined Orthodox anthropology. Regarding the latter community, the document serves as a pioneering and bold example that does not neglect social relevance at the behest of theological commitments. At the same time, Coptic Orthodox Christians, in their insistence on the centrality of desert spirituality, are likely to question the document's sometimes tepid allusions to spiritual transformation, since the principal means out of which com...
The monastic movement originated as a movement among laity who saw themselves as embodying the Ch... more The monastic movement originated as a movement among laity who saw themselves as embodying the Christian gospel. In light of this reality, it is curious that a practice so central to early Christians and their Scriptural hermeneutic would undergo such a decline contemporarily. This paper posits that the asceticism that is at the core of Christian monasticism, can (and as its centrality implies—should) be instantiated in modern times as a transformative Christian practice, even outside of the monastic garb. This project will also maintain that the tripartite model of spirituality based on Gregory of Nyssa’s theory of epektasis (perpetual ascent) is a helpful framework by which to envision an ethic of Christian spiritual struggle, generally, and this internalized asceticism, specifically. In order to suggest asceticism’s contemporary appropriations, it is first important to understand the intent, essence, and origins of Christian asceticism, to which a significant portion of this paper will be dedicated.
Asceticism will be analyzed as a form of “spiritual struggle” in this paper. Briefly, spiritual struggle is defined as physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual exertion with intent to attain a semblance of, knowledge of, and intimacy with Jesus Christ, for God and for others. Asceticism will also emerge as a microcosm of the Cappadocian’s theory of epektasis. The three stages of this theory (1. detachment from fleshly passions, 2. strengthening of the soul, and 3. union with God) will be paralleled to the three themes at the core of asceticism developed in this paper: sexuality, angelification, and Divine indwelling. It will become clear that placing asceticism within a framework of spiritual struggle will allow for the modern recovery, and in some ways, re-envisioning, of an otherwise antiquated, yet central, Christian practice, thereby creating a portal concomitantly to the pursuit of virtue and perpetual ascent to God.
The difficulty of writing about conscience lies in its malleability, that is, in its complete rel... more The difficulty of writing about conscience lies in its malleability, that is, in its complete reliance on an already-formed worldview. The concept of conscience shifts with ease, at the mercy of a complex tapestry of other integrated concepts. Certainly, no concept or realm of knowledge escapes this conundrum, but conscience seems to be of the most dependent. Several important concepts deserve attention when considering an “Orthodox Christian” perspective on “conscience.” There exists an ethos of Orthodox Christianity that necessarily loses coherence when put in writing but whose transcription will help elucidate this perspective on conscience. More specifically, in this article I will demonstrate the ways that the following concepts shape an Orthodox Christian perspective on conscience, rendering conscience at once necessary yet insufficient in wholly orienting an agent Godward. These include a narrative of humanity that accounts for its fall, the integral narrative of salvation, a muscular ethos of spiritual struggle, and careful appropriations of the concepts of truth and shame.
This article modestly anticipates the still-unfolding reception of the laudable document For the ... more This article modestly anticipates the still-unfolding reception of the laudable document For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church by two broadly-envisioned communities—those of non-Orthodox Christians and Coptic Orthodox Christians. There is much to be commended by the former, especially regarding the document's balanced assessment amidst complicated issues uncharted in the Orthodox world. This balance is possible through the effective coalescence of a theocentric worldview, a comfort with mystery, and a loosely-defined Orthodox anthropology. Regarding the latter community, the document serves as a pioneering and bold example that does not neglect social relevance at the behest of theological commitments. At the same time, Coptic Orthodox Christians, in their insistence on the centrality of desert spirituality, are likely to question the document's sometimes tepid allusions to spiritual transformation, since the principal means out of which com...
