For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy

Rating:
Summary: A significant work for understanding the sacraments
Review: "For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy," by Alexander Schmemann, is a significant work for understanding the Orthodox--and therefore ancient Christian--view of sacraments and sacramental living. Two additional essays, written in the early 1970s: "Worship in a Secular Age," and "Sacrament and Symbol," are fitting appendices to the title work, which was originally published as a study guide for a 1963 National Christian Student Federation conference.

Schmemann states that we were created to live in a sacramental relationship with God and the creation, but this life was lost in the Fall of Adam and Eve. Christ, who gave his life "for the life of the world," came to restore this sacramental relationship, not only with God, but with all of Creation.

Schmemann writes that the purpose of the book "is to remind its readers that in Christ, life--life in all its totality--was returned to man, given again as sacrament and communion, made Eucharist." He goes on to discuss the importance of this understanding for our mission in the world.

I know many individuals who have wondered how the Eastern Orthodox and Christians in the West (both Roman Catholic and Protestant) can use the same terminology and mean different things. Sometimes the differences are subtle, sometimes radical. Schmemann believes that secularism is at the heart of those differences, and that secularism was born when scholars in the West sought to analyze, define and explain the sacraments, most significantly the Eucharist (or Communion).

By picking apart the meaning and "the elements" of Communion, scholasticism allowed the Eucharist to be divorced from the context of the Liturgy. Therefore, in order to satisfy an increasingly scientific approach, the West began to separate the sacred from the secular. As stated above, Christ came to restore the sacramental life as it was intended in the Garden. Schmemann maintains that separating the secular from the sacred is a Christian heresy that needs to be confronted. (By the way, he confronts this tendency among the Orthodox as well.)

I would do a disservice to this important work if I were to continue this inadequate description. It's significant that many--if not most--of the customer reviews on Amazon identify themselves as non-Orthodox readers. An Anglican reviewer quoted on the back cover states that "this is one of the best introductions to the sacraments, and not simply the 'Eastern' view of them."

"For the Life of the World" appears on many lists of books intended to introduce Orthodoxy, however in my opinion it would best suited to readers who have at least a little background in theology or Church history. As suggested above, this might be the best volume for getting a better understanding of why some of the terminology between East and West differs. Therefore, this would be a great book for improving dialogue between the many traditions of Christianity.

For additional reading, try "The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church," by Vladimir Lossky or "The Orthodox Way," by Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Rating:
Summary: a better biblical world and life view
Review: A friend recommended Alexander Schmemman's _For the Life of
the World_. I read it and thought it was wonderful. Being Reformed and Calvinist in my beliefs, I have had the notion of a "biblical world and life view" emphasized to me a great deal over the past seven years since first becoming a believer. I have been taught to think of the world, in its whole, as being inherently good, though now tainted with sin, and in need of redemption. All areas of life were, therefore, open and fertile ground for the believer to work.

I have slowly grown slightly less satisfied, though, with the way that most advocates of the 'biblical world and life view' advocate for this kind of activism. I think primarily, what bothered me, was when I felt like this kind of thing did indeed become activism, and the other devotional aspects of the faith were ignored. Too often, people - including myself - seemed to advocate for 'biblical world and life view' activism, yet do so in a way that diminished the importance of personal devotion to and communion with Christ. Sometimes I felt that this approach tended to take a somewhat encyclopediac approach to the Scriptures, attempting to find ways to make the Bible suit a particular ideology. What amazed me about Schmemman is that he seemed to me to be essentially struggling with these new, modern issues of the relationship between faith and life, and yet his "answer" - if you can call it that - was centered more on the liturgical and sacramental worship of the Church. Like other Reformed writers, Schmemman rejected the 'sacred/secular' dichotomy. He based some of his criticisms, rightly so, in the invention of a 'spiritual' sphere. He was more critical, it seemed, of "spiritualism" than he was of secularism.
Yet his solution was a return to the liturgy and to the sacraments. A return to approaching the God of the Isrealites in the worship of the Church. This, I thought, was truly the most radical biblical world and life view I had ever encountered.

Rating:
Summary: Mystery Unveiled
Review: Father Schmemann's book was required reading in my Lutheran seminary days. It illustrated the theology and the emotional depth of the Eastern Orthodox understanding of the sacraments, especially of the Lord's Supper. Although some theological differences still remain between Constantinople and Wittenberg, For the Life of the World helps bridge the gap and shows many areas of agreement.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Fr. Alexander Schmemann was a leader in the rebirth of Orthodoxy in America, and his book is spiritually enriching regardless of your Christian background. This book takes you "out of this world" to life in Christ, which is just what Fr. Alexander wanted. Highly recommended for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: The Rule of Prayer is the Rule of Faith
Review: Fr. Schmemann presents the meaning and connection of world and sacramental mystery in this beautifully articulated book that serves as one of the foundational texts for the English-speaking student of theology who has a concern for the relevance of the Church's rule of prayer as expressed in Her sacramental rythems.

