A quick update on the subject of icons

[To understand what this blog is, read this first.]

Get this book!

Today I just received a copy of Early Christian Attitudes toward Images by Fr. Dr. Steven Bigham, and man do I wish I would have had that in hand before writing my previous responses to the protestant professor.  That would’ve saved a lot of time.  I’m glad I did the research I did, but just from what I’ve read so far I can see that Dr. Bigham does a great job of taking this information and really going deep with it.  He does a very well rounded take on icons from all sides, archaeological, literary and theological that is way beyond anything I could do on a blog, even if I were qualified.  So, if you are interested in trying to understand icons as a non-Orthodox Christian, or to defend them (or even just to understand the issue better), you definitely need to get that book.  I have also had Imago Dei, by Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan recommended to me, but I haven’t read it personally.  I have many books by Dr. Pelikan and can recommend all the ones I have read, so I don’t doubt that he did a wonderful job on that subject as well, so you might check it out too.

 

Post-vacation

I’ve been quiet during vacation.  I didn’t write to my family, so I have nothing long to share here, but I did finally have a good long talk to my oldest sister on the subject of Orthodoxy.  She was very receptive.  Again, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well everyone is taking this.  Of course, there’s always the next storm on the horizon.  I will be talking with my second sister very soon.

I’m looking at a book called Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism, by Dr. Daniel Williams (http://www.amazon.com/Retrieving-Tradition-Renewing-Evangelicalism-Protestants/dp/0802846688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325688897&sr=8-1) as a possible recommendation to my family.  It’s not written by an Orthodox Christian, or from an Orthodox perspective, but I think it has the right angle to help them see the value of the Christian historic tradition, and being written by a Protestant may be easier to accept.  I have to read through the book myself, but I have high hopes.

I hope to begin writing something new soon.

Mark