The monastic movement originated as a movement among laity who saw themselves as embodying the Ch... more The monastic movement originated as a movement among laity who saw themselves as embodying the Christian gospel. In light of this reality, it is curious that a practice so central to early Christians and their Scriptural hermeneutic would undergo such a decline contemporarily. This paper posits that the asceticism that is at the core of Christian monasticism, can (and as its centrality implies—should) be instantiated in modern times as a transformative Christian practice, even outside of the monastic garb. This project will also maintain that the tripartite model of spirituality based on Gregory of Nyssa’s theory of epektasis (perpetual ascent) is a helpful framework by which to envision an ethic of Christian spiritual struggle, generally, and this internalized asceticism, specifically. In order to suggest asceticism’s contemporary appropriations, it is first important to understand the intent, essence, and origins of Christian asceticism, to which a significant portion of this paper will be dedicated.
Asceticism will be analyzed as a form of “spiritual struggle” in this paper. Briefly, spiritual struggle is defined as physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual exertion with intent to attain a semblance of, knowledge of, and intimacy with Jesus Christ, for God and for others. Asceticism will also emerge as a microcosm of the Cappadocian’s theory of epektasis. The three stages of this theory (1. detachment from fleshly passions, 2. strengthening of the soul, and 3. union with God) will be paralleled to the three themes at the core of asceticism developed in this paper: sexuality, angelification, and Divine indwelling. It will become clear that placing asceticism within a framework of spiritual struggle will allow for the modern recovery, and in some ways, re-envisioning, of an otherwise antiquated, yet central, Christian practice, thereby creating a portal concomitantly to the pursuit of virtue and perpetual ascent to God.
Brief reflections presented at "The Conference in Preparation for the Great and Holy Council of t... more Brief reflections presented at "The Conference in Preparation for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church," 27 June 2016
Public Orthodoxy, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University, 2019
A quick glance at the modern field of ethics might convey a false reality—one in which Orthodox C... more A quick glance at the modern field of ethics might convey a false reality—one in which Orthodox Christian are decades, if not centuries, behind the West in developing viable ethical frameworks. In fact, Orthodox Christians might often be hesitant or even reluctant to speak in terms of ethics, since the language of ethics challenges the integrity between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Yet, it seems that a critical tool by which Orthodox Christians are to witness in the West to the transformative power of Orthodox Christian life is by conceptually transliterating Orthodox praxis into Western ethical language. Becoming a vessel of this transliteration is no small task; it requires not only a faithful embodiment of one’s own tradition but also an awareness of and willingness to engage one’s surrounding context. The payoff, however, is well worth the toil; it would allow Orthodox Christians to make fundamental contributions to contemporary Western ethical discussions not just for the sake of joining the conversation but in order to offer a distinct means by which to navigate the myriad of difficulties in this broken, ever-mending, world.
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Asceticism will be analyzed as a form of “spiritual struggle” in this paper. Briefly, spiritual struggle is defined as physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual exertion with intent to attain a semblance of, knowledge of, and intimacy with Jesus Christ, for God and for others. Asceticism will also emerge as a microcosm of the Cappadocian’s theory of epektasis. The three stages of this theory (1. detachment from fleshly passions, 2. strengthening of the soul, and 3. union with God) will be paralleled to the three themes at the core of asceticism developed in this paper: sexuality, angelification, and Divine indwelling. It will become clear that placing asceticism within a framework of spiritual struggle will allow for the modern recovery, and in some ways, re-envisioning, of an otherwise antiquated, yet central, Christian practice, thereby creating a portal concomitantly to the pursuit of virtue and perpetual ascent to God.
Asceticism will be analyzed as a form of “spiritual struggle” in this paper. Briefly, spiritual struggle is defined as physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual exertion with intent to attain a semblance of, knowledge of, and intimacy with Jesus Christ, for God and for others. Asceticism will also emerge as a microcosm of the Cappadocian’s theory of epektasis. The three stages of this theory (1. detachment from fleshly passions, 2. strengthening of the soul, and 3. union with God) will be paralleled to the three themes at the core of asceticism developed in this paper: sexuality, angelification, and Divine indwelling. It will become clear that placing asceticism within a framework of spiritual struggle will allow for the modern recovery, and in some ways, re-envisioning, of an otherwise antiquated, yet central, Christian practice, thereby creating a portal concomitantly to the pursuit of virtue and perpetual ascent to God.