Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality

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	• Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality Kyriacos C. Markides Doubleday, 2005 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A decent, but flawed, follow-up to "Mountain of Silence"

I read "Mountain of Silence" by Kyriacos Markides a couple of years ago and was captivated by the description of Orthodox Christian spirituality that it presented. "Gifts of the Desert" continues much in the same vein, through discourses detailing the author's trip to St Anthony's monastery in Arizona (with some history of that monastery), and another trip to Cyprus to have more conversations with Fr. Maximos (now Metropolitan Maximos), the main figure from "Mountain of Silence". Also, Markides records an interview with British Orthodox theologian Bishop Kallistos Ware - making the book well-rounded overall in content.

With that said, I found parts of the book problematic. Other reviewers have already mentioned Markides' liberal political digressions, and yes, it gets a bit irritating. But more than that, Markides consistently inserts a sort of unitarianism, where Christianity is just one good type of spirituality amoung others that are just as good - that all roads lead to God. This presents to the reader a confusing portrait - Markides spends so much time harking the need to follow the "Three-fold Way" to God: purification, illumination, and deification. But if all religions are the same and all roads lead to God, and all will be saved, then why SHOULD we follow the three-fold way? Indeed, the three-fold way was never intended to be followed alone, outside of the Church from whence it came, but Markides appears to propose a religion-less, and Church-less, spirituality. While this sort of spirituality may be popular in today's cuture, presenting it in this book does a disservice to the people who provide much of the book's content and is inconsistant with the Orthodox Christian tradition from which Markides draws.

If you're considering this book and have not read "Mountain of Silence", then definately read "Mountain" first. Overall it's much better, although a bit of the universalist bent that I just complained about is present there too. If you have read "Mountain" and enjoyed it, then you probably will enjoy "Gifts of the Desert" as well.

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The Church as Spiritual Hospital

Markides opens by telling the compelling story of how Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox monastery in the desert of Arizona came to be in 1995 despite impossible circumstances. Markides also gives us glimpses into the challenges the monks must face, and we even hear from an ex-monk who discovered he wasn't "made" for the rigors of the monastic life.

In chapter three Markides picks up where he left off in Mountain of Silence, his previous book, and returns to Cyprus to visit Father Maximos, who is now a bishop. The journey then continues not in the desert, but on water. Father Maximos leads a pilgrimage cruise in the Aegean Sea where he is almost constantly surrounded by followers, and Markides often has to talk to him in group situations. Even though he has to share Markides with other people, they cover an incredible breadth of topics, which fortunately does not dilute the power of the messages. The pace is as quick as a John Grisham novel.

The Different Kind of Hospital chapter is my favorite. Maximos says the holy fathers would have placed the study of theology in the medical school, not in the humanities department: "The ecclesia must be properly seen as being a part of medicine; in reality a spiritual hospital." In the Anger Without Sin chapter Maximos writes that anger is a part of our nature and therefore a gift (!) from God. We should strive to use anger only to resist temptation, as Christ did. Only humility can defeat Satan. He writes, "The presence of anger in your heart is a sign that you lack humility."In the spiritual stages chapter we learn that the three stages are slave of God (motivate by fear), employee of God (motivated by rewards), and lover/child of God (motivated by love of God). Other chapters are devoted to near death experiences, prayer power, cunningness and faith of saints. Markides takes a detour in chapter eight, the Converts chapter, and flies off to London to interview Bishop Kallistos Ware; this chapter alone might well be worth the price of the book.

If Mountain of Silence left you wondering what Markides' personal religious beliefs are he leaves little doubt in Gifts from the Desert. Early on in the book he relates his thoughts about mystical Christianity, describes Theosis in detail, and talks about the exclusivity of Christianity. And the last chapter contains his forthright opinions in favor of feminism and women's ordination.

The greatest gift that I received from this book was the realization that I feel like an overworked employee of God too much of the time yet I am in the right place. And that place is the church - a spiritual hospital, not an exclusive country club where image is everything. It is in this hospital where there is medicine for spiritual healing here on earth, not just in the world to come.

