4
edits
Changes
→Orthodoxy: Adding info on reception into ROCOR, and blessing of St. John Maximovitch on their brotherhood
==Orthodoxy==
While studying under Alan Watts at the American Academy of Asian Studies after graduating from Pomona College in 1956, Eugene discovered the writings of René Guenon. Through Guenon's writings, Eugene was inspired to seek out an authentic, grounded spiritual faith tradition. Gregerson, a practicing Russian Orthodox Christian at the time, introduced Eugene to Orthodoxy. Just as Gregerson was choosing to abandon his Orthodoxy, Eugene was inspired to learn more about the faith. This culminated in Eugene's decision to enter the Church, being received into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia through [[chrismation]] in 1962.
Eugene and another Orthodox Christian, [[Herman Podmoshensky|Gleb Podmoshensky]], later formed a community of Orthodox [[booksellers]] and [[Magazines and Publications|publishers]] called the [[St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood|St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood]], with the blessing of St. [[John Maximovitch]], Archbishop of San Francisco in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The community eventually decided to flee urban modernity into the wilderness of northern California to become [[monasticism|monks]] in 1966. At his [[tonsure]] in 1970, Eugene took the name "Seraphim" after St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Following his [[ordination]] as [[hieromonk]], Fr. Seraphim began writing several books, including ''[[Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future]]'', and ''[[The Soul After Death]]''. One of his best known books, ''[[God's Revelation to the Human Heart]]'', was originally given as a lecture to a religious studies class at UC-Santa Cruz in 1981, and published in book form after his repose. He also founded the magazine ''The Orthodox Word'', still published today by the Brotherhood. The collective body of work that Fr. Seraphim published quickly proliferated throughout America upon Fr. Seraphim's death and later in Russia and Eastern Europe upon the fall of atheist Communism in those countries, though typewritten copies of some of his books had been distributed underground for many years prior.
As a layman in San Francisco, the future Fr. Seraphim developed a close relationship with his spiritual father and mentor, St. [[John Maximovitch]] (+1966), then [[Archbishop]] of San Francisco for the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|Russian Church Abroad]].
[[Image:Father Seraphim Rose.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
==Teachings==
Although an American [[convert]], Fr. Seraphim is regarded by many as a bastion of sound Orthodox teaching in a time when many American [[jurisdiction]]s, and even factions within the Russian Church Abroad itself, were allegedly introducing new and/or erroneous teachings or practices. In ''Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future'', Fr. Seraphim highlighted what he and others saw as dangerous trends in both the secular and ecclesiastical worlds—namely, modernism and ecumenism (though the book mainly deals with religious movements invading America and outside Orthodoxy).
