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A. James Bernstein

Surprised by Christ: My Journey From Judaism to Orthodox Christianity Paperback – May 15, 2008

by A. James Bernstein (Author)

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Raised in Queens, New York by formerly Orthodox Jewish parents whose faith had been undermined by the Holocaust, Arnold Bernstein went on his own personal quest for spiritual meaning. He was ready to accept God in whatever form He chose to reveal Himself and that form turned out to be Christ. But Bernstein soon perceived discrepancies in the various forms of Protestant belief that surrounded him, and so his quest continued -- this time for the true Church. Surprised by Christ combines an engrossing memoir of one man s life in historic times and situations from the Six-Day War to the Civil Rights Movement to the Jesus Movement in Berkeley with an examination of the distinctives of Orthodox theology that make the Orthodox Church the true home not only for Christian Jews, but for all who seek to know God as fully as He may be known.

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Editorial Reviews

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Fascinating. It reminds us again of the sovereignty of God, and his desire to reach every one of his beloved children, no matter where they are. --Frederica Mathewes-Green, Beliefnet columnist and author of "Facing East: A Pilgrim s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy"

In sharing his "surprise" with us, Fr. James Bernstein shows that he is a Hebrew prophet in the definition of prophecy provided by that other "Hebrew born of Hebrews" who knew the same "surprise." In sharing his story and convictions, Fr James "speaks to people for their edification and encouragement and comfort" (1 Cor 14.3). The grace and spirit of His words match the grace and truth of their content. We thank God for this prophetic gift. --Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

In life you meet a handful of people whose stories crash through the usual categories of human experience and form a new kind of stand-alone narrative. Enter: Fr. James Bernstein. Son of a Jewish rabbi, national chess champion, leader with Jews for Jesus in Berkeley, Orthodox Christian priest -- whew! You will love and be greatly encouraged by his unusual story of life in Christ. --Fr. Peter E. Gillquist, author of "Becoming Orthodox"

About the Author

Father Arnold James Bernstein lives with his wife Bonnie outside of Seattle, Washington, where he serves as pastor of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Product details

Publisher : Conciliar Press Ministries; 1st edition (May 15, 2008)
Language: : English
Paperback : 335 pages
ISBN-10 : 1888212950
ISBN-13 : 978-1888212952
Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #535,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #299 in Christian Orthodoxy (Books)
- #3,464 in Religious Leader Biographies
- #20,915 in Memoirs (Books)

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67 ratings

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EscherFan

Cleared Up a Lot of Confusion for Me

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015

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I have to admit to a bit of a bias -- Father James, known to me as "Arnie" is my uncle by marriage. This book was fascinating to me because of all the family stories in it -- feels strangely delightful to read a book about YOUR OWN family and actually intimately know the people being talked about and the stories. It helped to answer for me some of the struggles I had in understanding why Arnie and my aunt Bonnie (aka, Kh. Martha) turned away for the Evangelical Christian mindset I knew them to be in from my childhood, to Orthodox Christianity, which seemed totally perplexing to me -- if not downright idolatrous, for all of the kissing and bowing to icons. I was staying with them in Berkeley in the summer of 1975, working with the Christian World Liberation Front (CWLF) street theatre when CWLF essentially broke up with approximately half of members wanting to stay with their Evangelical, quasi-hippie/socialist roots and the other half wanting to pursue Orthodoxy. It was a very turbulent time at CWLF and since I had been a sort of member (mascot? Ha) of CWLF since about the age of 8, it was distressing and confusing for me at the age of 14 to see CWLF come to an end over this issue. Now in large part because of this book, I have a much better understanding why Bonnie and Arnie and other friends went this route and while I can't imagine ever choosing it for myself, I respect and admire them for their faith and conviction and for Arnie's unsurpassed ability to explain these very complex topics in relatively understandable ways.

14 people found this helpful

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Colorado Native

Very good primer

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2013

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A little backgrounder so you understand where I am coming from.

I've struggled with religion for years. I've been in the nowhere man's land of agnosticism after dumping New Age nonsense after being a very strong believer in it as a teenager. I've bought so many Bibles and Qurans over the years trying to find a religion and a holy book translation that would click with me. Having long ago discarded Islam, that pretty much left me with Bible-based religions.

I've always objected to Protestantism; its absolutist and harsh, nasty God that demanded death from people and made the bar to get into heaven so high it felt impossible to reach. It's basically the only theology I have known, being an American. My mother's family are Roman Catholic and my mother left the Church at age 18 disillusioned so I was not raised in it. I dabbled in reading about it here and there and found some of it very wonderful but other parts of it left me with that bad taste in my mouth of the harsh, nasty God that reared its ugly head in Protestantism. I also object to modern political currents in the Church, especially since Vatican II. So that left me pretty much stuck. Lutheranism strikes me as a cult of personality.

