I am a big fan of Peter Gilquist - first Orthodoxer to come on my show on Satan's Own Radio Station, KPBC back in the day. He went to DTS where I did and was a REAL HUMAN BEING unlike some Orthodoxers and Converts. Me Likee big time. Bought book for Harry, a Coptic bud who wanted to know what Fr Peter's "deal" was - yeah buddy! He loved the book

Plenty has been written about Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox male clergy (particularly the monks at the famed Mt. Athos in Greece), and even a fair amount on Roman Catholic nuns of the past and those who are now ex-nuns, but what about present day women who are currently Eastern Orthodox Nuns (the ones who are NOT "on the bus")? Well, this is your "go-to" book for this very special subject. Constantina Palmer gives a first hand account of what life is like for the women who choose to follow a monastic path within Orthodox Christianity. It is, to be sure, a life of sacrifice, but also a life of great joy. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I learned that much of what we think we know of being a nun are for the most part Hollywood inventions. This is not your usual "nun" book which is either overly sentimental or highly sensational or slightly mocking. Ms. Palmer neither pities or idolizes the nuns, nor does she infantalize them as you see in other books on the topic. Rather, she shows us that the nuns are much like you or I. People who have their good and not-so-good days, but who have made it their primary life committment to live for God each and every day of their lives. We learn about how monasticism is a path that is taken by those who indeed courageous but still have a fear (reverence) of God. We learn of nuns who came from various walks of life, and what lead them to this particular path. We learn of women who experienced tragedy and loss in their lives, but also experienced a richness of blessings, too. These are women who have enveloped their lives with a sense of spiritual mindfulness. It stays on them like incense or cologne, and permeates all they do and think. Now I must confess. I only have one criticism of the book...there are no pictures included. Just the same, this book is truly beautiful and inspiring for all, regardless of their faith or lack thereof. So I highly recommend it.

Revealing explanation for the secular mindset so dominant in our post-Christian culture. Highly recommend this excellent book for all who strive to make sense of civilization's drift away from authentic ascetic Christianity.

We received this book when we were interested in the Orthodox Church and now years later we keep a few on hand to give to friends who are interested as well. We really recommend this book and think it should be in everyone's library!

Father James' curious, interesting and spiritually invigorating account of his personal Odyssey to orthodoxy.
But it is not just the story of his road to Christianity and ultimately orthodoxy in as much as his remarkable erudition on the subject of early Christianity and the connection to ancient Judaism which over the course of 2000 years has become obscured to both modern day Jews and contemporary Christians.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the fundamentals of historic and apostolic Christianity.
My recommendation does come with a caveat, the latter chapters get very deep into early christian and Judaic dogma and may very easily overwhelm the average reader.

I was a protestant reasearching Orthodoxy. Most of what I was finding on-line was very theologically heavy. Peter Gillquist made learning about Orthodoxy very easy to understand. Since the author was formerly a protestant minister, he spoke as though he understood where I was coming from. Ultimately this book led to my converting to Orthodoxy. Memory eternal to Fr. Peter Gillquist and thank you for your book.

I've known the author for 30+ years and enjoyed seeing the maturation and refinement of his perspectives. His ideas are somewhat counterintuitive from the "traditional" Christian perspective, but are absolutely founded in truth. I most heartily recommend Fr. Freeman's book.

We "cradle" Orthodox are often as ignorant of Evangelical churches as they are of us. This book does a great job bridging the gap - seekers from both religious backgrounds can sharpen their faith as they compare and contrast them in Mr. Gallatin's journey.

I appreciate where this man is coming from. I too started to feel there had to be something more to the true Church of God. I was a Protestant too, but once I searched for the truth without preconcieved notions, I realized the Protestant church isn`t the reformation of the original church like I was taught to believe. I realized that I was Protestant because it was a 'comfortable' faith, meaning it had no authority over my life, and it conformed in style to modern American culture making it easy to participate in. The tears and the raising of hands and the worship on the fly were very powerful emotionally don't get me wrong, but once I discovered Orthodoxy and the humility and gentleness of the people, and the way they plead to the Lord for mercy, and the strict fasts and prayers that they perform, and the absense of politics in the services, I knew I had to join myself to this Church. I still stumble, but I am much more careful in my actions, and have a deeper understanding of spiritual matters than ever before.

