Christian Meditation: Awakening the Christ Within

Western philosophy emphasizes the reality of the physical world. Eastern philosophy emphasizes the supremacy of the inner world of mind. In this consciousness-raising book, John and Holly Shobris explore a spiritual blending of both, using the inner orientation of the East to deepen an appreciation of the Christian faith. The East’s emphasis on the inner experience of consciousness helps one go beyond theological concepts and embrace Christianity as a profound encounter with one’s own consciousness. Christianity is transformed from a dry adherence to dogma to a vital experience with the Christ who exists within our own consciousness.

Christians sometimes struggle to live up to Christian ideals, not because of the absence of a strong will but because of the inadequacy of their theological ideas. Christianity is a break with paleotheology that used human sacrifice as a way to relate to the divine. Christianity uses the theme of human sacrifice and transforms it into a life-affirming force and a vehicle of love. Eastern philosophy can illuminate the Christian experience, demonstrating the non-violent nature of the Christian message and the universality of its basic principle of love and unconditional acceptance. It emphasizes the empirical nature of theology, beginning with the fundamental experience of our own consciousness. It is this consciousness that is the receptacle for the image of God that not only resides in each of us but can be accessed by everyone.

The book meditates on all these theological ideas and attempts an enlightenment of traditional theological insights. It emphasizes understanding Christianity from an anthropological and historical point of view. Unlike many other Christian books, it emphasizes the importance of ideas in generating attitudes.