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Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective

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Dan Clendenin does a great job in evaluating and presenting the doctrines of Orthodox Christianity from an "outsiders" point of view. Although an outsider, he is certainly no stranger to Orthodoxy, having spent many years in Russia, serving as a visiting professor of Christianity at Moscow State University. Clendenin provides clear, concise discussion of Orthodoxy and presents it quite fairly.

In one sense, this is no surprise, for according to an article he wrote in Christianity Today, he nearly converted to Orthodoxy, recognizing in it much to be admired. In the end, though, he decided to stay with his "evangelical distinctives."

If you are looking for a solid, balanced and fair analysis of the Orthodox Church from someone who has neither a standard to bear nor an axe to grind, this is it! I strongly recommend this book to any student of the Church, student of theology, and anyone who is just plain interested in the Orthodox Church.

Clendenin does a remarkably even-handed job presenting an introduction to the Orthodox faith. He isn't Orthodox himself, nor is he from an Eastern culture, but he has obviously kept an open mind during his travels to Russia, from which he has drawn nearly all his insights. The only major drawback to the book stems from this: Clendenin is limited by focusing so heavily on his experience with the Orthodox church in Russia, which has a distinctive set of circumstances unique to itself. Anyone interested in the Orthodox faith would do well to supplement this book with others in order to gain a broader perspective. But as an introduction for Western readers, Clendenin's book is a great place to start.

This book, although relatively short, is one of my favorites out of 40+ Christianity related books that I have read in the last two years. The title indicates the potential for a somewhat scewed (western) perspective, but this book is much more even handed than I expected. Coming from a Protestant theologian, I was surprised to find a very open minded appreciation of, and effort at understanding, such a different form of worship of and devotion to Christ. The chapter related to ecumenical concerns thrilled me as I, for the first time, read a commentary displaying a truly charitable attitude towards a denomination that is vastly different from that of the author. Carefully researched, and clearly explained, this book is a great place to start if one is interested in learning about pre-Enlightenment era Christianity in it's current form.

After discovering the Eastern Orthodox Church through a lecture by Frank Schaeffer, and then reading his thought-provoking book, "Dancing Alone," I wanted to read a more objective description of the Orthodox faith. This book by Daniel Clendenin exceeded my expectations in its fairness, and like some other readers, I came away wondering why Clendenin did not convert. After two and a half years of study, I did. This book is an excellent introduction to Orthodoxy for readers raised in the Western tradtion. Highly recommended.

I read this book back in the Spring of 2001 after reading "The Orthodox Way" by Bishop Ware. In my serach about the Orthodox faith, I found after reading this book I was indeed searching for teh Orthodox faith. This book was a good influence in my conversion, because Clendenin, a Protetstant - the tradition I was currently in - wrote such a objective and endorsing work, I found it hard to not go to the Orthodox Church and expierence it for myself.

Compared to most Portestants who examine the Orthodox faith, Clendenin seems to "get it." He is respectful, if not appreciative of the Orthodox liturgical expierence.He is aptly able to inform others on how the Orthodox Church understands scripture and tradition as the "witness of teh Spirit." His chapter on theosis is very good and his last chapter tries to evaluate the Orthodox perspective.

Like another reviewer, I ended up converting to the faith a few months later. If a Protetsant wants to get an idea of Orthodoxy, but does not want to read works by Orthodox Christians, then this is a good place to start.

It is shamefully rare for a Christian in one tradition to give a fair and unbiased account of the beliefs and practices of another. Books written on a branch of Christianity by an outsider are all too often polemical affairs by a former adherent of the tradition detailing how terrible things were over there and why all remaining should join him in his change of allegiance. Such efforts are read primarily by those in his new ecclesial home and only enforce a misguided sense of smugness and superiority.

This makes Eastern Orthodox Christianity by Daniel B. Clendenin a welcome breath of fresh air. Clendenin, an Evangelical Protestant who has done mission work in the former Soviet Union, was forced to confront the links between Orthodoxy and the Russian psyche. While remaining committed to Evangelical Protestantism, he began to learn of the Orthodox understanding of the Christian faith and came to appreciate the unique witness of this frequently misunderstood Christian tradition. By publishing his insights into Orthodoxy, Clendenin has produced one of the best introductory works on the subject for Western readers.

Clendenin begins by explaining to Evangelical Protestants why it is important for them to learn of Orthodoxy and then gives a brief history of the Orthodox Church. He then discusses areas where Orthodoxy differs from Western Christianity: its apophatic theology, its use of icons, its integration of Scripture and Tradition, and its doctrine of salvation as theosis. Throughout these sections Clendenin emphasizes that while Catholicism and some forms of Protestantism may incorporate one or more of these points, the Orthodox usage stems from a unique theological perspective and should not be classified by Western categories. Thus, Protestants should not couple Orthodoxy with Catholicism merely because of some external similarities as each tradition approach the faith from a different vantage point.

Clendenin is able to praise the strengths of Orthodoxy without coming across as merely an "Orthodoxophile". Indeed, he points out areas where he finds issue with Orthodox belief and practice but never resorts to partisan outbursts. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is an honest appraisal of fellow Christians - acknowledging brothers in Christ without acquiescing on doctrinal distinctives. Although Orthodox Christians might object to certain points made, this would be more a result of their differing perspective than any slight on Clendenin's part. Coupled with Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church, this gives the Western Christian a solid introduction to Orthodoxy from one who converted and one who did not.

