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9th out of 51 books
—
12 voters
Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition
The Word Guild 2008 Canadian Christian Writing Awards winner! "Do they really pray to icons?" "Why do they use incense?" "What do they believe?" To many people, the Orthodox Christian tradition (or Eastern Orthodoxy) seems unfamiliar and mysterious. Yet this tradition is arguably the most faithful representative of early Christianity in existence today and numbers roughly...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
July 26th 2007
by IVP Academic
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I was delighted at James Payton’s respectful and thoroughly researched take on the Orthodox Faith in Light from the Christian East: Introducing the Orthodox Tradition. This is the kind of book one can recommended to a non-Orthodox friend who’s looking to gain a better understanding of a the Eastern Christian tradition without having to feel like it’s being shoved down their throat. Conversion stories, while very helpful and informative, often force the reader to take a position. This book is inf...more
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This book best deals with the East West contrast than some of the other books I have read. However, it is really academic in the approach. It isn't really user friendly in my opinion. There are a lot of good arguments and dealing with common conflicts between East and West, but overall I don't think this is a book you can just hand off to anyone asking questions about Orthodoxy. Particularly anyone without a college education. It is just too heady. It is no wonder why, about halfway in I found o...more
This book was recommended to me by my Orthodox godparents. Being a recent convert from Catholicism, with a large background in Western Christianity, I found this book excellent. The author belongs to the Protestant tradition, but he is also a Church historian, very well read in both Western and Eastern traditions.
I don’t think I have ever read any book as good as this one presenting Orthodoxy from a Western point of view. It is extremely balanced and sympathetic – actually, all along I wondered...more
I don’t think I have ever read any book as good as this one presenting Orthodoxy from a Western point of view. It is extremely balanced and sympathetic – actually, all along I wondered...more
Over the past two decades, the Orthodox Church has intrigued many evangelical Christians in the United States. James R. Payton's LIGHT FROM THE CHRISTIAN EAST is one of the latest books that seek to introduce Eastern Christianity to evangelicals.
This is not an introduction to the Orthodox Church for general audiences. Unless you are a big fan of evangelical doctrinal debates, the best all-around presentation of Orthodoxy is Bishop Kallistos Ware's THE ORTHODOX CHURCH. If you are an evangelical b...more
This is not an introduction to the Orthodox Church for general audiences. Unless you are a big fan of evangelical doctrinal debates, the best all-around presentation of Orthodoxy is Bishop Kallistos Ware's THE ORTHODOX CHURCH. If you are an evangelical b...more
Payton does a very good job at making the Eastern tradition accessible to the West. This is a great introduction to Orthodoxy... vastly better than Clendenin. A nice supplement to Letham. It may strike one as deep at first, but once one gets their bearings, a second time through shows that what he wrote is actually fairly accessible. A very valuable tool for a truly "catholic" understanding of the church (in tradition, theology and practice). Good stuff.
James Payton is a Reformed Christian who examines the doctrine and beliefs of the Orthodox Church. This is a well-written and good book to read. I would highly, highly recommend this to Christian who wants to understand who those strange "Orthodox" are. Whether your a Protestant or Catholic who just wants to learn about the Orthodox or a person who is contemplating becoming orthodox, I would recommend you to read this book.
Absolutely phenomenal book. Explains the practice, praxis, as well as concise theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church whilst remaining objective (moderate Protestant) throughout the book. If you have grown weary of American Christianity, I strongly advise you look into this tome of apostolic insight. It's what helped draw me into the Orthodox Church.
Forgive me a sinner,
Lawson
Forgive me a sinner,
Lawson
This book was written by a Protestant theologian as an introduction to the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity. The book includes chapters on all of the major aspects of the tradition. It provides a good introduction to the differences between Eastern and Western Christianity.
great intro into Orthodoxy for Protestants who know a lot about their faith and where they came from. it's a bit dense in parts, so not for the casual reader, but has a depth of information not found in many other western-friendly books on EO.
I knew very little of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and I knew very little of early Church history. This book shed light on much the practice and history of ancient Christianity. It challenged my assumptions, especially about sacraments and worship.
This is an awesome introduction to Orthodox faith for a Western Catholic or Protestant. It includes many insights concerning what Western Christianity has to learn from its Eastern brothers and sisters.
Great read. Coupled with Metropolitan Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church; great primers on the OC and Patristic Fathers.
This was one of the best introductions for Protestants to engage with the Orthodox tradition. It presented the core of Eastern Christian theology in a way that Westerners could clearly understand. It made me really appreciate what Orthodoxy has to offer Christianity on the whole.
Dec 12, 2007
Nick
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those interested in Eastern Orthodoxy
Shelves:
religious,
eastern-orthodoxy
A good general introduction. It only suffers from not being long enough. Evidently Bishop Timothy Ware's introduction, which this books seems to draw heavily from, is more complete.
Jun 09, 2013
Alnem13
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