St. Clement wrote: “Another consideration shows us clearly how much of this early teaching has been lost. The church now devotes herself solely to producing good men, and points to the saint as her crowning glory and achievement.

But in the older days she claimed to be able to do much more than that. When she had made a man a saint, her work with him was only just beginning, for only then was he fit for the training and teaching which she could give him then, but not now, because she has forgotten her ancient knowledge.

Then she had three definite stages in her course of training-Purification, (right living) Illumination (knowledge of the kingdom) and PERFECTION.” (resting in the higher reality, attaining completeness in God) THE STROMATA OF ST. CLEMENT.

Titus Flavius Clemens c. 150 – c. 215), known as Clement of Alexandria, was the head of the great Catechetical School of Alexandria, Egypt and as such knew a lot about the formation and maturing of Christian souls. When I read his words I am strangely heartened because he could be speaking of 21^st Century American Christianity. We are able to produce good people, although even that is in question. We are moral but in an untested (rather passive) way, assuming that getting along by going along is morality.

Saint Mark preaching in Alexandria
– Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516

What we might assume is a mature Christian is in fact, from Clements’s point of view, a beginning. That brings me to the common life of Christians at Saint John’s in Memphis, Tennessee, the community I serve. We are a community of fairly moral people. Our sins are more of a sniveling sort than the boomer variety, just as deadly but not as flashy! So we have a modicum of right living but are restless and at 6’s and 7’s. Clement tells any who will listen that beyond “more or less right living” lies illumination– knowledge of the kingdom. Beyond Illumination lies Maturity, but let us not burden ourselves just yet with perfection.

Today Clement from the 2nd Century is our life coach, thanks be to God, for he describes is exactly where we are poised. Saint John’s Reads is our commitment to illumination, to gain knowledge of the Kingdom. Reading the Bible has got to be the primary way to gain this illumination. What good news!

Saint John’s Nave

For those who follow this blog who are not at Saint John’s, I invite you to join with us and read the Bible through this academic year. You can find resources to aid you at www.stjohnsmemphis.org. September 8, 2013 is pledge Sunday. Folks are signing a pledge to read the Bible this year and these pledges will be posted. So join us.

If we want to grow then we go back to the ancient ways and walk in them. j