Thursday, April 7, 2011

Words Describe, Invite, and Challenge

Theological talk in Orthodoxy is usually a description of something that is real or something that has happened, not so much words that capture an idea as if the idea were the thing itself.

It's like relating the scene of a terrible accident. Words can convey only so much; they don't compare to actually coming to see the tremendous gravity of the situation yourself. It's also like watching a beautiful sunrise over the hills of a splendid landscape. You can hear someone say, "I saw a beautiful sunrise," but it's not the same as being a part of the experience yourself.

Often this is how it is with words in Orthodoxy. Sinfulness is like the terrible accident, and Christ is like the beautiful sunrise.

No comments: