For those following the recent blog posts, there has been a goodish bit of interaction on the subject of Eastern Orthodoxy here and here.
It all began with a brief clip from CanonWIRED. In that clip I recommended a book on EO that I had not read -- Through Western Eyes by Robert Letham. I recommended it because I had read other stuff by Letham, which really was top drawer, and I assumed this would be the same. But, as a result of the hubbub, I went back and read his section on icons and prayer, which I really can't recommend. He doesn't give away the store entirely, but he does give away a good portion of the inventory. So here is my retraction. I still like Letham's other stuff, but this was not so hot.
While on this personal note, in the comments section of those posts I have been pressed to reveal what I had or had not read in preparation for my column in that infamous edition of Credenda way back then -- back in the days of the early church. To this point I have not replied to those demands, not because I wanted to look coy, or dig arabesques in the carpet with my shoe, but because I honestly had no idea. That column was written sometime prior to 1994, about 17 years ago.
This is not a retraction at all -- just a little sharing time. I have before had someone point at a book on my shelf and ask if I have read it. To my shame, I do not know. I pick it up and look through it, and my blue highlighter is all through it. Heh. I have sometimes thumbed through books I know I have read, and read some comment with blue exclamation marks beside it. The only problem is that I don't recall ever reading such a sentiment before in my life.
Now seventeen years from this time (2028), I will no doubt be assailed by a young man for my podunk reading schedule during these, the lazy days of his fourth grade year. And I will no doubt not be able to remember, aided in that lack of remembrance by the weight of seventy five winters. But I will say this, for this is how I operate -- I know I must have been reading something right about now. And boy, I bet it was good.
