Arise O God: The Gospel of Christ’s Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death

by Andrew Stephen Damick

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about what Jesus can do for your life. It is not even the answer to the question, “How can I be saved?” It is the declaration of a victory. In His coming to earth, His suffering, and His Resurrection, Christ conquered demons, sin, and death. In Arise, O God , author and podcaster Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick introduces us to the spiritual war that Christ won by His victory, how we are caught in that war’s cosmic crossfire, what the true content of the gospel is - and how we are to respond.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christian, Christianity, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Audiobook

146 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2021

About the author

The Very Rev. Archpriest Andrew Stephen Damick is Chief Content Officer of Ancient Faith Ministries, former pastor (2009-2020) of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and author of Arise, O God, Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy, Bearing God and An Introduction to God. He is also host of the Orthodox Engagement, Amon Sûl, Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy and Roads from Emmaus podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio, co-host with Fr. Stephen De Young of The Lord of Spirits podcast, co-host with Michael Landsman of The Areopagus podcast, and he is a frequent speaker at lectures and retreats both in parishes and in other settings.

Reviews

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose, by now, anyone over age 40, in America at least, likely has heard of or been asked, "Are you saved?" In the 1970s, when I was a lad, I remember there was a movement primarily among Evangelicals with a campaign called "I Found It", replete with billboards and bumper stickers, seen then as using a mass marketing approach to interest unbelievers in Christianity and the Gospel.

Fr. Andrew scrutinizes the consumerist, mass marketing approach taken by many groups with their approach to the Gospels, and compares it historically with what a "gospel" actually was. Christianity has been sold as something that it can do for you --- variously as a means of self-help, self-actualization, or a sort of spiritual hellfire insurance policy. The problem of course is that, in marketing, the customer is the target, and the customer is always right. However, spiritual truths, timeless and eternal, simply do not lend themselves to such an approach.

"What must I do to be saved?" The belief of much of Modern Christianity today is that this is the purpose of the Gospels --- that they are an answer to an individual quest for salvation. That is what I was taught in the private Christian school I attended as a young lad. However, Fr. Stephen points out that, in Jesus Christ's time, the term "gospel" had implications beyond the individual. For example, after the Battle of Actium, Caesar Augustus sent heralds with "gospels", proclaiming his ascendancy --- and a corollary being of that being that supporting him would yield benefits to all in society acceding to his reign and dominion.

From this perspective, the term "gospel" would have relayed several implicit messages from the ruler via the herald to the subjects --- that there is a newer, better leader in charge, that he expects them to acknowledge him as such and not rebel, and the implication that such a leader had divine qualities. No one in the time of Christ would have expected the herald of a gospel to approach a man on the street and say, "Do you have a moment to talk about what Augustus Caesar can do for your life?"

So, clearly, Fr. Andrew shows that modern usage and understanding of the term "gospel" is one that's off base --- far from an individual message or a self-help vehicle, the Gospel of Christ is a proclamation that there is a new ruler who's overcome his adversaries and replaced His predecessors. What are those? Sin, death, and rule by the demonic realm.

He then proceeds to show how Jesus Christ was and how He has overcome these.

Although I think highly of Fr. Andrew's points, I did find one point on pg. 70 (Chapter "Who is Jesus Christ?") where he claims that, if one asked a Jew from Old Testament times how many persons he worshiped, you'd be surprised if he did not reply "One". I've never heard that anywhere from any other Christian or Jewish writer I've read before --- so I do find that point questionable. In context of the chapter, he seems to be making the point that, because God did appear to Israelites in various forms such as the column of cloud and fire in Exodus or elsewhere as the "Angel of the Lord", yet was understood to be omnipresent, they explicitly understood the Godhead as being 2 or even 3 persons. I'm not sure that's historically accurate --- I'd be interested to hear what scholars of Ancient Hebrew/Jewish theological beliefs would say on that point. I don't that this issue takes away from the overall points that Fr. Andrew is trying to make, nor, from reading the rest of the book, do I have any doubts that he believes in accordance with Orthodox Church teaching on the Trinity.

