Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

So I will say, I just got this book and I'm only a few chapters in. That being said, I can already tell that this is a truly incredible book. The author accomplishes two thing which, in my experience, very few Orthodox theologians are able to accomplish; First, she makes it simple and uses everyday language, which makes the book accessible to everyday readers, and even to those coming from a Western background. Second, she resists the temptation which I've seen way too many Orthodox writers or speakers fall into -- she maintains a sober mind, and doesn't get heated, defensive, or accusatory when comparing Eastern Christianity to Western traditions (especially Roman Catholicism).Despite the simple and relatable approach, just from a quick overview of the chapters and the table of contents, it seems like she touches (at least on the surface-level) on just about every controversial, complicated, or obscure theological concept which I've heard about Eastern theology, but never really understood too well. (With the possible exception of hesychasm -- I'm not sure if there's anything about that in the book.) I've been trying to dive in to Eastern Christianity for about a year and a half, and it seems like this book at least touches on nearly all of the controversial, confusing, or obscure things that I've heard mentioned, but could never really find any resources to explain it.

This book is written in a captivating style, taking us on a tour of a fictional Eastern Orthodox church called St. Felicity, showing us the architecture of a typical Orthodox church and sitting us in on a service (Divine Liturgy), as well as discussing Orthodox theology, eschatology, etc. in simple terms. It's well-written, drawing the reader in and then explaining to them issues which are both divergent along the geographical border and yet still come from the same roots. She makes sure not to judge the Western churches for their theological differences, nor does she try to pigeonhole the causes for these differences of belief. As an example, when explaining the nature of Christ's crucifixion, and how the Eastern church doesn't believe in satisfactory/substitutionary atonement, she emphasized that while it may have arisen in the Western church due to the feudal system, that was certainly not the sole reason, or even a confirmable cause.Perhaps my only issue thus far (as I'm only in Ch. 7) is that the description of the layout of the nave, with the aisles and such, could have used a simple diagram, as I couldn't realize visualize it based off of description alone. I'll update this review if I run into any more issues. Thus far, however, it's a lovely book about an oft-forgotten (in the West) denomination.

Every Christian regardless of the church they attend should read this book. It is unique because she literally walks you through the church and the different feasts and celebrations.

I'm very new to Orthodoxy from being a Catholic and found this book so refreshing and informative! I will be referencing this book a lot as I go further into my spiritual journey. She discusses everything from the history of the church, different saints, the Liturgy, Great Lent, Vespers, funerals, marriages, and some differences to other christian religions on a variety of topics including some controversial stuff. She has some humor thrown in at times and tons of interesting tidbits and meanings to traditions they do. I am so happy I found this religion, and so glad she wrote this book or I'd be pretty lost still!I am editing my review... After reading another few books from this author, I realized she doesn't really plan out her books or write out an outline to keep it organized. She jumps around from topics and says "...but I will expand further on that later". She also seems to write her books as she would talk to you and have a normal conversation, rather than writing a book, so while this makes it more personal, it can sometimes be frustrating. But this book was still pretty awesome and enlightening, she offers a lot of great info and her personal accounts make it hit home. IT's definitely better than a lot of the really dry books written by priests and bishops!

this book's greatest strength is also it's greatest weakness. this is a book about eastern orthodoxy written by a westerner for western readers. the strength is that, as a westerner and convert herself, mathewes-green knows how to explain orthodoxy to those unfamiliar with the subject matter. a cradle-orthodox author may skip over some of the subjects she covers, assuming mistakenly that "everyone already knows this." mathews-green, on the other hand, knows precisely what we don't know and anticipates our ignorance. so for westerners wishing to learn about orthodoxy, this is a very strong and useful book. however, the weakness is that the author introduces some of her western perspective into the subject matter, which may make the more rigid and dogmatic reader uncomfortable. i would say that this book is very useful for a westerner wishing to learn about eastern Christianity and i do recommend this book, however i would stress the importance of learning the faith under the guidance of a spiritual father and discussing the ideas in the book with your teacher to make sure that heresies don't infect your faith. when i told my priest i was reading this book, he asked me who the author was. when i said "frederica mathewes-green" he rolled his eyes and went "pffft." i said "what, you don't like her?" he said "she's okay, just proceed with caution. take it with a grain of salt." i think you get the idea...

I appreciated the excellent work of the author to get you through the most of an orthodox life. I find that how she explored both the "seen" and "unseen" of orthodoxy is reader-friendly and could guide anyone interested in honestly knowing more about the faith. Thank you

A great introduction to the Orthodox way of doing things. Through a very clear explanation the writer steps you into a fictitious Orthodox Church. She explains everything that goes on in an Orthodox Church. A very different story to other introductions of the church. A very good read.

What a pleasure to read, and how edifying it is! I learned a great deal. Am now taking catechism classes, and found that the book laid a great foundation.

An excellent explanation, not only for people new to the faith, but also those who have been Orthodox for a long time.

good overview