Articles
The following articles are samples
from the PRAXIS Journal,
Reflections:
New!
Mystical
Christianity
What is the heart of Christianity? This article answers the question by
turning our attention to the deep Mystery which lives at the core of the
Christian faith. To experience its mystery is the essence of mysticism.
Essential Christianity, therefore, can be said to be the reflection of
mystical experience.
Christianity
as Praxis
It is easy to think of religion in terms of beliefs and doctrines. This
is especially true of Christianity. However, this is a mistake. In this
short article, practice as a way of coming to know the truth is described
as the foundation for any belief system. Christianity is, in fact, a practice.
Praxis:
Centering in the Heart
Spiritual praxis (or practice) is centered in prayer, and true prayer
is centered in the heart. This is not simply a theoretical concept, but
entails a practical methodology which is given a brief but concentrated
description in this article.
How
Exclusive is the Gospel?
The Christian faith is often presented as an exclusionary religion. It
and it alone represents the truth. All other religious truths (by comparison
at least) are less than true or even falsehoods. Using a central text
from St. John's Gospel another interpretation is given to what some believe
is the only traditional alternative.
Transcendence
of the Ordinary
David Keller is a retreat leader and educator. In this article he describes
a way of contemplative living that roots us in ordinary experience. Without
this understanding Christian spirituality remains impractical and without
real consequence.
The
Spiritual Path of Jesus
Who is Jesus and dare I know him? Often Jesus is "hidden away" from us
by the very institutions which claim to honor him. This article lays groundwork
for the quest of the historical Jesus as a Middle Eastern Jew. Finding
and knowing the core of Jesus does not lie within institutions, but upon
the spiritual path.
Sapience:
The Many Dimensions of Traditional Wisdom
Wisdom is a full form of human
knowing, higher than rational knowledge so valued in modern culture. The
issue for contemporary men and women is to understand and develop wisdom
(or sapience) as a personal skill that can surpass reason as the major
instrument of knowing.
Why
Wisdom is More Important Than Dogma
In religious experience we have
been led to believe that dogma (or dogmatic theology) is the most essential
thing. This was not always so. In traditional teaching it is not dogma,
but wisdom, which carries us forward toward deeper understanding and destiny.
Dogma only plays a secondary role -- as metaphoric pointers towards truths
that can be learned.
Discernment
of the Heart
Discernment is not so much an
issue of the rational intellect as it is a capacity and skill of something
the fathers and mothers of sacred tradition called "the heart."
The knowing heart is a discerning heart, and what it means to exercise
this faculty is crucial to all spiritual learning.
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