Doxos

Autumn Book Club Invite

THE MOST Formative step in my spiritual journey to-date was reading a book in a class with Donald Schell at St Gregory’s Church in San Francisco (1999/2000). The book was Olivier Clement’s Roots of Christian Mysticism: Texts from Patristic Era with Commentary. I have quoted from it many times in these pages – and I’ve given copies away to many people.

I invite you to consider reading it with me as a book-club selection this Fall (I’m thinking, with the excitement of the Holidays, it may take us to late January or early Feb.)

Process is simple (the same as we have used in the past on CS Lewis, etc):

1) I’ll post a reading schedule.
2) Everyone reads the chapters.
3) By a set date everyone posts reaction on their blogs.
4) Everyone travels around the blogs and makes comments and discussion.

(You may also post a running reaction – just finish the reading by the set date to keep the discussion current. If you don’t have a blog, get one!)

I’d like to start on Holy Cross Day (Sunday 14 September) – which should give everyone time to get the book.

We’ll need 3 or 4 bloggers committed to the project before it’s a go, but I’d like more! All parties are invited to participate – Orthodox and Anglican, RC and Protestant, Emergent, Laity, Clergy, Non-Christian. Sign up in the comments here. You can buy the book from Amazon – and some other places around the net. They have it new and used.

This reading group will have no teacher! I will facilitate blogging & discussion and will happily google answers to any question you can’t google yourself!

If we can’t get 3 or 4 more (in addition to myself) the project won’t fly – but that’s ok! We’ll try again another day!

22 Responses to “Autumn Book Club Invite”

Huw
August 5th, 2008 at 4:09 pm

YAY! The original French title was just “Sources”. An American Marketing person created that odd English title. So… it’s not that mystical!

James
August 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am

Hmm, seems like the guy who wrote the review on Amazon doesn’t look too highly on contraceptions and seems to think his position comes from an orthodox understanding. Interesting…

Huw
August 15th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

I don’t think so, James: the review was for a Roman Catholic magazine, “Crisis” – although the writer may be Eastern Catholic and may, thus, not know the Orthodox and Anglican (etc) liberality of practice in this area.

Darrell
September 11th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Add me to your list. I am in the process of reading Unseen Warfare, but I will stop this reading to focus on The Roots of Christian Mysticism.

I have had the book in my library for years but never found the time to read it. Now is the opportunity.

Huw
September 14th, 2008 at 6:09 pm

Welcome everyone!

As far as bloggers go: I’ve got Lee, Sally, Fr Gregory, Fr Ernest, Fr Peter, Zara, Sare.

For Fellow Travellers (reading and participating but not commenting), we’ve got Darrell, James and Lily.

Anyone else?

Party starts tomorrow!

Cheryl Passanisi
September 21st, 2008 at 9:57 pm

Hi, Everyone,
I just found out about this a few days ago. I would really like to participate. I don’t have a blog at this time but will try to set one up. I participated in the original class at St. Greg’s that Huw mentioned. It was a life changing event and I would love to revisit the text. I will have to dig it up and start reading again. It will be great to connect with everyone and have conversation about this provocative and healing text. Thanks for instigating this, Huw! I look forward to more discussion.
Thanks again, Cheryl