I was disappointed by this book. The illustrations were charming and, being from AF, I had high hopes. But my husband and I were driven a little nuts by the rhyming meter being so inconsistent. The ending also felt a little self-congratulatory (the cellarer sounded a little boastful/too assured to us) and the word play on "cellar," "cellerar," and "celery" confused my children. (Don't get me wrong: Dr. Seuss shows us all that wordplay is wonderful in kids' books, but I feel like he might've explained a cellar or a cellerar slightly more clearly from the beginning so the children could follow.)

Good book! Thank you!

“Often Christians of the present day discuss the problem of evil: why does a good, loving, and all-powerful God allow evil in the world? Perhaps the question itself is misguided, or based on false premise. Not only does it presume humanity is the innocent victim of evil, but also that evil is an external force from which, it is imagined, God is failing to protect us.

The reality is precisely the reverse: evil enters creation as the result of humanity’s collusion with evil spiritual forces. Humanity is the vehicle through which evil comes into the world, and it is most often directly inflicted by humans upon one another rather than by impersonal forces of nature. God’s merciful and gracious faction is why evil does not consume the creation entirely. Nevertheless, God does allow the consequences of sin and corruption to at least partially play out in His creation. What is often labeled as “God’s judgment, wrath, or punishment,” is really His allowing the perpetrators of iniquity to experience the full consequences of their sin. As always, this judgment is not punitive, though we may experience it as the punishment or the price of sin.”

I have always wondered and tried to reconcile the notion of war in the Old Testament and what it means to believe in the God recorded in the entire Bible. God Is a Man of War gives the depth of understanding to the age old question of the problem of this evil. What is evil? Why is it in the world? What part does God play in the existence of pain and suffering? He explains the placement of free will alongside God’s justice and what it means for them to interlace.

Justice, as Fr De Young explains, “conveys a realm of space and time where all things exist in their proper place in relationship to one another.” When these relationships are disordered, balance must be restored, and this is how we experience the problem of pain.

I listened to this audiobook (4 hours) after reading Religion of the Apostles - a great follow-up to Fr De Young’s previous writing. I highly recommend reading this book if you want to understand our merciful God with the problem of pain and violence. It is truly enlightening, I have learned so much.

I bought 3 of these books for young Orthodox children. How excited I was until I turned to C is for cross. One of the most basic Orthodox teachings- how to make the sign of the cross! I don’t understand how or why this illustration was used. I’m considering returning the books.

Fantastic exposition of the Gospel. Well done Fr.Andrew!

too small print to read too small

This is a great book! I read it to all my children under 6. It makes me cry every time. It's hopeful and beautiful. It talks about the need to pull the weeds (bad thoughts and passions) from our heart and replace it with flowers and fruit bearing trees in order to benefit those around us. It is a grandfather talking to his grandson. So precious! I love the illustrations. Who doesn't like flowers? The last pages are a special bonus and review for children to put into practice what they've learned. Excellent!

Very nice but rope too short.

Fr Stephen sets out to critically, scripturally, and patristically help people think through Old Testament violence. It's a difficult topic that he wants to make sure doesn't get an easy, cheap answer, and I felt he effectively did this. You won't feel like you got a simple, overly easy answer, meant simply to get people to stop wrestling with the text. Instead, he gives a thoughtful collection of issues and perspectives that genuinely do ease the mind on this difficult topic. In addition, simply trying to flesh out this issue, Fr Stephen covers a lot of topics including the West's ideas of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, showing how what actually occurs in the Old Testament text is a lot more nuanced and shows a God who is far less legalistic and far more personal and ontological. After reading his book, OT laws that used to rub me the wrong way have turned out to be laws that protect the poor and innocent.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a simple yet deep dive into Old Testament violence, and also anyone who wants a deeper understand of OT law, sacrifice, ritual, and more.

Beautiful ornament

Beautiful

Exactly what I wanted

I am a little half way through this book today. It is wonderful! I look forward every morning to reading it and snuggling with my baby. The topics are soo relevant and always meet me right where I’m at. The saints quotes and structure of it bring a depth I was pleasantly surprised by. Not going to liturgy is always hard for me but this book has been a hand of the church on my shoulder in this season. God bless the authors and their families for their efforts and friendship!

Beautiful Cards!

This series is a great addition and fills the blanks of the commentary found in the OSB. It gives a balanced commentary, that is written in a simple manner but not with lack of depth, it includes key words when pertinent, background, traditional view, spiritual insights, all merge in a fluid simple text. I have been recommending this series, a bit expensive specially when ordering internationally, but, there are some books that you can't put a price after you read them, they are that valuable, this series is one of those cases.
Glory to Jesus Christ!

Really enjoy reading and listening to Fr. Stephen De Young

We are enjoying this. My 7 and 10 year olds are able to keep up with the discussion questions. It’s nice for them to hear bible stories outside of Noah’s ark and Jonah and the whale. I would purchase this again. Only thing I wish it had was numbered chapters as the ornaments are numbered so you could make sure they match.

Wonderful gift for any Orthodox Christian family!

We love the content; my children enjoy the questions and it keeps them attentive. They love the beautiful ornaments also.

There were several grammatical errors that made for pauses to reconcile the desired result but otherwise a fantastic product. Thank you!!

Very well made. The story and the ornaments are beautiful and nicely decorated my 3-foot Christmas tree.