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Philosophy Spirituality

[not in source]

I remember Metropolitan Anthony speaking impressively at a Mystics and Scientists conference in the 1980s. Born in 1914, his family had to flee the revolution and settled in Paris, along with the astonishing number of 100,000 other Russian émigrés. He originally trained as a doctor entering the priesthood, becoming an Orthodox bishop in 1957 and Archbishop in 1962. This gave him a significant platform in the public eye, although in private he continued to live very simply as a witness to the depth of his own faith. There are six chapters on faith, creation, prayer, Orthodox spirituality, the Church and Lent leading up to Easter. He writes about his own development and his encounter with the presence of Christ; nevertheless, he advocates 'creative doubt', which is fully aligned with his scientific training. Many texts are taken from sermons and talks, so the language is direct. It is refreshing to read that conversion is a process of making us different, one that begins but never ends. Rowan Williams is right in endorsing the book as a mixture of deep rooted commitment to the Orthodox faith and radical Gospel-based simplicity.