Absolutely love it! It is gorgeous as it should be...

I loved how scripture was laced throughout this book along with practical insights & questions for reflection. I found myself taking notes & sharing what I read with loved ones. It was a huge encouragement to me in my faith. Highly recommend!

I have thought long and hard about how to review this book. My feelings and impressions of it are complicated. Firstly, I will say that there is a decent amount of beneficial material in this book. The blend of spiritual and psychological is insightful as many “self-help” style books rely too heavily on one and in some cases, directly contradict the other. I particularly enjoyed how they approached the culture of busyness and the discussion of children’s psychology. That being said, my overall impression of the book is one of disappointment. There may be some good insights but the book on the whole feels like it misses the mark of what people really need to make a positive difference in their lives.

I knew from the beginning that this book was meant to be an easy-to-understand approach to the topic of renewal aimed at those who are new to Orthodoxy or from other Christian backgrounds. In the past year, I was welcomed into the Orthodox church and psychology is a fascinating subject for me, so I was intrigued to find what this book would offer. I am sorry to say that any hint of beneficial Orthodox practices is watered down in ways that weren’t necessary. There are brief mentions of a couple of common Orthodox prayers, but there were wasted opportunities to recommend things such as books of prayers or following a church calendar that not only are common in the Orthodox church (and Catholic, Anglican, etc) but work well with our human psychology. There are reasons these practices were implemented and maintained, and the cultural trend among many, restless Christians looking to deepen their faith is adding these sorts of traditions to their practices. I didn’t expect a promotion for a specific church just a sharing of common resources, many of which date back to early Christian church origins.

Another issue that I would like to address is the oversimplification of renewal. I know this is meant to be easy to digest, but the human experience is vast. Much of what helps us to become better people involves becoming better at building relationships with others and empathizing with experiences outside of our own. This book does not do a good job of addressing the difficulties of those whose struggles are maybe more complicated: those whose more basic needs are not being met, those with immense trauma, and those with mental illness. For example, going outside, exercising, eating healthy, and getting rest are mentioned in one chapter of the book to help mental health as they are proven to be beneficial. What is not addressed is those who bodily can’t do most exercises, those who can’t afford sustaining food, those who overwork just to provide basics for their family, or those whose brain chemistry makes it that knowing they should do something and actually having the ability to do so are completely different things. There may be people who could read this book and may feel guilty because they know those sorts of things would help but are unattainable without help. I have been there myself. There needs to be more acknowledgment of those situations not only for those in them but also for others reading the book who don’t struggle the same way. It isn’t about offering perfect solutions (in those situations improvement often requires outside help and time), but creating empathy so community can be built with everyone included in it. Only by building community can everyone get the support they need.

This leads me to my last major point. The sections on marriage and children were well and good, but there needed to be more information on how to work with others outside of these relationships. This is absolutely essential in the church. At several different churches, I have witnessed many instances such as things not getting done because personalities clash, people leaving because they feel belittled or ignored, or people won’t who step within 5 feet of a church because they have seen how people are treated there and they want no part of it. Every improvement people make is tested once they are placed in the company of other hurt and flawed people. The authors had really good advice on how to interact with children and spouses but the advice on how to interact with others was sparse and mostly in the context of very personal healing. As a priest and psychologist, I expected this to be discussed more as helping people mend relationships is a huge part of their occupation.

I have other smaller issues having to do with specific examples they used and the tone of the book, but I’ve covered the major things that bothered me. There is some insight in the book, but I found its scope rather shallow as it does not reflect the experience of a large portion of people who would have the opportunity to read it. After all, can we really experience the renewal God wants for our lives if it does not include building communion with others outside of our own experience?

One of the strengths of this book is that it feels conversational. Professor Bouteneff delivers practical wisdom without diluting the depth of our Orthodox faith. He details how the "sinner" identity is not an exercise in self-loathing, but rather an opportunity to recognize (and admit) that we have fallen short. We desperately need to turn to God for healing, as difficult as it may be, and as much as we might rather remain in darkness and denial.