In the final part of the book, he gets to the issue of what being "saved" means. More that acceptance of a deal from a marketing approach or from a simple profession of "having faith" or simply believing, he makes the point that salvation is a daily act of devotion, action, and loyalty to the new ruler, Jesus Christ --- that which keeps us in the New Covenant between God and man. That means turning away from the unrepentant nature of demons incapable of nothing but rebellion against God, and using this life to actively affirm a new nature that is ever growing closer in relationship with God. To that end, he finally makes that the case that the beginning of this lifelong process is repentance, turning to God, seeking baptism in His Church, and living the life of the Church to that end --- not as a means of what it can do for oneself, but for the purpose of serving God, being on His side, serving Him, and being faithful to the end of one's time in this life.

It's an interesting book --- bold, brief, concise, interesting. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Christianity or learning about the historical context of the Gospels.

[Andrew Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christ the Conqueror

What an incredible book that encapsulates the true message and mission of Christ and therefore Christians alike: 1. Slay Demons 2.Conquer Death 3. Defeat Sin as the title clearly states. Fr. Damick is helping to truly re-enchant our world with content like this and the Lord of Spirits podcast which I highly recommend. Praise be to God people like Damick, De Young, Pageau and others are leading a Christian revival that are leading people like me (once a former heathen & atheist) into the Orthodox Church.

[Max Berendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Review to follow

[Kenji · Rating 4 out of 5]

tldr: the Eastern Orthodox view of the Gospel, or a fear/power view of the gospel (as opposed to honor/shame or guilt/innocence perspectives)

The word "gospel" is understood now through the lens of 2000 years of church history. But the word "gospel" already had a meaning prior to writing of the new testament. It then stand to reason that in order to know what "the gospel" is, it is important to know what "a gospel" is. That is the premise of this book.

A gospel, according to Damick, is a proclamation of military victory and an announcement of the new rule (in the context of Roman colonialism). The Christian gospel, according to Damick, is Jesus' victory over the demonic realm, the curse of sin, and death itself. The proper response to the Christian gospel is repentance.
As someone who comes from a faith tradition that highly emphasized the penal substitutionary view of atonement, the concepts in this book were fairly new to me and took time to digest. It gave me another frame by which to understand the metanarrative of the Bible. Quite frankly, this frame seemed to give context for many of the strange verses, especially in the old testament, that other views of the gospel and atonement seem to ignore, especially the verses that allude to but do not explain the activities of the demonic/angelic world.

I probably ought to read this book a few more times to let the ideas sink in. Fortunately, it is short enough to do that. I don't think it would be wise to consider this view of the gospel as a replacement to one's understanding of the gospel as much as I think it would be helpful to hold this as an additional way to understand the gospel. I am looking forward to continue to study the old testament with this fresh framework to see if it fits.

[John Coatney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully concise yet thorough and powerful description of the Gospel of Christ. It is in large part not what you probably think it is. It is more, and it is told in a way that we Christians in the West aren't accustomed to hearing about the Gospel. It is refreshing and inspiring. It exceeded my expectations, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about (or teaching on) the Orthodox Christian understanding of the Gospel.

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book/gospel presentation. The author does a great job setting the context for what a gospel was in the ancient world. This sets the stage for what it means regarding Christ.

A gospel essentially has 3 components: Who is being proclaimed? What have they done? What is the expected response? Fr. Andrew walks the reader through what a gospel proclamation would have looked like for someone like Augustus Caesar and then explains who Jesus is (the Anointed One as foretold by the prophets), what He did (defeated sin, death, and the devil), and what is required of man in response (repent, for the Kingdom is at hand!).

A harold preaches the gospel. Now that this is true, you can either align with the new King and His order, or you can rebel against reality. It isn't a proclamation of an opinion, but that a new King and Kingdom has arrived, so things are changing. Faith is loyalty to the King. It isn't mere belief, but is actual faithfulness.

