The Greatest Gift Ever Given (Paperback)

Michael S. Ridenour

ISBN 10: 1912230097 / ISBN 13: 9781912230099

Published by Temple Lodge Publishing, East Sussex, 2017

About this Item

Paperback. As a child in a non-religious family, Michael Ridenour found a Bible one day and began reading. Initially excited by its lively stories, he paused at the New Testament, faced with a baffling inner question: Where in the world is Christ today? An unexpected answer came during his teenage years with a spontaneous experience of the Christ being, but this only led to more questions. Later, discovering the work of Rudolf Steiner, he found the authentic vision and language he needed to clarify and better comprehend his own experiences, but the questions kept coming.The Greatest Gift Ever Given is a fruit of Ridenours life-long search for answers: a book that is at once deeply thoughtful, humorous, philosophical and poetic. In Part I, `Raising the Foundation, he studies the Judeo-Christian mysteries. After humanitys `fall into materialism, these mysteries signal the development of human individuality. The impulse for self-hood continues with Christ, who brings a new path of divine love. But the mystery of Christ leads naturally to his shadow. Today, we can no longer escape the question: Where in the world is Judas? Without Judass betrayal, Christs greatest gift could never have been given. We cant reject Judas, but should transform him within ourselves.In Part II, `Lowering the Temple, Ridenour relates the theme of metamorphosis to the contemporary world. Once guided by initiates, personal transformation now needs to blossom from within each individual human soul. The topic of evolution takes us to a consideration of the perennially-controversial Charles Darwin, as well as the intuitive approach of Goethe and the living thinking of Rudolf Steiner. A rich treasure-trove of ideas, The Greatest Gift Ever Given sharpens a dynamic focus on current spiritual needs and contributes a thought-provoking response to them. An esoteric study of Christianity, from the Fall to the New Testament. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781912230099

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Greatest Gift Ever Given (Paperback)
• Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing, East Sussex
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912230097
• ISBN 13: 9781912230099
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

As a child of a non-religious family, Michael Ridenour found a Bible one day and began reading. Initially excited by its lively stories, he paused at the New Testament, faced with a baffling inner question: Where in the world is Christ today? An unexpected answer came during his teenage years with a spontaneous experience of the Christ being, but this only led to more questions. Later, he discovered the work of Rudolf Steiner and found the authentic vision and language needed to clarify and better comprehend his own experiences, but the questions kept coming. This book is the fruit of Ridenour’s life-long search for answers―a book that is deeply thoughtful, humorous, philosophical, and poetic.

In part 1, “Raising the Foundation,” he studies the Judeo–Christian mysteries. After humanity’s “Fall” into materialism, these mysteries signal the development of human individuality. The impulse for selfhood continues with Christ, who brings a new path of divine love. But the mystery of Christ leads naturally to his shadow. Today, we can no longer escape this question: Where in the world is Judas? Without Judas’ betrayal, Christ’s greatest gift could never have been given. We cannot reject Judas, but should transform him within ourselves.

In part 2, “Lowering the Temple,” Ridenour relates the theme of metamorphosis to the contemporary world. Once guided by initiates, personal transformation now needs to blossom from within each individual human soul. The topic of evolution takes us to a consideration of the perennially controversial Charles Darwin, as well as the intuitive approach of Goethe and the living thinking of Rudolf Steiner.

A rich treasure trove of ideas, The Greatest Gift Ever Given sharpens a dynamic focus on current spiritual needs and contributes a thought-provoking response to them.

About the Author

Michael S. Ridenour learned to read at age five with a young-adult book on evolution. He had out-of-body experiences as he grew older and woke up as an adolescent with the certainty that he had a soul, which gave Ridenour a growing sense of reality that culminated with a Christ experience during his mid-teens, but he didn’t know what to do with it. After a few degrees in physics, math, French, and English literature left him intellectually richer but were no help. A two-year stint teaching English to Buddhist monks in Thailand was enormously satisfying, but still fell short. Then he discovered the spiritual perceptions of esoteric Christianity and spiritual science given by Rudolf Steiner, which grounded him in esoteric literature and enabled him to complete a book, Chartres: A Human Temple of Heaven and Earth (Hermetica, 2009). Years later, the same stream flowed into his second book, The Greatest Gift Ever Given (Temple Lodge, 2017). Ridenour continues his career as a writer and Waldorf teacher in Southern California.