A good read for those from Protestant churches as it clears up some of the lies and misconceptions of the Orthodox Church, though not all misconceptions, but it is a good place to start.

It was a joy hearing the story I read many years ago and hearing it in dads voice gave it a whole new dimension. My kids also loved the stories that explained our journey to the ancient church. This recording truly captures dads love for God and his commitment and passion to finding a home in the Orthodox Church.

I read this book a few years ago as I was inquiring into the Orthodox Faith. The imagery of a sword heated to glowing-hot as a metaphor for spiritually becoming more like God (theosis) is one that has seared itself into my brain and I ponder it often during the liturgy.

This book is amazing! Fr. James writes in a way that is personal and approachable. So much of this text is an explanation of Orthodox theology that I, as an inquirer, have found very confusing. This should be on any list of the top five books to read for anyone interested in understanding more about Orthodox Christianity. I'm really grateful I found it.

This book gives a concise and systematic explanation of the thinking/learning that an Evangelical Protestant Christian goes through before coming to the Orthodox Church. This explanation is couched in an amazing story of an entire Church becoming Orthodox together; priests, deacons and parishioners all on the same day!

This book is a sweet compilation of 14 short stories detailing conversions by women to the Orthodox faith. Easy to read and heartwarming, they are a useful reference for others considering the transition and transformation. Whilst the stories are short, they are rewarding reads. For more detailed accounts and theology I recommend "Becoming Orthodox" by Peter Gillquist and "From Baptist to Byzantium" by James Early. A similar book containing short stories by men and Protestant clergy is "Coming Home" by Peter Gillquist.

This book is a wonderful compilation of 18 short stories detailing conversions by Protestant clergy to the Orthodox faith. Easy to read and heartwarming, they are a useful reference for others considering the transition and transformation. Whilst the stories are short, they are rewarding reads. For more detailed accounts and theology I recommend "Becoming Orthodox" by Peter Gillquist and "From Baptist to Byzantium" by James Early. A similar book containing stories by women is "Our Hearts True Home" by Virgina Nieuwsma.

In the book "The Rest of the Bible," the author deftly accomplishes what he sets out to do: give an "intriguing introduction" to these lesser known canonical books of Holy Scripture. He does this in a very accessible and winning style.

But beyond simply laying out an introductory overview of each of the "Readables," Mathis also provides a wealth of historical background and details to bring out the richness of the texts. He also weaves in copious references to these books made by the New Testament authors and also by the Early Church Fathers. In addition, he brings out many spiritual principles found in these books which apply to the life of the modern-day Christian.

But most of all, Mathis shows where the image and voice of Jesus Christ can be found within these texts, often with startling clarity. These books that were unfortunately discarded from the Bible during the Protestant Reformation can still speak to the followers of Jesus today. "The Rest of the Bible" encourages readers to delve into these rich texts for themselves.

I am a Catholic Christian, and although this book is written from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, I learned a great deal about our common patrimony found in these often overlooked books. There are a great many interesting and exciting stories and pearls of wisdom to be found in these books which, after reading "The Rest of the Bible", I feel drawn to more fully appreciate.

Our Protestant friends often deem themselves "Bible Christians." Orthodox and Catholic believers should similarly celebrate being "Bible Christians," all the more because our Bibles contain the full canon of inspired texts. "The Rest of the Bible" shows the way.

This is one of my favorite books of recent years. I have purchased and given away a number of copies to people I think would appreciate it. It fits, for me, with C.S. Lewis' "Abolition of Man" (although much easier to read) and other books describing how our contemporary world has lost its sense of personhood in relationship and replaced it with individuality and narcissism. (It is very interesting to read this book side-by-side with "The Screwtape Letters").

