Customer Reviews

A Faith Fulfilled, Why Are Christians Across Great Britain Embracing Orthodoxy?

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A FAITH FULFILLED, originally published in England as TRUE LIGHT, is former Anglican priest Michael Harper's story of how he left the Church of England for the Orthodox Church. Harper was a major figure in the evangelical and charismatic movements, and his "coming home" to Orthodoxy was a great surprise to many. A FAITH FULFILLED is not only an apologia, but also an invitation to all believing Britains to find the same joy he has in the changeless worship of the Orthodox Church. The book may be said to serve as a British analogue to Fr Peter Gilquist's BECOMING ORTHODOX, and this American edition is published by the same press.

The book is split into two parts. Before even getting to the Orthodox Church, its history, what it believes, etc., Harper tells the story of his dawning realisation that the Church of England was, deep down inside, corrupted and would never regain a footing in the historic Christian faith. The rise of women's ordination and the denial of the Nicene Creed by a large percentage of its bishops gradually led him to seek a more secure church. Eventually, Harper was received into the Antiochian Orthodox Church--a favourite destination of evangelicals worldwide during this time. He was among the first Britons to place themselves under the leadership of Ignatius, patriarch of Antioch. Harper's story of leaving Anglicanism is exceedingly charitable toward his friends remaining in the Church of England, and while admitting institutional collapse, he has great praise for many of his former colleagues there. The book's subtitle is "Why Are Christians Across Great Britain Embracing Orthodoxy?", but this is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike the aforementioned book by Fr Peter Gilquist, which tracks an entire band of friends as they leave evangelical churches for Orthodoxy, Harper's book is mainly an individual story.

The second half of the book is the true introduction to Orthodox Christianity. Harper begins by describing the essence of the Orthodox faith: what it believes, and how it worships. Unlike Roman Catholicism, which adds dogma never agreed upon by the universal church, and many forms of Protestantism, which reject much what the ancient Christians held dear, Orthodoxy's belief is just right and the continuation of what has been preached since the day of Pentacost. Harper explains that the ancient disputes over the nature of Christ, instead of being an eggheaded matter far removed from the concerns of the average Christian, are deeply important. Harper describes the form of the liturgy sparingly, you won't find terms like "Little Litany" and "Great Entrance" here. Instead, he tries to present the effect that the liturgy is supposed to have: creating heaven on Earth and giving God exceeding glory. Harper's history of the Church is mainly meant to show how history has *not* affected the Faith. Instead of seeing history as a development of doctrine, he describes it as a storm which the Church has held out from for two thousand years, maintaining always the Tradition continually passed down. The victories of martyrs are greatly praised, and Harper examines the life of St Elizabeth the Grand Duchess to show that this is a church where Christians continue to give their lives for what they believes.

Two chapters toward the end here are especially directed toward those whom Harper left behind in the Church of England: "Can I Be Orthodox and Evangelical?" and "Is the Orthodox Church Charismatic?" He seeks to show that in Orthodox one finds a fulfillment of all one was looking for, even if in the beginning it might seem intimidating or enigmatic. The writing of the book is not as accessible and engaging as Fr Peter Gilquist's similar work, but I admit that I'm not part of the British audience that Harper was writing for. Still, among the many stories of converts that have been written in the past twenty years, Harper's a solid read.

In this well-written book, Michael Harper manages what many haven't: He explains why he has changed from one religious group to another without deeply offending those in his former church. In a calm tone lacking triumphalism but demonstrating warm conviction, the author sets forth his path into Orthodoxy and provides brief apologetic answers to common objection frequently raised against his new-found faith.

I found this highly informative and easy to read. It was a pleasure to recommend to friends and fellow searchers.

I only gave this a three star rating as nowhere in this book are the pitfalls of falling into superioriority complexes get addressed. The ideals are polished and his personal faith explained-- Michael Harper has definitely lived his life doing as God had bade him and given his heart to Him.

But Orthodoxy is more than a set of ideals and philosophies based on God's Word. It's a bunch of people. Once you get in or even part way in, it is just like college when you started talking like a liberal, only with Orthodoxy your language gets peppered with word phrases like, "The One True Way", "The Truth", "Obedience to Father" (who is an emmisary of God and well-- they are human, too)"The One Church" "The One True Church"-- Orthodox Christian Churches can get pretty exclusionary to visitors and don't tolerate struggling parents with fussy babies or any potential struggles very well, and this is the reason that I feel that it started to take off in the US and then pettered out. England needs to watch herself that they become a light on a Hill that people seek, as opposed to a light that only shines on her own members.