He argues convincingly that it is through the gift of God's Church that we come to participate fully in the world, discovering what it means to be really human and created in the image and according to the likeness of God in Christ. The other reviewers say it better than I can say it, so I'll close with this quote from the book.

"Man was to be the priest of a eucharist, offering the world to God, and in this offering he was to receive the goft of life. But in this fallen world...his love is deviated from its true direction. He still loves. He is still hungry. He knows that he is dependant upon that which is beyond him, but his love and dependance refer only to the world in itself. He does not know that breathing can be communion with God."

Living Icons is also a book worth reading if you are intersted in learning more about Fr. Alexander's life and writings. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A Rare Gem
Review: I became interested in this book through the comments of a certain Presbyterian minister to the effect that it is "highly recommended, albeit not without some caveats -- a truly wonderful book that nevertheless needs to be read with some discernment." Having read it, I concur with that estimation. It is nothing less than amazing that so much profundity could be put into such a short book, written in a beautiful style that reminds one somewhat of C. S. Lewis. The author has many truly brilliant insights into what the Christian faith is all about, and the combination of the writing style and the content immediately grabs hold of you and won't let go. (I was reading it on the train and became so engrossed that I missed my stop.)

I'm certainly not ready to run off into Orthodoxy; I can affirm almost all the essentials of what Schmemman says and still feel very much right at home in Protestantism. In the end, I still disagree with Orthodoxy on significant issues, such as concerning what deserves to be considered a sacrament in the formal sense. I still hold to the Protestant position that the only true sacraments are the communion supper and baptism. However, in a broader sense I am now much more inclined to be tolerant of the Catholic and Orthodox categories of sacraments. I don't consider them all to be sacraments in the strict sense but I now much better appreciate their importance for the life of the Christian; indeed, "for the life of the world." Schmemann's analysis of veneration for Mary is also quite interesting. While he seems to be essentially condemning Mariolatry, he still accords her a place of extremely high esteem in the Christian consciousness. I don't know if such high esteem is really warranted, but if all Catholics and Orthodox agreed with Schmemann concerning this subject, I would have a good deal less trouble with those branches of Christianity. Nowhere does he mention the offering up of prayers *to* Mary or to any other saint, and I guess as long as that aspect is avoided, there probably isn't anything unscriptural with remembering and thanking God for the example of various great saints, Mary included.

Okay, so by now it must sound as if I'm damning through faint praise, but that is not my intention. This is a true gem of a book despite its flaws. The real value of this book is in the incredible depth of the author's insights into the true essence of the Christian faith and how it affects our life in this world. In this regard it is of inestimable value to Christians of all stripes. The Orthodox would probably want to recommend it to everyone; as a committed Protestant I might be somewhat more selective in who I recommend it to. But I can tell you this: I plan to buy a copy for my apostate parents; this book seems to answer just about every complaint I have ever heard them voice against Christianity. In the event this book is used by God to move them to place their faith in Christ and they decide to join an Orthodox church as a result, I for one will be rejoicing and not the least bit chagrined that they joined the "wrong" church. Judging by this book, the "wrong" church is still very much a vital part of the Corpus Christi, one from which we Protestants have much to learn.

Rating:
Summary: Sacrament as Life
Review: Occasionally one will stumble upon a book so filled with simple Christian wisdom as to take one's breath away. Such is the case with For the Life of the World by the late Orthodox writer Alexander Schmemann. Originally written as a study guide on the Sacraments for a conference, the impact was so great it was decided to make the study more widely available in book form. The decision to publish has certainly been vindicated - the book has been influential not just with the Orthodox but throughout the Christian world and has profoundly affected (for the better) the Christian understanding of the Sacraments.

From the first sentence we are taken into a view of the Sacraments immersed in the historic liturgy of the Church. For Schmemann, the Western Church commits a fundamental error in attempting to analyze the Sacraments as "objects" in isolation from the liturgical context that gives them meaning. Instead, the Sacraments are the act of the Church within its liturgy to transform the world through Christ by offering the world and ourselves to the Father. 

Each of the recognized Sacraments of the Orthodox Church are considered within the liturgical life of the Church. This incarnational understanding of the Christian Faith presents the world itself - created by God and declared good - as something to be redeemed through Christ. Rejecting both the semi-gnostic anti-Sacramentalism of some Protestants as well as the view of medieval Roman Catholicism that bordered on "magic", Schmemann returns to a patristic view of the Sacramental life. This is no Eastern Orthodox polemic - Schmemann criticizes his own Church for abandoning the true understanding of the Sacraments for alien concepts - but a plea for the followers of Christ to appropriate a truly Christian understanding of life.

Among the many insights in this marvelous book is Schmemann's view of secularism as a Christian heresy. Secularism, he claims, is possible only in a culture already Christian. Christianity is not another "religion" but the death of all earthly religions. When Christendom mutates the true faith of Christianity into just another religion, the culture will recognize it as dead and reject it - not for another religion - but in a movement opposed to all religion. Religion is now dead and secularism recognizes this death. Only in Christianity is a life of faith possible.  

