Francis Berger
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Berdyaev Foresaw the Need for Romantic Christianity As Well

5/20/2019

2 Comments

 
Work continues to get in the way of my writing original posts. As compensation, I will offer some brief thoughts about some of the reading I have been doing lately. 

I am currently rereading the three Berdyaev books I own - Slavery and Freedom, The Meaning of the Creative Act, and Freedom and the Spirit - and I have discovered that much of Berdyaev's thought aligns with Dr. Bruce Charlton's concept of Romantic Christianity.

As far as I know, Bruce has drawn much of his external inspiration for and understanding of Romantic Christianity from the Gospel of John, Owen Barfield, Rudolf Steiner, and William Arkle, among others. I have read the Gospel of John and William Arkle's A Geography of Consciousness, but I know practically nothing about Barfield and Steiner.

Nevertheless, based on what I have gleaned from Bruce's blog over the past year or two, I can with some confidence state that Berdyaev foresaw the need for the same sort of Romantic or Mystic Christianity thinkers like Steiner and Barfield addressed in their own works. The terminology likely differs, but from what I have been able to gather, the overarching themes overlap, as demonstrated by the passage below excerpted from Berdyaev's Freedom and Spirit: 

We are entering upon a period of new spirituality, which will be the counterpart of the present materialism of our world. There will also be a new form of mysticism corresponding to this new period in Christian history. It will henceforth be impossible to oppose the conception of a higher life by pointing to the sinfulness of human nature which must be overcome.

There is no longer any room in the world for a merely external form of Christianity based upon custom. It is precisely the mystical and spiritual life which leads to victory over sin. The world is entering upon a new period of catastrophe and crisis when we are being forced to take sides and in which a higher and more intense kind of spiritual life will be demanded from Christians.

​The sort of Christianity which is purely outward in character and never rises above the level of mediocrity is today on decline; while that which possesses eternal significance is growing more intense and stronger.


I consider this sort of overlap fascinating. All I need to now is get my hands on some Owen Barfield or Rudolf Steiner so I can experience the overlapping themes firsthand.




2 Comments
Bruce Charlton
5/21/2019 09:18:09

If Steiner and Barfield (and, therefore, my idea of Romantic Christianity) are correct; then it will be seen all over The West. Certainly it is seen among some (culturally/ linguistically) Germans - such as Novalis, and probably others if I knew more.

This happens, simply because the change of consciousness has happened, and this change necessarily and unavoidably drives both personal and cultural change - but it does not ensure Romantic Christianity, because that must be a conscious and spiritual choice. In fact RC seems to be very rare - and the change is most often seen in anti-Christian secular (hedonic impulse advocating) Romanticism (eg Godwin, Byron and Shelley) or in the traditionalist Christianities (of all denominations) that regard Romanticism as wholly demonic in origin.

Russia is, of course, somewhat different from the West; has a somewhat different nature and destiny. But (from secondhand report, but not confirmed by personal engagement) I think that Romantic Christianity has been advocated among several thinkers there.

What I am unsure about is whether RC is the proper path for Russia specifically. It's none of my business (except that Russia is one of just a few major polarities of the world), but it may be that they 'ought' to be going down that path of a resurgent Orthodox church established and dominant nationally, rather than RC - at least, that perhaps should be their priority and first step. The answer is in the consciousness of Russians.

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Francis Berger
5/21/2019 10:07:28

@ Bruce - You have raised some great points. It will take me a considerable amount of time to completely wrap my head around Berdyaev (presuming I am ever able to), but I have noticed some distinct RC parallels in his writings.

Russia certainly has its own destiny. Coincidentally, I happened to find a fourth Berdyaev book called "The Russian Idea" among my books. In that book Berdyaev outlines what he calls "Russia's mystical mission." I will get to it eventually. Perhaps it will provide some insight into the points you have raised in your comment.

Dostoevsky certainly advocated for a resurgent Orthodox Church within the framework of Russian nationhood; from what I have been able to gather thus far, Berdyaev respects this notion, but also recognizes the limits and dangers of such objectifications.

What I find appealing in Berdyaev is his insistence that the next step in religious spiritual/development must come from within us, that God is waiting for us to take the next (and necessary) step so that we may become active participants in divine creation rather than passive followers of religious dogma and ritual.

When it comes to Berdyaev, I still have much reading (and thinking) to do (I don't agree with all of his ideas). Of course, many of the parallels and connections I have come across may prove weak or unsubstantiated within the larger context of RC. Nevertheless, the overlapping themes and ideas in B are intriguing.

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