Journey to Reality

Sacramental Life in a Secular Age

By: Zachary Porcu

Narrated by: Zachary Porcu

Most books aimed at introducing Orthodoxy to the non-Orthodox begin by explaining basic points of doctrine and practice that differ from what the average reader may be familiar with. But for the average American, this approach doesn't go deep enough. In order to be able to fully understand Orthodox doctrine and practice, we have to unlearn an entire secular worldview and become participants in a sacramental worldview instead of a worldview that embraces reality as it truly is. Dr. Zachary Porcu provides a guide to this process that is easily accessible both to Western Christians and to those who lack any grounding in the Christian Faith.

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Makes a Complex Idea Simple & Inviting

Every once in a while, you read a book that suddenly pulls together something you've been picking up in bits and pieces here and there for months or even years. There's the idea - in focus and succinct, well-stated and easy to share with others. This is one of those books. I was drawn to the sacramental nature of the Orthodox church over 20 years ago, but I had a hard time verbalizing the appeal to those who were from similar religious upbringings to mine. Years of participation in the "embodied" services of the church and study of literature and history helped me pick up on bits and pieces of the ancient worldview that helped form ancient Christianity and how different it is from the Western postmodern mindset, but I still had something more like an unassembled puzzle of all those pieces. I really feel like this book is the top of the box of the puzzle I was missing!

I took a couple of weeks to listen to the audio version of this book, and ever since, I find myself recommending it to people left and right - be they Orthodox Christians or protestants, people looking for a way out of the entrenched materialist mindset or those who don't even know what it is. This book will have something for all of those kinds of people. I recommended it to a priest, particularly the section on marriage as a sacrament. I think it would be useful for a parish to do as a book study, especially because it would give everyone a common language to talk about what we believe.

The audio version does have some quality issues - it seems like the narrator recorded in perhaps different locations or with different equipment from time to time. None of these issues make it hard to hear or understand, but it doesn't have a consistent sound throughout. It's still worth buying if it means you'll get all the way through the book (I know I'm much more likely to finish audiobooks than books in print). Now that I've listened to it, I also want a print copy so I can easily go back and review parts of it from time to time. Do yourself a favor and read it soon!

Powerful leverage for shifting paradigms

A clear, concise & compelling distinction between secular & sacramental paradigms, and why the latter is not only a superior paradigm but actually describes reality as it truly is. This book is as timely as it is insightful. An invaluable resource for the 21st century.