Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Introduction, December 9, 1999
By A Customer
Frank Schaeffer's book is an excellent introduction for those interested or curious about Eastern Orthodoxy. As the son of perhaps this country's most famous Protestant theologian, Francis Schaeffer, Mr. Schaeffer's book is instructive on a number of levels. The book is part testimonial, part explanation and defense of Orthodox theology, and part cultural critique of contemporary American culture. Mr. Schaeffer sets out to explain why our individualistic, feel-good social ethic has compromised many denominations and why Orthodoxy offers an organic, living form of worship and piety that is Christianity in its completest form. Mr. Schaeffer references Church Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils in his explanation of Orthodox doctrine in his defense of Orthodoxy's claim to being the living, True Church of Christ. This may upset or surpise some who accept today's ecumenical claim that all the denominations taken together are branches of the one true Church; but, as Mr. Schaeffer points out, you cannot have a number of Churches who all claim different things that contradict the claims of each other comprising the one True Church: this is a contradiction that makes no sense. Mr. Schaeffer's book will be of particular interest to anyone interested in Orthodoxy, whether he be Orthodox, Protestant, or Catholic. This is important since Mr. Schaeffer IS NOT saying (nor does the Orthodox Church teach as much) that you can only be saved or please God if you are Orthodox; the mystery of a man's salvation is something man cannot judge and is for God alone to know. However, Mr. Schaeffer is interested in establishing the historical and theological case that establishes Orthodoxy as the one True Church of Christ that possess the fullness of Christ's Truth that other churches that split from Her do not possess. In a world where many traditional forms of worship and piety have been forgotten or dismissed, where other liturgical churches have abandoned or gutted their liturgies, taking a serious look at Orthodoxy might be of value for those disaffected with modernist denominations and parishes.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
half good, half bad, March 3, 2005
When Frank Schaeffer spoke at the Festival of Orthodoxy in Dallas in February 2005, he said that he was too harsh in this book, and that were he able to do it over, he would rewrite half of it. I don't know which half or which parts he would rewrite, but I agree with him about the harshness of his tone, which to me seriously degrades the value and trustworthiness of this book. It's interesting, but Schaeffer's jeremiad makes for wearisome reading after awhile.
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51 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A deeply flawed book, December 21, 2003
Frank Schaeffer's " Dancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religion " is a challenging book. Not necessarily because of it's effective reasoning but because of its flaws. Like many other converts, Schaeffer is attracted to the most " traditionalist " theology and has become a bit of an extremest. I found a great deal of his writing to be overly strident and often repetitive. I agree with many other reviewers that believe that this books cries out for editing. I think he could have made his points very effectively in a book half its size. There are places where he seems to be ranting. His attacks on homosexuality, abortion and feminism are lacking in depth and poorly fashioned. It is important to state that, contrary to how this book is presented, it is not about one mans journey to Orthodoxy. Rather it is a lengthy presentation of the authors belief in the errors of thinking that typify the theological underpinnings of Protestantism, and to a slightly lesser extent Roman Catholicism. I am, like Schaeffer, a convert to Orthodoxy. However, though I fundamentally agree with much of what he has written, but I do not like the anger that his writing reflects. I also was very disappointed that he didn't write a single word about the Orthodox view of capital punishment. What he does offer is a very descriptive ( but hardly unique ) critique of the history of the Reformation. I was taught by my father to never pin your adversary down ( in a debate, formal or otherwise ) with no wiggle room. The most successful approach to persuasiveness is to let your competition agree with you in a manor that doesn't insult their dignity. This book possesses no such tact, and as a result I suspect that a non Orthodox individual might quite reasonably feel insulted and put on the defensive by its aggressive nature. I believe that this is not a good introductory book on Orthodoxy. Its ideal audience might be individuals who have been born into Orthodoxy or whose conversion is complete. Sadly, I think that Schaeffer has forgotten to describe the extent to which Orthodoxy is a faith of deep compassion, with an unshakable foundation built on the unconditional love of God for his people. It is a tradition that has tolerated dissent within its ranks and has been ( at its best ) highly reluctant to pass judgment on others.
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