Youth of the Apocalypse: And the Last True Rebellion

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Summary: From Punk-2-Monk
Review: Great book aimed at the sorry state of western society that drags, drags, drags our youth, our culture, our civilization down into the dregs of relativism and nihilism...provides a diagnosis and prescription and that prescription is ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY! I read it in 4 days and re-reading it right now. My 'punk-rock influenced' son read it with eye-opening results.
As a Protestant exploring and gradually accepting Eastern Orthodoxy this was an excellent book. The first pages and the tile may depress you but there is nothing depressing about the book in that the authors give us the angle of view we need in our post-modern, materialistic world--the angle of view that shows us the joyful, refreshing, mind-boggling LIGHT of the World, Christ Himself in everlasting splendor lived through the lives of those who gave their life for Him. Highly recommended.
Postscript: Marler returned to the punk-world from monasticism but his points are right on target and his 'after-monk' life still shines through with the everlasting Light.
The argument presented and the answer given do not discount his return to 'punk-world' --- in fact it just increases it's justification...read his post-monk interview available online, just type in his name or punks-to-monks in your browser...
Excellent book!

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Summary: A True Rebellion - Giving One's Life to Christ
Review: Monks Marler and Wermuth have written a serious, yet non-academic work, to reach the postmodern youth of this generation. Although their expierence and 1st person perspective is not the view of all our kids, it is undeniably the view from many of the Western World's youth.

The first half of the book gets right to the heart of the matter, by showing in language their audience (teens and young adults)can understand about the war that is presently being waged because of the ideas of a postmodern soceity which has sprung forth from the ideas of nihilism and how this doctrine contnually finds its way in the homes of different gereations (Rome, Nietzsche, and 60's drug culture).

They do not try and convine the reader through an apologetic work that their position is true, instead, they are asserting it as a self-evident fact, and spend a little time tracing its possible orgins. Their bigger concern, and for the intended audience they are on target, is to offer the truth to hurting people; that Christ is our resurrection and hope and to give meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

The strength of the section is that they beautifully offer in a few pages the truth and hope of Christ with passion and strength. The second half of the book focuses on many Saints and modern Christians of the church offer the youth (and examples for purposefull living and, strength, and hope in Christ. Also, the reader is able to read that Chrsit, who lived in these great men and women, will also live through His Holy Spirit, live in us.

I found the story of Priest-Monk Nestor of Southern Russia particularly interesting (probably because of our mutual interest in the martial arts) and his fortitute to face danger to protect his Church.

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Summary: "Virtual Manifesto of the Eleventh Hour"
Review: _Youth of the Apocalypse_ is a self described "virtual manifesto for childred of the eleventh hour" covering suicide, insanity, drugs, violence, art, the occult, the apocalypse and the life and death of Christ. It is a very brief synthesis of modern trends written by two Orthodox monks. The cover features an uncanny picture of a monk (on Mt. Athos) standing by a heap of dead monks' skulls. The monk is carrying a chest and a picture of a skull is conspicuously superimposed in the chest. The book is divided into three main sections: "Our Origin," "Our Death" and "Our Ressurection." "Our Origin" describes anti-Christianity: from Marx, Darwin, Lenin, Stalin, the post WWII "beats," sixties' radicalism, the Beatles and Generation X. The Beatles' statement "we're bigger than Jesus Christ" reflects the spirit of the times. "Our Death" is about our nihilistic religious insanity: the Divine is abandoned and the flesh is turned to instead. Sex, drugs, violence and the occult are turned to to give life some meaning. These herald the "New World Order," or rule of the Antichrist. "Our Ressurection" goes into Orthodox doctrine, and stories of saints' lives. Orthodoxy remains the otherworldly ideal as opposed to the modern world. The saints covered are Monk Anthony of Egypt, Eudokia, Monk Moses the Ethiopian, Xenia the Homeless Wanderer, Monk Paisius, Monk Herman, Elder Michael, New Martyrs Hierotheus and Seraphim, Priest-Monk Gabriel, Archbishop John, Monk Seraphim Rose and Priest-Monk Nestor.