Orthodox Christianity is little known to mainstream Americans, be they Christian or otherwise. It seems an exotic import from Russia, Greece, and the Balkans, and as foreign to American Protestantism or even American Roman Catholicism as Tibetan Buddhism. Moreover, there's a great deal of skepticism and even outright rancor directed at Orthodoxy by many Protestants and Roman Catholics. The former see it as unbiblical (whatever that charge means) and the latter see it as a challenge. Finally, too many Orthodox in this country take such an exclusivistic position when it comes to salvation (only the Orthodox Church is the one true church) that they only encourage wariness or dislike by non-Orthodox. (Each of these positions is reflected, by the way, in earlier amazon.com reviews of this book.)

Daniel Clendenin's _Eastern Orthodox Christianity_ has the great merit of introducing the "fourth major religion" to Americans in a reader-friendly and remarkably accurate (for an outsider) way. Other introductions to Orthodoxy are just as good (e.g., Timothy Ware's _The Orthodox Church_), but they're written by insiders. Clendenin is an evangelical Protestant who spent some years teaching in Moscow and absorbing the doctrines and liturgy of Orthodoxy. He writes with a great deal of sensitivity and sympathy.

Clendenin begins with a short history of the Eastern Orthodox Church and its break with the Western Latin Church. Then he focuses on its doctrine, dealing chapter-by-chapter with its understanding of God, the importance of icons and incarnationism, pneumatology, and theological anthropology. He concludes with a couple of chapters that spell out his reservations about Orthodoxy, and his reasons for remaining a Protestant, in spite of his agreement with many aspects of Orthodoxy. (An earlier reviewer who criticized Clendenin's "uncritical approach" apparently skipped these chapters.)

Clendenin is particularly good in his discussion of apophasis, and his analysis of Orthodoxy's skepticism of rational "worded" theology and its embrace and celebration of mystery. His chapter on anthropology, in which he focuses on theosis--a much neglected Christian fundamental here in the West--is also masterful.

The chapter on icons isn't as well thought-through. A Protestant confused about the significance of icons for Orthodox Christians isn't likely to get a great deal of clarification here. Clendenin also occasionally cites Patristic quotations already cited by secondary authors, rather than going to the original texts themselves, and this is a bit troubling. But it must also be pointed out that one of the remarkably refreshing features of his book is his generous quotations of early Greek Fathers who aren't often studied in the West.

All in all, Clendenin's book is an invaluable resource for outsiders interested in the "fourth major religion" in this country. Highly recommended, particularly when read along the accompanying anthology _Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader_.

Daniel B. Clendenin's EASTERN ORTHODOXY CHRISTIAN: A Western Perspective seeks to introduce the history and theology of this little-known branch of Christianity to Protestants. An evangelical Protestant, Clendenin became acquainted with Eastern Orthodoxy while teaching at Moscow State University. He is convinced that Protestants and Orthodox have much to learn from each other, and that Protestants should approach the East with a "hermeneutic of love".

The work is divided into seven sections. The first is a general introduction and the second a brief history. The next four sections each deal with an aspect of Orthodox theology unfamiliar or confusing to Protestants. These are the emphasis on apophatic revelation, the use of icons, the relationship of Scripture and Tradition, and theosis. In the final section Clendenin critiques Orthodoxy from his Protestant perspective--dealing frankly with the frequency of nationalism and even racism in Orthodox churches--but nonetheless trying to appreciate its many fine qualities. Clendenin does not have the space to go into much depth on any of these topics, however.

I was not too impressed by the book. Much of the work is repetitive, and in a volume of only 180 pages such repetition makes the work very insubstantial indeed. Clendenin also makes several errors which caused me to doubt his familiarity with the history of the Church. He writes, for example, that the Slavs were converted in 988, when this marked only the conversion of Kyiv Rus and most Slavs were already evangelised over a century earlier. His focus is entirely on the church in Russia and Greece/Byzantium and the contributions of other regions are ignored. The work is written in a journalistic style with frequent resorts to quotations and a great deal of footnotes, suggesting that the author is not terribly specialised in the subject at hand.

For Westerners curious about Orthodoxy, I think there is no better introduction than Kallistos Ware's THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, an instant classic when it was first published over forty years ago, and available in a relatively new updated edition. Clendenin's work is admirable for its attempt to build dialogue between Protestants and Orthodox, but his work is really too short.

I have a particular interest in Patristics (the Fathers and early Christian studies), and this book was an invaluable tool in exposing this branch of Christianity to me for the first time. It is (1) easy to read, (2) extremely irenic in tone (see other reviews), (3) doesn't delve into intricacies beyond an introductory level without oversimplifying, and (4) presents a cogent case for Orthodox's relevancy to Evangelicals. For those seeking to add to their faith in a substantial way, as well as broaden one's perspectives a little on ancient Christianity, this book cannot be overlooked.
I look forward to reading his (edited) Orthodox theology reader!

Daniel B. Clendenin does not that much give an introduction into orthodoxy, as do a marvellous job in exploring the differences between eastern and western theology and a fair and (though nmot enough) critical assesment of it.
As a western convert zu the orthodox church I was delighted and fascinated to find many of my perceptions so exquisitely put. His exposition of the different approaches when it come to eg. rationalism as main theological instrument versus the experience and Union with god are well observed and touch fundamental issues.
His critisism of Orthodoxy is very mild. the reason for this might be, that he does not dare zu critisize to much, being an evangelical, or that his critics got lost on me, because evangelical thinking is very alien to my perspective.
So if you are interested in the differences, go for it, if you are interested in a critisism of the way we orthodox sometimes treat our own tradiation, read Alexander Schmemann.