[To understand what this blog is, read this first.]
Mom,
I have a ton of books about Orthodoxy, but somehow I missed Father Huneycutt’s books until that article, but I thought they were interesting so I already ordered that one and one other of his. I hope they’re good!
I’m glad you and Dad are enjoying St. Ignatius! I don’t remember that particular section, but that’s a really great metaphor! It’s really nice when you read along in the early writings and you think, this sounds so much like scripture. And then you realize, that IS scripture! And then you remember that they were very familiar with Scripture, and constantly quoted or riffed off of scripture in the same way modern writers do. Well, maybe not in the exact same way. 
It’s nice to see that they appreciated Scripture too. And that’s such a neat metaphor in that it relates so many different things. Jesus, the Cross, the Holy Spirit, faith, love, and all the believers. And all toward building a Temple. Very nice.
I hope that Dad gets something from whatever he reads from Ignatius. I know there are parts that may be very confusing for him, but its such great commentary on both Scripture and the Christian life. It can be challenging, but I think that it’s worth while. At least now Dad can say that he’s read something from the early church writings. Check that one off the list. :)
I don’t recall the Three Chair Series, but I get the idea. Recently I’ve been thinking about this issue because I started reading some articles by a “cradle” Orthodox. I am so focused in on the conversion experience that I never considered how all this looks to people who are multi-generation Orthodox. Definitely there’s a bit of a mix-up in the Orthodox community right now due to the sheer size of the influx of converts. It’s huge, and that’s a bit of a problem for a faith community that relies so strongly on consistency and mentorship to pass the faith on to the next generation. And all these converts are coming in with preconceived notions of what Christianity is. It’s an interesting problem, and I’m considering what that means for me and how I should work to relate to those who may appear to me to be in the slow lane. Some times still waters run deep. I need to be do all I can to connect to the people who’ve been doing this their whole lives!
I wonder if the converts were largely under 40 in that article because that may be the age group who are more likely to consider making big moves. I’ve read stories from converts who went over late in life, though, so it’s not that it doesn’t happen. In fact, my local priest’s mom just recently became Orthodox (she was Presbyterian), so she is a late life convert, and I’m sure that produces certain stresses. Probably no one really knows for sure why the converts tend to be young, but it’s interesting. I bet the same is true of converts in Protestant churches too.I’m almost done with the email on the Eucharist. It’s another long one, so get ready! :) I’ve got to do a little more polish on it, but maybe later today or early tomorrow I can get that out for ya.
Love,
Mark