This title was the selection for a local young adult book group I am in at a local Greek parish. Discussing this book with others as we make our way through it has been a big help. My tip is to buy the book and maybe an extra copy or two to see if someone you know will read it with you!

I have only positives to say about How to Be a Sinner!

Love the simplicity of this book!

The kids love reading and listening to it. And that's all you can really ask for.

This is a gentle story - a counting book with a bigger message. I thought the suspense build up with fewer than nine deer several times before she got to the nine deer was great. And, for a number system based on ten, it was lovely to have the final number including her.

I bought this for my son and he said it's the best thing he's ever had he loves this so much

I absolutely love it I can throw it in my purse and go the prayers are awesome

If you are familiar with the foundational meme, “I don’t want to say it’s aliens...BUT IT WAS ALIENS!”, you already have the inside track on this latest book by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick. Just substitute “DEMONS” for aliens, and Fr. Andrew’s affable visage for that of the wild-haired History Channel commentator. (Based on my hours of listening to his podcast “Lord of Spirits,” I think even Fr. Andrew would approve of the comparison.) Arise, O God: The Gospel of Christ’s Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death presents a cogent and eye-opening explanation of the role of demonic powers in the Fall of mankind, and Christ’s defeat of them through the world-altering events of the Gospel.

As Fr. Andrew outlines, we in America may have become inured to just how perplexing, how incredible, how revolutionary the Gospel message really is. Through our constant exposure to it, it has been watered down to a transactional formula, packaged and marketed to make it more palatable to the modern consumer. In this way, the astonishing nature of Christ’s salvation of mankind has been reduced to the hum-drum. This book is small but packs a mighty punch: rubbing away at that common-place patina to show how truly amazing and shattering the Gospel was in the first century and is today in our own lives.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick has produced a work that will be extremely useful in catechetical settings as well as for life-long Orthodox. It’s like a technical manual which magnifies and blows up each portion of a diagram, so you can clearly see how all the parts fit together and make sense. My book margins are full of starred notes: “YES” “Woohoooo!” “It all makes sense now.” This book puts Christ’s salvific work into clear focus and provides hope: because, as Fr Andrew says, “The work of Jesus was about establishing the Kingdom of God, which meant defeating three enemies: the demons who dominate the nations, the sin that affects and addicts mankind, and finally, death itself.” There can be no Good News better than that.

As a new Orthodox Christian who was raised firmly in the substitutionary atonement, Protestant view of what "the Gospel" meant, this book was a much-appreciated overwriting of some outdated mental software.

Fr Damick, his colleagues at Ancient Faith, and of course my own parish priest have been so hopeful in expanding my view of the Gospel - that it is indeed the announcement of God's victory over sin, death, and the demonic forces that enslaved our world. Not simply, or even primarily, the news of how I as an individual can "go to heaven." This book provides a short, accessible telling of THAT Gospel (i.e., THE Gospel) as the earliest Christians understood it, and the Orthodox Church has preserved it.

Fr Damick builds his case with a historical founding in what an evangelion ("gospel") was in the first century, how the first hearers would have understood that term and the Apostles' proclamation that Jesus is the risen Lord (and Caesar, by implication, is definitely not). He goes on to explain what first century Judeans would have understood about what Jesus had been victorious over - the ancient problems and oppressors of humanity: death (brought by our ancestral parents' disobedience), sin (brought by Cain), and demons (who enslaved us through our idolatry). But Jesus Christ conquered all three of these enemies, IS conquering those enemies, and WILL ultimately conquer them - and that is our salvation.

Highly recommend this short, readable, and understandable summary of the Gospel to new Orthodox Christians (like me), to experienced Orthodox Christians who need an encouraging reminder of our inheritance, and for those outside the Church who are curious about a fuller, broader, and deeper grasp of the Gospel.

All of us find at some point we are struggling in our Faith. Weather it is with prayer rule or even simply having the strength to go to Church. Farther Nick and Dr. Roxanne Louh have given us a wonderful gift in this book Renewing You. With the work of both a priest and Dr. Roxanne’s in Phycology their “Plan” puts forward a fresh a unique way in finding a path to Renew our Faith Foundation. The audible book is an easy and enjoyable listen. I would highly recommend this to both new and long-term Orthodox Christians. Infact this is a good book for any Christian. I found especially relevant for me Chapter 4: Turn Your Trials into Triumphs. I found this insightful and helpful.