I dabbled a tad in Judaism but didn't like the lack of teachings on the afterlife. It's really mostly concerned with earthly existence. Perhaps since because my mother died when I was 16 years old, I was much more concerned with eternity than other folks would be, and I have wanted not only answers to our existence, but also where we going when we pass from the earth.

So recently while recovering from surgery (and awaiting another one) I began dabbling in Christianity again. I bought a few study Bibles, one being the Orthodox Study Bible and a Protestant NIV Bible of travel size to read while on the road. Trying to put previous negative conceptions in mind aside, I began randomly reading closely parts of the NT (Acts and Romans thus far). Feeling like I had a little more basic understanding of what the Apostles taught, I began discussing religion with a couple Twitter acquaintances who are both Orthodox Christians. I had heard good things about it off and on so I began reading. In that, I bumped into this eBook on recommendation of someone else and I'm glad I made the purchase.

This book explains in layman's terms not only this man's journey to Orthodoxy but also the basic tenets of the faith which I crave to understand. Thus far, it seems to be as I was told; a much more humane, loving expression of Christianity than the harsh Protestantism that we Americans are so often dominated by. Standards and morals, yes, but not cruelty. I feel that the history of the early Church presented by the author in this book well establishes the legitimacy of the Orthodox Church as the true, original Church with the most accurate teachings to those practiced in the earliest days of the Church. I am not finished reading this book and already it has helped me understand scriptural errors made by Protestant theologians in the Bible which not only render some sections of scripture as nonsensical, but present the harsh and unloving God that I objected to.

I didn't meant to write my life story here, but I thought my journey as a confused person trying to find answers would be helpful to others. I am nowhere near making up my mind on a faith, but this book is great and is written in plain, easy layman's language and guides you through the history and theology of the Church, as well as justifications for the tenets of the faith. I've only begun studying Orthodoxy.

If you want to understand Orthodoxy, this is a good place to start.

20 people found this helpful

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Romanovsky

A must-read for Orthodox converts and inquirers

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2014

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The first time I heard about Fr James Bernstein when I read his article "Which Came First: The Church or the New Testament?" Frankly, I didn't know the answer that time. Then I read his other article, "The Original Christian Gospel". Google them. They are worth reading: deep, well written, and profound. And then I bought this book, the marvelous story of Fr James' spiritual journey towards the original Church of the Gospels.

What can I say? This is a great book. And if you have already read Fr James Bernstein's articles, then get it. It's not only a compelling autobiography but also a great introduction to Orthodoxy.

I am buying my second copy.

PS The Original Christian Gospel
FR. JAMES BERNSTEIN

http://www.pravmir.com/the-original-christian-gospel

Which Came First: The Church or the New Testament?
by Fr. James Bernstein

http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/whichcamefirst.aspx

11 people found this helpful

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SoonerSue

A journey of discovery toward the True Church...

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2017

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This is a must read for anybody that wants a deeper understanding of the journey some of us take to find the True church. Fr. James Bernstein takes us along with him as he discovers the best kept secrete in America - The Orthodox Church. His humor, candor and style makes it easy for us to see through his eyes the road he took from a Queen's New York city Jewish family to Berkley in the 1960's via Jerusalem in war time.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

mrs E.

Suprised by Christ;My journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Fascinating story of what led a young Jewish boy growing up in USA ,but always in the shadow of the Holocaust, to find out about Christ & meet with Him. We follow him through a variety of Christian denominations as he seeks to understand early church worship & practice from time of Christ & finds a home in the Orthodox church. There he finds so many similarities in style of worship with Orthodox Judaism that he feels happy with. Very readable book but takes over 4 hours to complete

Imogen

Suprising, entertaining and really instructive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

We couldn't put this book down and have bought it for others, as we don't want to lend out our copy! Fr James Bernstein writes in a really accessible style, and his passion for the Orthodox Christian faith of the ancient church shines through on every page, as does his unstinting intellectual quest to understand its roots the Judaism of his own family. It is at once autobiography, travelogue, theology and polemic. Particularly relevent to many Christian readers will be the sense of journeying - relentlessly questing for Christ and the faith of the early church during his time in other churches and denominations. Brilliant!

Jimbo

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

One of the best books on Orthodoxy I have read. Some thirty years ago I read Timothy Ware's books and these started my journey to Orthodoxy; this book holds a similar place in my journey within Orthodoxy.

Robin Jacob Abraham

A must read. Insightful and full of the wisdom of Orthodoxy

Reviewed in India on December 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

A must read for all curious about Orthodoxy. Also for people who are confused by questions on the ' paradox between God of the Old Testament and God of the New Testament', The purpose of Salvation, The 'wrathful God versus a loving God, the role of the Church etc. The author employs simple language that makes the entire read thought provoking and desiring for more.

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