When the Homily is about Immunology

"Contemporary" is Obsolete

A contributor to a forum I belong to linked us to an article entitled Emerging Church makes 'Contemporary' Obsolete which basically revolves around Robert Webber and his examination of what is popularly coined as post-modern christianity. I have a number of friends - for whom I have a great deal of respect - who count themselves as a part of this movement (typically involving house churches) and I noticed that some of them have made mention of some of Webber's more recent works. Why I find this interesting is because Robert Webber played a sugnificant role in leading ME to the Episcopal Church years ago with a book called Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals Are Attracted to the Liturgical Church.
In this work, Webber really reverberated with me feelings at the time which basically can be surmised by saying that I yearned for majesty and mystery in my Christianity - and more specifically in my worship. Based on this article and what I have heard from my friends this is also true amongst those in the post-mod movement.

I wonder if Webber is an Episcopalian still?

Anyway...as I read this article and some of Webber's quotes, it all still rings as being very familiar to me and further reminds me of why I am Orthodox today. While I too, like the post-mod's, feel a real affinity for ancient forms of worship - I went a step further (right or wrong as opinions vary) and considered their associated theology and ultimately became apart of the ancient Church. Why? Well, frankly, I did not want to be another branch in christendom...I did not want to be the newest and latest schism - no matter how inclusive I felt I could be. I felt within me a need to figuratively (and in some sense - literally) travel back in time. I wanted to embrace the totality of the Faith which delivered and maintained all these cool Traditions I was learning about and loving, I wanted to be apart of that LIFE that continues to be lived there: where community is made real through the participation in the Holy Mysteries as it had been from the beginning. Most every Sunday morning as I apporoach the Temple and I smell the incense and hear the chanting, in a very real sense the doors represent to me a portal to the past...no, let me correct that...not the past, but rather to eternity.