Customer Reviews

Orthodox Church: 455 Questions and Answers (A course and comprehensive handbook on the Orthodox Faith. Indexed for easy reference)

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The description on the cover accurately calls this: "A concise and comprehensive handbook on the Orthodox faith thoroughly indexed for easy reference." This book is a handy tool for newcomers to the Orthodox Christian faith--like me--or for those who might be investigating this ancient, yet contemporary, expression of Christianity. The index of topics at the front makes it easy to find short articles on many topics, such as abortion, Bible, calendars, divorce, Easter, forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, icons, Jesus Prayer, Kingdom of God, Lord's Supper, marriage, non-believers, Orthodox Church, Patriarchs, Qumram, Roman Catholicism, sacraments, Theotokos, Undivided Church of Christ, Virgin Mary, World Council of Churches, Yahweh and Zeon. I've often used this book to answer my own questions, as well as those of my non-Orthodox friends. Highly recommended!

This book is composed of 455 questions that many people are asking today. Here the Eastern Orthodox answers are given. There are a variety of subjects covered, such as the Apocrypha, Byzantine Catholics, Capital Punishment, War, the Pope, Istanbul, etc. Within each section there are questions people have asked relating to these topics. Such questions include: What Does the EO church believe about Birth Control? Why Don't More People Believe in God? What is Love? and Why are there so many Christian churches? These are just a few examples of what the Church believes on these pressing issues. The only drawback is that the book was written in 1988, so the more contemporary issues may not be covered. But otherwise it is a useful book.

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: 455 Questions and Answers is a collection of questions which appeared in the "Religious Question Box" column in the Hellenic Chronicle from 1980 to 1985. The questions answered range the gamut from difficult theological questions like original sin and the second coming, to explanations of ritual like censing and blessing with water, to everyday matters of our society such as rock music, sex, and politics. Some of the letters are written in a very eccentric manner, but the authors of the column are always able to answer even the most badly-phrased question with a patient and comprehensive answer.

The Hellenic Chronicle is, of course, a Greek newspaper and much of the commentary here is dedicated toward a Greek Orthodox audience. I was unhappy with the rather rude treatment of the Orthodox Church in America (making it seem like a hardly-significant Russian denomination). What limits the bok, however, isn't a denominational bias, but rather a focus on helping cradle Orthodox understand the faith they grew up in. There is little focus on the questions converts have and the difficulties they face. Indeed, the entries here were written before the massive influx of people leaving evangelical Protestantism for Orthodoxy in the late 1980s, and so it lacks the helpful tone that many introductory publications from other presses offer. The book can be useful for people new to Orthodoxy, but should really serve as support to other materials. If you are a total neophyte, start with Timothy Ware's already classic THE ORTHODOX CHURCH.