All in all, a wonderful book that I would highly recommend

Charlie Stayton

Like Father Josiah, I'm a Protestant convert to Orthodoxy. I keep up with his homilies through Patristic Nectar. This is a beautifully rendered book from which there is much to glean, a survey that is wide but shouldn't be expected to be especially deep. My only (minor) quibble is with a lack of rigorous editing that allowed for some repetition of expression, sometimes on the same page or only paragraphs apart.

I have so many positive things to say about this beautiful book! First of all, it is both an incredible collection of rich stories about some of our most beloved saints of the church *and* it is easily digestible by my children; both the ones who read volumes and my pre-reader, who can already find his patron saint’s page and picture in the timeline. It has such a wealth of information that my kids and I keep coming back to it over and over and we learn something new every time. The layout is easy to follow and not at all overwhelming which sometimes happens with children’s reference books. The colors and illustrations are inviting and engaging. The featured saints cover all the centuries, all the vocations, and span the globe in true representation of the diversity of the church. It is clear that the authors were very deliberate and purposeful in the choosing of the saints to feature and the manner in which they are shared. My family has already employed this book in the discussion of specific saints and also as a book to sit and absorb privately with leisure. We are very pleased with the acquisition of this resource to our growing spiritual library!

The best children’s books about living faithfully are books that children naturally gravitate toward. 101 Orthodox Saints is just such a resource.

It’s BEAUTIFULLY illustrated.
The snippets are meaty without being dense, and they’re written in an engaging way that makes children want to go deeper.

My daughter enjoys picking this up and savoring it. Each time she does, she lingers over the text, pausing here and there to ask great questions that spark deeper conversations.

I’m so grateful for this resource for our whole family!

This book is a succinct, simple to understand and interesting explanation of the Gospel; and by Gospel, I don't mean the books, I mean the proclamation of the Kingdom of God! It is a short-read that could very well be used in catechism or as a complementary for orthodox people that want to see the Gospel writers in a new light.

Fr Andrew makes a clear exposition and explanation that 'gospel' comes from the Greek 'euangelia' which represents not just 'a good news' as it is often simplisticly explained, but rather 'the news of a victorious leader now coming here'. In our case, that victory is the vanquishing of Death by death, and the leader is none other than Jesus Christ, Son of God. In light of this, he goes in details why it is so and what to do about it. It is both a book that will bring the reader a better knowledge of the matter at hand, but also motivate him to act in accordance with the faith by performing what God asks of us.

My only criticism is that I felt some discussions here and there were lacking in explanations and, even though very interesting in and of themselves, they should either have been removed from the book or put maybe with more details in some form of appendices as they might cause confusions. Outside of that, this book is great, especially in its tone (down to earth, so to speak) and pace (it reads all by itself in short sittings). I highly recommend this to people looking for introductory materials, but also long-standing orthodox that have not delved enough into the Gospel and what it means. A great book!

It’s a great book for kids and even adults to understand the basics and layout of the Divine Liturgy

Very useful.

This colourful and vibrant book helps parents and children explore the places that prayer has in our lives. The illustrations fuse forms from traditional iconography with youthful, bright simplicity. The text is approachable and profound. This book can play a role in encouraging children in their own prayer life and participating in the life of the Church.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Today I want to share with you a wonderful new book written by my friend Melinda Johnson. I met Melinda through an Ancient Faith book reviewer’s page (that she moderates) and am happy to share that today I got a copy of her newest book “Little Lost Nun” by Park End Books. I didn’t tell my girls, but I actually got to read the manuscript and write an author’s review for the back cover. To put it simply, this is a must read for families by chapter before bed, for children who are reading chapter books, and dare I say even for us adults as well. Parts of this book will touch the suffering, selfishness, and hope that each of us experiences in this life while looking to the next. I will be reading this to my 6 and 4 year olds and possibly use it for my upper elementary church school class (3rd and 4th grades).