Synopses & Reviews
A unique view of icons. Unlike many books of meditations on icons, this book presents a unique opportunity for readers to visit an imaginary church and see icons in action throughout the year--to stand alongside worshippers for whom the use of icons is a natural part of their devotional lives. Reproductions of icons on the book jacket and in the inside text allow the reader to view the icons that would be found in a typical contemporary Orthodox church, as Frederica Mathewes-Green explains their history and theology. Stories of saints and texts of the prayers appointed for the day enhance the devotional quality of the book. Anyone interested in understanding and praying with icons will benefit from the warmhearted practical guide.
Synopsis
Discover how icons can become part of your own life of prayer.
Encounter twelve of the world's most significant Orthodox icons with one of today's best-loved spiritual writers as your guide.
"The Open Door provides an open window into a radically different approach to spiritual formation, one that is more ancient/Eastern than modern/Western, one that feels refreshingly new as well as seasoned, rich, and time-tested."
--Brian McLaren, author of Everything Must Change and A Generous Orthodoxy
"The joy of this] book is to allow us to meet the icons where the saints want us to meet them - face to face in a prayer corner, in candlelight as we approach the altar, above the beds of our sleeping children. . . . This book is a call to stand still, take a deep breath and face the cloud of witnesses."
--Terry Mattingly, columnist, Scripps Howard News Service
Synopsis
This book presents a unique opportunity for readers to visit an imaginary church and see icons "in action" throughout the year--to stand alongside worshippers for whom the use of icons is a natural part of their devotional lives.