Thursday, 07 February 2008

• Death to the World is back!

  

  I was so happy to see the return of the Death to the World zine a while back as well as a nice new addition a new website. They have lots of interesting articles on Saints and leaders of the faith, including people martyred for their faith even in contemporary times. They also have lots of great links and some truly amazing photos... some I have never seen anywhere else.

  The zine was instrumental in introducing my husband to Orthodoxy many years ago. Although not part of the “punks to monks” scene, my husband was in his 20’s during the first incarnation of the zine and definitely moving in a circle outside popular culture. He has been a seeker of truth for many years, so Death to the World offered a glimpse of a Truth that my husband had not previously been aware of and it resonated with him. It took him many years (and overcoming the resistance of his to-be wife – see my conversion story here) to finally become Orthodox, but the impact of the original contact never left him.

  The life and culture mainly addressed in DTTW is not a “scene” that will resonate with everyone. The zine and the website are full of pictures and stories that some people will see as too dark and bleak. It will not appeal to a world that wants to look away from those parts of life that are grim and brutally honest. Many will reject DTTW just based on appearances without ever looking to see the true Christian message this group is spreading.

  However, my hope and prayer is that DTTW will resonate with other people like it did my husband. I think that it’s important for people, especially those people who reject the modern “norms” of society, to see that Orthodox Christianity offers a Truth that isn’t all about shiny happy people going to feel-good worship services and espousing platitudes that maintain and even encourage the worldliness of western culture. We live in a society that tends to commoditize Christianity – to plasticize it, package it up with a pretty bow, and sell it to people to make them feel good. DTTW presents a Christianity that is real. It’s not about the easiest path or the prettiest people; it’s not about making lots of money or about the white picket fence. It’s about real people with real problems and real suffering who deal with their hardship through the strength of Christ and His Church. The Orthodox Church does not expect people to come already perfected. The Church is about healing our broken souls and drawing nearer to Christ through repentance. Salvation is hard work that doesn’t come through the act of a moment, but through a lifetime of continual struggle against our passions and repentance. This may seem harsh, but it is reality. And I am glad that DTTW has come up with a medium of sharing the gift of Christianity with people who have rejected the conventions of this worldly life and might not otherwise have a chance to experience the mercy of our Lord.

  • 3:41 PM
  • 40 Views
  • 0 eProps
  • 0 Comments