So much good stuff in this little book. I highly recommend!

[Marc Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to a Christian monotheist who reads in Deuteronomy 10:17 that “God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”? Read this book to find out. I was surprised which says more about my ignorance and assumptions than anything else.

It’s an excellent and highly readable non-scholarly book. Almost no polemic. I don’t think there’s anything a Roman Catholic would object to here. Of course Damick is an Orthodox priest so he doesn’t hide that he believes everyone should be Orthodox if possible but what kind of a priest would he be if he didn’t think that?

Some Protestants might be put off by his explanation of how the Greek word “pistis” is regularly translated as “faith” when in many cases he argues it makes more sense, both grammatically and contextually, to translate it as “faithfulness.” This is a small part of of the book even though it’s an important point. For a Protestant perspective on this that agrees in part one could read N.T. Wright’s many books on Paul.

Either way this presents no problem for Catholic or Orthodox readers and I hope Protestants would not be overly put off by it because almost all Christians, Catholic, Orthodox, and, Protestant would learn a lot about the spiritual world, which is as real as the material world, Jesus entered into and in which we still live even if we rarely think about it or notice it.

[Aard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and short exposition of what the Gospel actually is (aka not a synonym for something vaguely Christian)

[Dylan Stinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

[Ian DeVaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply one of the greatest expositions of the Gospel that I have read.
In this book, Father Andrew clearly and precisely articulates many of the finer points of the Gospel, and not only that, but he does so in a manner and style that is both succinct and easy to understand. I write this as a Protestant Christian with a multi-denominational background, who has spent my entire life being taught and studying the Word, both in my personal life and upbringing and at the college level.
One of the things that I loved about this book is how Father Andrew firmly contextualizes the Gospel within a historical framework, which adds both depth and weight to its articulation. While I had a knowledge of many of the points that he addresses, particularly in terms of the historical context of the Gospel, I cannot say that I have every heard anyone articulate all of them together in one book or in one sermon. They were pieces of information that I had collected from my life of learning thus far. As I was reading the book, there were several moments in which I felt many dots were being connected for me in terms of points of Scriptural knowledge that I had acquired but never fully connected with each other.

While Father Andrew does make reference to some uniquely Orthodox perspectives (references to Eucharist, catechesis, etc.), these are generally not the main points of the text per say, and I believe that most of what he writes could be accepted by any follower of Christ, Orthodox, Protestant, or Catholic. What Father Andrew presents here is a succinct summary of the Gospel, which happens to be written from his personal perspective. This perspective is a little more evident in the final chapter of the book, although he does not take time to make any lengthy defense or articulation of his specifically Orthodox views - he simply states them, leaving the reader to consider them as they will.

Some Protestants may take issue with Father Andrew's conflation of "faith" with "faithfulness", although I believe that he qualifies his perspective relatively well. Essentially, his argument is that faith and repentance are demonstrated by action and an actual life change, which no believer should have strong objection to if they have read the book of James.

While I truthfully wish that Father Andrew would have spent more time articulating some of his points, I believe that his book accomplishes its purpose, being that it is a brief and readable exposition of the Gospel in which he covers a great deal of ground, perhaps more effectively than any author that I have read.
I do wish that he had taken more time to expound upon the Orthodox perspective of theosis and deification though, which amounts to their view on sanctification. In my understanding, theosis/deification is essentially the Orthodox perspective in which sanctification (being conformed into the image of God) and salvation (being saved) are intrinsically tied together.
Personally, I hope that Father Andrew writes a second book in which he deals with those subjects and others at length, although I understand that he has written other books, so perhaps I just need to read those in order to find what I am looking for.

Altogether, I would highly recommend this book for anyone, whether they are a lifelong follower of Christ, a skeptic, a new convert, or a theology student. Regardless of one's personal background, I believe that they will find this book illuminating.

