“[Creation of Christian culture] does not mean destroying all that came before, but creatively transforming it all through the profound depths of a transfigured and free spirit. Secular culture wil not be destroyed, then, but will be transfigured and given spiritual depths though free contemplation, the spirit of love, the spirit of organic, sincere form, through a wil toward objective perfection.” (38)

A very important and timely translation about how we as Christians are called to accept and transfigure the world instead of rejecting the world in its entirely in order to cocreate. We continue the transfiguration of the world that Christ accomplished in the incarnation.

“This means that we do not imagine that the next generation of people can or must ‘create Christian culture.’ Not ‘create,’ but once again to step on the path of that creation, to return to it and renew this process, which has been historically interrupted. In other words, we must renew the Christian spirit and action within ourselves first, then bring it to our creativity in the world.” (38)

This little book also contains a lecture from Ilyin on “The Spiritual Meaning of Stories,” an article by Ilyin entitled “What is Art?” And an essay/blog post from the translator using Ilyin’s writings to draw a distinction between patriotism and nationalism.