When faith traditions confront postmodern uncertainties regarding historical liturgical practices, political and cultural ideologies, the self and sacred space, the assurance of truth claims, allegorical readings and interpretations of sites where divine presence is found are equally questioned. Can allegorical interpretations offer a valuable strategy in postmodern understandings for identifying how Divine presence is embodied? One possibility is to discover how two Anglican women embody their faith community’s via media and in turn these women may be read as an “open icon.” To provide contrasting views, Orthodox Icons are particularly noted for their allegorical certainties that identify and point with sharp clarification to Tradition and the Church’s sacramental understandings. An allegorical frame “closes” the Orthodox icon. In a postmodern view, allegory “opens” said frame to a vast horizontal landscape that discovers spaces, places, and persons in which the Holy Spirit works mysteriously and unexpectedly. Both Evelyn Underhill and Barbara Brown Taylor writing almost a century apart and each encountering their respective historical reactions to “modernism,” trace the margins of their faith along the Anglican understanding of the via media. In doing so, both suggest the notion of “open” icon—the body itself.

当信仰传统面对关于历史礼仪实践、政治和文化意识形态、自我和神圣空间、真理主张的保证、寓言读物和对发现神圣存在的地点的解释的后现代不确定性时，同样受到质疑。寓言解释能否在后现代理解中提供一种有价值的策略来确定神圣的存在是如何体现的？一种可能性是发现两名圣公会女性如何通过媒体体现她们的信仰社区，反过来这些女性可能被解读为“开放的偶像”。为了提供不同的观点，东正教圣像因其寓言确定性而特别引人注目，这些确定性确定并尖锐地阐明了传统和教会对圣事的理解。一个寓言框架“关闭”了东正教图标。在后现代的观点中，寓言将上述框架“打开”到一个广阔的水平景观，发现圣灵神秘而出乎意料地在其中工作的空间、地点和人物。伊夫林·安德希尔和芭芭拉·布朗·泰勒的作品相隔近一个世纪，各自都遇到了各自对“现代主义”的历史反应，沿着英国国教对媒体的理解追溯了他们信仰的边缘。在这样做时，两者都提出了“打开”图标的概念——身体本身。”沿着英国国教对媒体的理解追踪他们信仰的边缘。在这样做时，两者都提出了“打开”图标的概念——身体本身。”沿着英国国教对媒体的理解追踪他们信仰的边缘。在这样做时，两者都提出了“打开”图标的概念——身体本身。