Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy [Hardcover]

Frederica Mathewes-Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 1997

Frederica Mathewes-Green became an unexpected companion on her husband's pilgrimage into a faith that is as novel to us in the West as it is ancient in the East. Like many Americans seeking a deeper faith, Mathewes-Green and her family found in Eastern Orthodoxy a faith both demanding and offering more in true devotion and spirituality. In this luminous, affectionate, and deeply personal account of her pilgrimage, Mathewes-Green reveals a church strongly rooted in the teachings of its early fathers and a tradition of principle and great beauty that has endured throughout the centuries. Following the framework of the Orthodox calendar - from Lent to Pascha to Nativity, from Vespers to feasts to fasts - Mathewes-Green chronicles a year in the life of her small Orthodox mission church. Discovering the splendor and solemnity of Orthodox ritual, exploring the daunting majesty of Orthodox services and customs, and sharing their daily anxieties, disappointments, and delights, the Mathewes-Green family and the members of the Holy Cross Mission Church reveal both the intricacies of Orthodox belief and the deep joy they have found in their new faith. At once entertaining, hilarious, and reverent, Facing East is an unforgettable portrait of the human vitality and divine essence of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The homespun mingles with the majestic in this affectionate account of a family's romance with an ancient form of Christianity. The author, a columnist for the Religion News Service, was a lapsed Roman Catholic who tried Hinduism before becoming a charismatic Episcopalian; her husband, Fr. Gregory, pastor of the Holy Cross Mission in Baltimore, is a former Episcopal priest. Homeschoolers who believed the Episcopal Church was "repealing the creed and condoning immorality," the couple has joined a contingent of evangelical Christians who have, in recent years, been converting to Eastern Orthodoxy. Mathewes-Green offers an intimate glimpse of this piece of the contemporary American religious landscape. Writing with charm and humor and a convert's zeal, she weaves reflections on family life, friendship and personal spirituality with descriptions of Orthodox worship and fellowship. However, she glosses over Orthodoxy's theology and ecclesiastical structure, focusing mainly on externals. As a result, lifelong Orthodox may feel this chatty depiction trivializes their faith, while outsiders may be frustrated by the lack of explanatory content.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this enlightening work, the author (Real Choices, Questar, 1994), a syndicated columnist with the Religious News Service and an occasional commentator for National Public Radio, explores the forms of worship and devotion in Orthodoxy. She takes the reader through a year of liturgical worship and social activity in the small, highly motivated congregation of Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Catonsville, Maryland, where her husband, a former Episcopal priest, is the founding pastor. Holy Cross is not a typical Orthodox parish, for most of its members (like the pastor and his family) are converts from Protestantism. The author's spiritual inclination, as the reader quickly learns, is toward charismatic and spirit-filled devotion. Enthusiastic and fervent, she often concerns herself with justifying her choice of Orthodoxy, and its devotional practices (e.g., the reverencing of icons), to the Protestants who constitute her main audience. Accessible and informative for casual readers and beginning students in religion, this work is suitable for both public and academic libraries.?James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st edition (January 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060654988
• ISBN-13: 978-0060654986
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource., September 3, 2000

By 

M. Tidman (nowhere in particular) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy (Hardcover)

It all began when my roommate started dating an Orthodox guy. I was intrigued. I had never heard much about the Orthodox church, never thought much about the Orthodox Church. However, since that time I have visited their church a few times, including once during Pascha (Orthodox Easter). I was still intrigued, but I had a lot of questions, and nobody to answer them. "Facing East" helped. It didn't answer all of my questions, but it gave me a place to start. I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to convert to Orthodoxy because of this book. I don't know yet what I'm supposed to do about the Orthodox church. However, for those who are looking for something that will give you more of an idea of what being Orthodox is all about without having to struggle through heavy theological texts, this book may be just what you're looking for. It's light enough to keep one's interest, yet serious enough to answer some major questions. I highly recommend this book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Read, July 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy (Hardcover)

At last a mass market read for what was a hidden faith. This book truly captures the mysticism, beauty and depth of the oldest of Christian Faiths. It only strenghthened my already devout calling, and shows how the burgeoning conversion of disenchanted Catholics and Protesdants will slowly and quietly reshape American Christianity, while at the same time remaining steadfast to it's unchanged, timeless doctrines.

In an Era of TV preachers selling a packaged Jesus like toohepaste or any other product, dying churches due to compromising principles in the name staying "current", and the loss of depth, aestheticism, mystery and soul in an increasing selfish, commercial, "I want it now" world, this book is a must read.

It will take you back to how Christianity was once practiced, and at the same time show you it is still alive and well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wordy but Worthwhile, March 5, 2006

By 

Adam Gonnerman (North America) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy (Hardcover)

This books shares a year in the life of an Orthodox mission church from a first-person perspective. It is certainly not a weighty theological treatise, and though a bit "chatty" at times (especially the first half of the book), it provides the reader a good look at an Orthodox congregation in action. If you want to know about the doctrines and apologetics of Orthodoxy, this is not the book for you.