What This Is
This work challenges the mid-century Christian to move past the dry mechanics of religious creeds. It argues that while many claim orthodoxy, their inner lives are cluttered by the self-sins: exhibitionism, self-promotion, and a subtle ego that feeds on religious activity. The author frames God as a Universal Voice that sounds throughout the world, seeking a response that goes beyond intellectual assent. To reach this state, the believer must undergo a spiritual stripping away, viewing faith not as a set of rules, but as the consistent, inward gaze of the heart toward its Creator.
Key figures
- God
The Universal Presence and Voice searching the earth for response.
- Moses
The biblical figure whose lifted serpent serves as a metaphor for faith.
- Abraham
A model of faith who learned the blessedness of possessing nothing.
- Jesus
The Son of man and the light that affects all hearts.
What it's really about
- The Self-Veil
- Ego is the primary barrier preventing the soul from seeing God.
- Spiritual Gaze
- Faith is defined as looking rather than merely thinking or doing.
Why it's memorable
- The image of the self-ego thriving even while standing at the foot of the altar.
- A plain man discovering that looking at a serpent is identical to believing in Christ.
What it concludes
The soul finds its highest good by fixing a permanent habit of inwardly gazing toward the Triune God.
For your book club
- Can religious leadership truly be separated from the 'self-sins' of ego and exhibitionism?
- Does defining faith as a 'gaze' make spirituality more accessible or more abstract?