This book can be read at an intellectual level, considering the insights into our culture's contemporary worldview, and what it has cost us. On that level, it points out clearly where breaks have occured, and what they look like. This is how I read the book the first time, getting the major points, not always understanding the details. I did find it quite enlightening to read how popular Christianity is, in many ways, functionally athiestic. It helped me understand how Christians can believe in Christ and still behave the way we do sometimes.

Having heard Fr. Stephen's podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio, I knew there had to be more to his book, so I read it a second time. This time I began to start thinking about what my life would be like if I really believed and acted like the universe had one storey - if God really WAS everywhere present. What would it be like if what we call miracles are an everyday occurance? What if I saw God everywhere? What if I really acted like God could be seen in the faces of the people around me? What would my life be like? How would I behave? A new storey opened up in the book, so to speak. The monks of Mar Saba live in a world most of us can't see - I suspect a world much more fully real than ours. What would I have to change to be more fully real (more fully present?) myself?

Here is where the book really becomes powerful. The seemingly redundant or obscure points need to be explored. They need to be chewed on. They need to be wrestled with. Most of all, they need to be taken seriously. This book can challenge your assumptions about reality. It can change your life. I have a friend who says, "watch out for short books, they'll get you." This is one of those books.

Disclaimer: I am an Orthodox Christian. This book is written by an Orthodox priest and is written from that perspective. Sometimes it may seem alien. It might be.

This book is excellent for Orthodox Christians struggling in addiction (alcoholism or otherwise) that wish to follow a Twelve Step program. Father Meletios goes through each step carefully in great detail, and how to apply it. There is also a section that discusses what the addicted person is going through on a personal level, which may be helpful for friends and family of the addicted to understand some of the behavior and thought processes of the addicted. Father Meletios also assures the reader that Twelve Step Programs are not in conflict with Orthodoxy, but can indeed can and should be practiced by Orthodox Christians in addiction. The book offers hope to both those struggling in addiction and to friends and family of the addicted, and I believe the author offers a frank but compassionate discussion of addiction. Though the book focuses on alcoholism, I believe the book can successfully be used by those struggling in many other addictions as well--gambling, food addictions, drugs, etc.

This book was a good eye opener to me as to what is and what isn't "Apocrypha" or hidden writings. Coming from a Protestant background, the Apocrypha was to me those books that were dropped from the Protestant Bibles because they weren't worth reading. The eye-opener was to find out that this is not the case. What is called Apocrypha today were actually called "The Readables" by the early Church and specifically by Athanasius the Great. These books were required reading (See Athanasius's 39th Festal Letter) for those who wished to join the early Christian Church!

Mathis, an Orthodox Christian lay person who has both a BS in Religion and an MDiv in Theology shows why the "The Readables" are rightly included in the Bible. Book by book, he shows the reader where the words of these texts are used in early church worship, prayers and songs. Mathis shows us where the New Testament authors quote from the "The Readables" and points out works of the early church Fathers that quote them in their letters and books. Mathis's cliff note style helps one quickly understand the jist of message for each book which further encourages us to read these books.

I went from the Mathis book to read Tobit, Judith and 2 Maccabees and was not disappointed. They are truly very readable, uplifting books as the Mathis book promised. I can see where the early church would use them as preparatory texts.

This is a fine book chronicling the journey of 2,000 evangelical Protestants to the ancient faith of Orthodox Christianity.

Reading like a novel, this page-turner introduces the radical Campus Crusaders and their path of discovery through research and courage.

Showing their naivety, they turn up in Constantinople (Istanbul) expecting an audience with the Ecumenical Patriarch and display other immaturities such as self-appointing Bishops and harping on about spontaneity. Eventually with diligence, study, and gaining control of their egos, they join the Orthodox Church and continue to worship and introduce the ancient way of Christianity to a North America that needs guiding back to the right path.