Customer Reviews

Divine Energy: The Orthodox Path to Christian Victory

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Fr. Jon Braun's book is best explained by its subtitle, "The Orthodox Path to Christian Victory". Rather than simply asking Jesus into our hearts and expecting a prosperous life simply because we are Christian, the author urges us to fight the good fight (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7) and to wage all-out war with sin. In the preface of the book, he writes:

"It has been my experience that there are millions of committed Christians in Protestant Churches who sincerely love God with all their hearts but who also have discovered that the Christian life is often...a battle against sin. They...are frustrated because they aren't winning what they believe should be their share of those spiritual wars. It is my conviction that in the depth of Orthodox theology and spirituality, new--actually, old--answers may be found." (page xi)

Beginning with an assessment of the battle all Christians have been called to fight, Fr. Jon then turns to basic Orthodox theology regarding the Trinity, the Incarnation, etc. as the foundation for our struggle in this battle. Finally, he explains the tools, or weapons, we may use to fight the good fight such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and living a virtuous life. These tools have been used in and encouraged by the Church for 2000 years. They are "time-tested". Fr. Jon writes: "We don't have to experiment. The Church now has two thousand years of battle knowledge behind her. We can trust what she's learned..." (p. 146)

I highly recommend this book as a good, solid introduction to basic Orthodox spirituality. It is well-written in a common language which anyone can understand. After one has read this book, I would also recommend ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION by Bishop of Nafpaktos Hierotheos (published by Birth of the Theotokos Monastery).

The below review of this book is very misleading. DIVINE ENERGIES has nothing to do with cruelty to animals.

A good concise help to finding 'what' living the life of Christ is all about from an 'Eastern' perspective for 'Western Christians.'
A very good read [and quick] for an inquirer into the Orthodox faith. Our reading group/inquirer's class found it to be very informative and enjoyable. After reading this tackle "On The Incarnation" by St. Athanasius...Orthodoxy alive is best read from the source...alternately read the 'moderns' with the ancients, it is very rewarding.
Braun's "Divine Energy" really helps 'Western Christians' learn about theosis, the heart of Orthodoxy...check out his illustration of our life in Christ like a sword in the fire.

The easy acceptance and apparent approval of cruelty to animals ruin an adequate book. The Orthodox Church does not teach or approve of cruelty to anything. It is humanity's role to bring everything closer to God, not to spread pain and suffering.I find this acceptance especially disturbing in light of current research which shows cruelty to animals in childhood is a precursor to cruelty to humans in adulthood.
Also, the Orthodox Church does not say animals "have no soul". The Church Fathers say they have a soul but it is not the same as the enhanced human soul.
Inquiries can be better served by such standards as "The Orthodox Church" by Timothy Ware, and "The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It" by St. Theophan the Recluse.