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The Athonite Way?

Kyriakos Markides, the Cypriot-American sociologist from Maine is back with another fine volume, dealing with the mystical aspects of Orthodox Christianity. He relates these to many eastern and new age religions and practices. However, his main focus is on the spirituality of the Holy Orthodox Church and he presents this with reverence and love.

There are some 'side trips' in this volume--notably visits to a Greek Orthodox monastery in Arizona and a chat with Bishop Kallistos (Tim Ware) the venerable Orthodox convert/author/scholar of the United Kingdom.

Some reviewers have found the side trips, both to Sedona and to eastern mysticism distracting from the main thrust of the book, which is what Markides and his travel companions and friends are taught by the Venerable Father Maximos. Those who read THE MOUNTAIN OF SILENCE remember the assertive, youngish Maximos as abbot at Panagia. He is now the over-busy Bishop of Limassol but still finds time to share the gerontos wisdom with Markides, as they take a pilgrimage through the Agean and travel Cyprus.

Some of the joy of these books is that they are travelogue as well as discourse, deftly wrapping theology, comparitive religion and sociology into a slice of life and look at the sights.

Father Maximos is on target as ever. Some part of his wisdom will hit home with any reader. Maybe the discourse on anger and sin, perhaps the concept of the Ecclesia as a spiritual hospital, or maybe the idea that the Bible is not chronology or archeology but a medical text for the soul?

GIFTS OF THE DESERT will have wide appeal. Perhaps those who will gain the most are those in the west who either gave up on Christianity or never tried it because they felt that spiritual depth, mysticism, and communion with the Divine were not to be found in the rationalist, scholastic, legalist tradition which has unfolded over the years in both Rome and the Protestant denominations.

But, as Markides notes in his opening chapter, Christianity is no stranger to meditation, mysticism, and miracles. This book gives much wisdom about why.

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Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality

I really like this book for the interviews Markides holds. THis is the same for Mt. of Silence....It is great he has the connections he does and shares his interviews with us. I also think Kyriacos seems to be growing in his own spiritual life. This is more evident in this book. Gifts of the desert is very accessible, and provides good food for thought and growth for anyone interested in Orthodox spirituality.

Packed with spiritual wisdom...

This book is a great follow-up to The Mountain of Silence. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the Orthodox Christian Church or wanting to deepen their relationship with God.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

In Kyriacos C. Markides?s newest book, Eastern Orthodox mysticism meets Western Christianity as the internationally renowned author takes readers on a deep journey back in time to unveil the very roots of authentic spirituality.

In his previous book The Mountain of Silence, Markides introduced us to the essential spiritual nature of Eastern Orthodoxy in a series of lively conversations with Father Maximos, the widely revered charismatic Orthodox bishop and former abbot of the isolated monastery on Mount Athos. In Gifts of the Desert, Markides continues his examination of Easter Orthodox mystical teachings and practices and captures its living expression through visits to monasteries and hermitages in Greece and America and interviews with contemporary charismatic elders, both male and female.

Markides?s pursuit of a deeper understanding of Orthodoxy takes him to the deserts of Arizona and a stay at a new monastery in Sedona; to the island of Cyprus and a reunion with Father Maximos; on a pilgrimage to holy shrines aboard a cruise ship in the Aegean Sea; and finally to the legendary Mount Athos, home to more than two thousand Orthodox monks. Markides relates his journey and reflections in a captivating style while providing important background material and information on historical events to give readers a highly accessible, in-depth portrait of a tradition little known in the West.

Gifts of the Desert will appeal to a wide range of people, from Christians seeking insights into their religion and its various expressions to scholars interested in learning more about the mystical way of life and wisdom that have been preserved on Mount Athos since the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the Great Schism that separated the Eastern and Western Churches. Perhaps most important, however, is the bridge it offers contemporary readers to a Christian life that is balanced between the worldly and the spiritual.

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