This outlook blends powerfully into the section in the book on death. Rejecting both the "religious" view of earthly life as a preparation or trial ground for the next life and the secular view of death as a natural part of life, Schmemann steers toward a truly Christian understanding of death. The religious view defines life in terms of death; the secular view defines death in terms of life. Either raises death to the status of being part of God's plan for our existence. The Church of the Apostles and Fathers has always taught death is the enemy and in Christ the power death has upon us has been vanquished. This is fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and will be demonstrated in the general resurrection at the end of the age.

Those who have little experience with liturgy may have their world shaken by For the Life of the World. Even those who have long encountered the beauty and wonder of the historic liturgy and sacraments of the Church will be enriched by the depth of faith presented. This book is a classic work of the Christian Faith and should be read by all who seek to follow the Lord.

Rating:
Summary: Sacrament as Life
Review: Occasionally one will stumble upon a book so filled with simple Christian wisdom as to take one's breath away. Such is the case with For the Life of the World by the late Orthodox writer Alexander Schmemann. Originally written as a study guide on the Sacraments for a conference, the impact was so great it was decided to make the study more widely available in book form. The decision to publish has certainly been vindicated - the book has been influential not just with the Orthodox but throughout the Christian world and has profoundly affected (for the better) the Christian understanding of the Sacraments.

From the first sentence we are taken into a view of the Sacraments immersed in the historic liturgy of the Church. For Schmemann, the Western Church commits a fundamental error in attempting to analyze the Sacraments as "objects" in isolation from the liturgical context that gives them meaning. Instead, the Sacraments are the act of the Church within its liturgy to transform the world through Christ by offering the world and ourselves to the Father. 

Each of the recognized Sacraments of the Orthodox Church are considered within the liturgical life of the Church. This incarnational understanding of the Christian Faith presents the world itself - created by God and declared good - as something to be redeemed through Christ. Rejecting both the semi-gnostic anti-Sacramentalism of some Protestants as well as the view of medieval Roman Catholicism that bordered on "magic", Schmemann returns to a patristic view of the Sacramental life. This is no Eastern Orthodox polemic - Schmemann criticizes his own Church for abandoning the true understanding of the Sacraments for alien concepts - but a plea for the followers of Christ to appropriate a truly Christian understanding of life.

Among the many insights in this marvelous book is Schmemann's view of secularism as a Christian heresy. Secularism, he claims, is possible only in a culture already Christian. Christianity is not another "religion" but the death of all earthly religions. When Christendom mutates the true faith of Christianity into just another religion, the culture will recognize it as dead and reject it - not for another religion - but in a movement opposed to all religion. Religion is now dead and secularism recognizes this death. Only in Christianity is a life of faith possible.  

This outlook blends powerfully into the section in the book on death. Rejecting both the "religious" view of earthly life as a preparation or trial ground for the next life and the secular view of death as a natural part of life, Schmemann steers toward a truly Christian understanding of death. The religious view defines life in terms of death; the secular view defines death in terms of life. Either raises death to the status of being part of God's plan for our existence. The Church of the Apostles and Fathers has always taught death is the enemy and in Christ the power death has upon us has been vanquished. This is fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and will be demonstrated in the general resurrection at the end of the age.

Those who have little experience with liturgy may have their world shaken by For the Life of the World. Even those who have long encountered the beauty and wonder of the historic liturgy and sacraments of the Church will be enriched by the depth of faith presented. This book is a classic work of the Christian Faith and should be read by all who seek to follow the Lord.

Rating:
Summary: The Christian Life
Review: The late Orthodox Priest, educator, and writer, Alexander Schmemann has written a profound text dealing with the sacarments of the Church. The book works on several fronts.

One, the text works well for laity who have little academic training, but want a truly deeply provoking book on the sacramental and liturgictal life of the Church. Secondly, it is written well enough for academics to read and pondure insightful scholarship on doctrines such as the Eucharist and its revelance when looking at the creation, man's present condition, and the Kingdom of God. Further, it gives a perspective not often read about in Western Protestant circles and brings historical tecahings into a mystical, yet, understandable (though not completely comprehendable) way. This may appeal to Western Christians who want mystery, but are afraid of leaviing there mind at the door.

This book is a must read. Edifying for all, whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox.

Rating:
Summary: The Christian Life
Review: The late Orthodox Priest, educator, and writer, Alexander Schmemann has written a profound text dealing with the sacarments of the Church. The book works on several fronts.

One, the text works well for laity who have little academic training, but want a truly deeply provoking book on the sacramental and liturgictal life of the Church. Secondly, it is written well enough for academics to read and pondure insightful scholarship on doctrines such as the Eucharist and its revelance when looking at the creation, man's present condition, and the Kingdom of God. Further, it gives a perspective not often read about in Western Protestant circles and brings historical tecahings into a mystical, yet, understandable (though not completely comprehendable) way. This may appeal to Western Christians who want mystery, but are afraid of leaviing there mind at the door.

This book is a must read. Edifying for all, whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox.