Customer Reviews

At the Corner of East and Now

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Frederica Mathewes-Green's latest offering, `At the Corner of East and Now', is a sort-of sequel to her earlier brilliant book `Facing East'. Like `Facing East', it concerns the author's small Orthodox mission parish near Baltimore. While `Facing East' took the format of a chronicle of one year in this small parish, `Corner' takes a different perspective: that of the alternating juxtaposition of the timelessness of the Orthodox liturgy, on the one hand, with the `here and now' of contemporary American culture. This paralells the position of the Church itself - as existing at the same time in `chronos', or historical time, and in `kairos', or the Eternal Now. This is a creative but ambitious goal, and the results, while uneven, at their best are extremely well-done.

The most compelling parts of this book, ironically, are those that deal with the author's observations regarding contemporary American culture and society, done in the form of episodic vignettes of slices of American life from the author's perspective as an Orthodox Christian. Fresh and interesting insights abound in these sections of the book, which are enhanced by the author's keen wit and smooth writing style. The author successfully portrays the truth that, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding, one can lead an Orthodox life in the midst of contemporary America - albeit with a certain perspective.

The book is at its least satisfying in its discussions, often comparative discussions, of the similarities and differences between Orthodoxy and other Christian Churches. In these sections, it appears almost as if a different voice is speaking from that one we hear in `Facing East', and a surprising number of oversimplifications and derogatory remarks are parceled out to Roman Catholics and Protestants alike. One wonders, for example, whether it was really necessary for the author to describe the vision of Mary in traditional Roman Catholic piety as `helpless' or `vapid'. Similarly, descriptions of Orthodoxy are sometimes distressingly inaccurate (e.g., her contention that the famous interpretive canon of St Vincent of Lerins referring to consensus among the Holy Fathers implies that for Orthodox Christians `the faith consensus of the gathered community is our guide') and oversimplified. One senses that, perhaps, the views of the author regarding non-Orthodox Christianity have become hardened somewhat in the past few years. In any case, while there are mollifying passages toward the end of the book, the tone in several sections will make this book needlessly difficult for non-Orthodox to read and relate to, which is, in my opinion, an unfortunate shortcoming.

But, in spite of these flaws, this book contains a lot of valuable and interesting insights and, at its high points, is excellent writing. Read it, even if you have to hold your nose at those points where she bashes your non-Orthodox beliefs.

One of the back-cover blurbs for 'At the Corner of East and Now' describes Frederica Mathewes-Green as 'the Orthodox Erma Bombeck,' but I don't remember Erma Bombeck having anywhere near the spiritual insights, the writing style (both folksy and lyrical), or, frankly, the humor Presbytera Frederica displays in this book.

For most Americans, even Christians, Orthodox Christianity is *terra incognita.* Mrs Mathewes-Green does an excellent job charting a path for us, leading us back and forth between the elements of the liturgy and the intersection of ancient Christianity and modern 'post-Christian' America. Along the way, we rediscover her parish family (many of whom we met in 'Facing East'), go into a women's prison with a group of post-abortion counselors, discover the perplexing world of 'Christian death metal,' and much more. It's an awful cliché to say, 'You'll laugh, you'll cry,' but there is a lot in this book that's very funny, and a lot that's profoundly moving (see, for example, the chapter titled 'My Father').

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity. While not a definitive survey of Orthodox theology and practice (as no doubt Mrs Mathewes-Green would be the first to tell you), it is a grand portrait of how one individual's, and one family's, life is embraced by Eastern Christianity.

I especially liked some of the incidental touches, quick little portraits of her family's three teenaged children, who have been raised much of their lives in Orthodoxy: the high school-aged son on the bus, reading a biography of St Theophan the Recluse; the oldest child defending Orthodoxy online and at her Roman Catholic college; and the youngest thinking a stranger must be Orthodox because he has a bumper sticker reading The Doors (the joke, actually pretty funny, is explained in the book).

More than that, though, I would also recommend this book -- if I weren't libertarian I might even try to force the book -- to people, especially Protestant Christians, who don't know, or maybe aren't interested in knowing, that there is another, very different and yet strangely familiar and comforting, way to worship Christ, just on the other side of the 'denominational' divide.

This, of course, is where many readers may become very uncomfortable with this book. America's dominant religious paradigm, of course, is Protestant, and perhaps its most visible religious 'subculture' is Evangelical Protestants. Mrs Mathewes-Green pulls no punches in comparing Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy -- for example, when she contrasts an Orthodox hymn ('Of the Father before the morning star thou wast begotten from the belly without mother before all ages, even though Arius did believe thee to be created, not God, classing thee in ignorance and impudence with creatures...') with the nursery-rhyme music and lyrics of the Evangelical 'P&W' songs 'Mighty is our God!' and 'Celebrate Jesus!'

She notes that a popular Evangelical hymn ends with the refrain '... and I long to worship Thee.' Quoting her husband, an Orthodox priest, Mrs Mathewes-Green notes that back when they were Protestants, they, too, longed to worship God. The truth was, they didn't know how, though they suspected it had something to do with emotion. But now, the longing has subsided, replaced by 'something that feels just right, like a key in a lock. ... I was made for this.'

Even if this exciting, touching, educational book doesn't convert you to Orthodoxy, it's an encounter you're not likely to forget for a long time.

Frederica Mathewes-Green's book, At the Corner of East and Now" is a "good read": entertainingly written; delving into questions we all want answered [is there a God? if so, how do we approach Him? and what does He expect from us], questions so familiar that we respond, "Yes! That's just how I felt!"; introducing us to what may be a strange world; providing humor and information. Her gift for noting details brings to life scenes within the church and without; her ability to laugh at herself keeps her [and us] from getting bogged down into heavy theological discussions.

I think in today's society there is a hunger for worship. Mainstream churches are good are offering teaching, fellowship, and entertainment -- but the sense of mystery and awe have disappeared. Ms. Mathewes-Green pulls us into the orthodox services and helps us experience those important two elements of worship. She also provides resources if you'd like to experience this yourself.

I was a little put off by the switching between liturgical services and "everyday" vignettes. It's not that I didn't want one or the other, or disagree with Ms. Mathewes-Green's tacit assumption that our faith is to be lived out in everyday encounters [I do agree]. Rather, my criticism is the lack of transition -- the everyday vignettes read as separate columns/articles, which have been interspered, with no thought of continuity of the manuscript.

That, however, is a minor drawback to an otherwise excellent volume. This book should be of interest to anyone interested in how eastern worship differs from western, or to anyone interested in vibrantly living his/her faith. I recommend it highly.

After reading "Facing East," Frederica M-G's first book on the Eastern Orthodox Church, I immediately borrowed my Orthodox friend's copy of this book, "At the Corner of East and Now." Both books are excellent, and both answered many of my questions about this ancient Christian church that has stayed amazingly close to its roots through centuries, while other branches of the church keep splitting further and further apart. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the Orthodox church. There is an appendix at the back of this book that should be required reading for any visitor, as it explains many bewildering customs and practices. I enjoyed reading this book, and I hope that you will, too!

I loved this author's last book, Facing East, but found this book just as good. The last book was her own story, while this one is a series of topic-related stories (in the vein of Kathleen Norris). I loved as she talked about her experiences at a Christian rock concert, her views on all-male clergy, her descriptions and explanations of Christian Orthodoxy, etc. I'm not Orthodox, but could live vicariously through Frederica's fine story-telling. She's a terrific writer, and this is a terrific book.

As an enquirer into Orthodoxy myself, I really enjoyed reading Mrs. Mathewes-Green's book. She finds a way to blend the ancient and mystical side of Orthodoxy with the contemporary and modern culture of our time and have it all make sense. There are so many little aspects to this book that make it so great to read. Green educates you about the finer points of the Liturgy and Orthodox worship, but she doesn't beat you over the head with it. She discusses her family's pilgramage into the Orthodox Church, but she does so within the confines of personal stories that deal with a specific topic.

Some of the more memorable chapters in this book include the one where she discusses her experience at a Christian rock concert. The Orthodox Church believes that her worship is ancient, apostolic and should not be altered to suit the cultural climate of the times, yet at this event Green experienced a wilder and somewhat darker side to Christian worship that is very different that what Orthodoxy has to offer. I also liked the chapter where she describes her Christmas shopping venture with her daughter. Furthermore, I like the chapters discussing the Divine Liturgy ceremony of their particular parish, and the descriptions of all the different Church members. Since their parish is mostly a convert parish with few cradle Orthodox, it sounds like their worship is more lively and involves more participation than most Churhes that have mostly cradle Orthodox.

This is a great book to give to someone who doesn't understand what the Orthodox Church is, and how they approach worship and devotion. Green makes the material accessible, understandable, but also makes it educational and informative.

Frederica Mathewes-Green is an excellent writer. I found this book both fascinating and informative. It gave me a better understanding of Orthodoxy, especially as it pertains to the modern world.

Both 'Facing East' and 'At The Corner of East and Now' were given to me by my son, Father Damascene whose name and book, 'Christ The Eternal Tao', is mentioned in chapter two of 'At The corner of East and Now'. This, of course, makes the book even more meaningful to me.

This book was wonderful! It was better than Facing East; it seems that Khouriya Frederica has entered much more fully into the Orthodox mindset. Her writing is spectacular and her insights valuable. I recommend it to all!

First off, I checked this book out from the library and very much enjoyed it. I liked the format of the book, in which the author explains Orthodox Christianity through a recounting of one Sunday morning's Matins and Divine Liturgy.

It provided an engaging alternative format to the usual, dry books on theology that one comes to expect. For the author, each part of the service gives a new element of her faith for her to explain to the reader. All in all, it seems a fairly concise and thorough accounting of what she believes, and she explains all the basic tenets of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in an engaging manner.


That said, there were some things that annoyed me.

First off, she alternates the chapters documenting her morning Liturgy with chapters documenting other anecdotal accounts that illustrate other aspects of her faith. This is alright, but the most interesting and best written parts of the books are the chapters dealing with and explaining the Liturgy, and so the other chapters vary from interesting to rather boring. At one point I simply skipped half of a chapter because I was so uninterested and wanted to get onto the next chapter on the Liturgy.

Second, she truly, like other reviewers note, has a bone to pick with Roman Catholicism. While she may be entitled to explain what she sees as the deficiencies of Roman Catholicism, she in my opinion crosses the line into unnecessary insults in several points, deriding it as "feminine" and "dewy" and generally waxing about how weak she thinks Roman Catholicism is. It becomes irritating quite rapidly, and serves no purpose. Fortunately it doesn't show up too often.

Finally, her justification of a male-only clergy is the worn-out "Women and men are different and have their own ordained roles". Even if true, it nonetheless makes you roll your eyes when she presents it as if it is some brilliant and original defense of a male only clergy.

Several months ago I was handed a copy of At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy by Frederica Mathewes-Green. As a Protestant Christian who has become interested in the Orthodox Church in the last year I was curious to read what this convert to the ancient faith had to say about it. She gives us a personal glimpse into life, both her own and that of her Church parish, as well as of the Orthodox Church from the time of Christ until now. Sandwiched between beautiful descriptions of the liturgy, she reflects on many aspects of common life and weaves them together into a continuous thread.
Mathewes-Green's writing is engaging: she draws the reader into the life of the church with her colorful descriptions and warmth. Along the way one becomes acquainted with her, her family, and the members of their church parish. Her writing is personal, passionate, and at times humorous. While this book is not intended to be a deep look into Orthodoxy there is a lot that can be learned about the history and traditions of the Church. In the back of the book is an article by the author titled "First Visit to an Orthodox Church- 12 Things I Wish I'd Known". To someone who is not at all familiar with Orthodoxy I would recommend skipping to this section and reading it first, as she essentially takes you through a service in the course of the book. This will give you a bit of familiarity as you walk through the liturgy with her. Each chapter reads like an essay, alternating between the Church service and vignettes from her life and the lives of those she has encountered as she walks out her faith in this world.
While I appreciate the love and affection that Mrs. Mathewes-Green has for the Orthodox Church, I found her descriptions of Protestantism to be rather trite and tasteless at times. Although I see many of the same problems in Protestantism that she apparently does, her portrayal of it seems to be condescending. In one chapter she describes a post-abortion ministry to prisoners. She went back and forth between the service there, with plenty of hype and tears, and the amazing stories of some Orthodox men tortured in Eastern Europe for their faith. I felt that it was not a fair contrast and was not sure why she chose to paint the two pictures together. I assume that many people who read this book will be Protestants who have a sincere love for the Lord, and if she is trying to convince us of the deeper faith of Orthodoxy, then it would have served her better to present it without making Protestantism out to be silly.
In the final chapter, she clears up something that I'd wondered about. "This is not to say that Christian believers of other churches can't possibly know Jesus...... But we are confident that everything needed for salvation can be found here: the fullness of faith, the sacraments and disciplines, the saints and angels. We frankly believe that this is the best place for anyone to be." I'm glad that she at least grants that we may know Jesus after all!
All that said, I would recommend At the Corner of East and Now to anyone interested in learning more about Orthodoxy. It is interesting and informative and an enjoyable read. Frederica Mathewes-Green succeeds in spinning the sacred and the mundane together into a single cord and she challenges the rest of us do do that as well.