[Rebekah Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised by this little book. I'm not a huge fan of Fr. Andrew Stephen generally (I cannot stand the banter on his podcasts) but this was him at his best. Very concise yet there were such depths sounded in this little book. With six chapters it would be great to read with a group during lent, one chapter each week.

[Clifton D. Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the at once most succinct presentation of the Gospel, and the most full. I am grateful that Fr Andrew demolished the idea of the presentation of the Gospel as a sales pitch. I am even more grateful that he restored the understanding of the proclamation of the Gospel as a word of power and a word expressing the in-breaking of the kingdom of God to our lives.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook.

Fr. Andrew does an excellent job narrating his work. Not all authors are the best choice to be audiobook readers, but Fr. Andrew definitely is!

I have had many occasions to offer resources to skeptical western Christians who want to understand what their family member sees in the Orthodox Church. I frequently recommend the Lord of Spirits podcast which Fr. Andrew co-hosts, but I know hours and hours of podcast can be a deal breaker for many.

I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. It wasn’t really on my radar. Perhaps I overlooked it because I didn’t realize it is actually just what I have been looking for for such seeking friends.

What a beautiful and concise presentation of the gospel! Without too many direct comparisons, Fr. Andrew lays out the gospel the apostles proclaimed from the beginning and the gospel the Orthodox Church shares to this day.

I highly recommend this to anyone who isn’t quite sure what is unique about the way the Orthodox Church views the work of Christ. For those who might say, “why the Orthodox Church instead of my current church? I don’t need/want the smells, bells, and icons. I’m fine where I’m at.” The answer isn’t what you might notice is different about the church building, the music, or anything else you might perceive with your senses. It’s the gospel!

I particularly liked the section on Christ’s bodily flesh and blood resurrection. Forgive any formatting mistakes, but what my ears heard in the middle of chapter 4 made me skip back several times so I could listen again.

“When Jesus rose from the dead it wasn't some ethereal, spiritual experience. We mean that the heart that had stopped beating began pumping blood again. That the soul that had descended into hades was put back in his body. That the lungs that had stopped breathing air suddenly inhaled once again.

The God-Man who had nails stuck through his hands and feet, and a spear stuck into his side, who cried out with a loud voice, bowed his head, and then gave up his spirit. That God-man, who had been crucified like a thief, walked out of his tomb on the two legs that had formed when he was growing in the womb of his mother, the Virgin Mary.

His resurrected body functioned differently than before, for sure, but it was still his own body, and he was still the same Jesus. And the tomb is empty.”

The two legs that had formed when he was growing in the womb of his mother. That struck me as so unexpected, so real, so earthy. It made me think of my own children’s little legs and how they have grown.

Of course, the true, in-the-flesh resurrection of Jesus isn’t an unfamiliar concept to small-‘o’ orthodox Christians. But the Orthodox reason for his death and the work accomplished by it probably is.

I recommend this for all Christians, but especially those with a reason to wonder about the Orthodox Church. If you happen to pick up the audiobook, the passage in chapter 4 and the way Fr. Andrew reads it is very powerful.

[Nathaniel Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a “gospel?” With this surprising question Fr. Andrew Damick opens his short account. And if we hadn’t thought to ask (even amid much sound and fury about “what is the gospel?”), then it would do us good to hear that the word had a pre-Christian pedigree, even in the pagan world. This little book is a wonderfully accessible and concise explanation of what the Christian gospel is and what it requires of us. If you are not Orthodox, and perhaps even if you are, there will be a few surprises in here. I had never thought of the gospel as having much to do with angels until listening to his brilliant Lord of Spirits podcast (with co-host Fr. Stephen DeYoung). Like that trove of arcane knowledge, Arise, O God includes the angelic dimension of the gospel, and the effect is enriching. Likewise, if you’ve heard only a traditional protestant view of “The Fall,” then you may be in for a jolt at the idea of not one, but three Falls of Man (yes, right there in the Bible). I found his explanations for these sorts of things leaving me, strangely, both satisfied and also wanting to hear more.

This is the kind of book you could give a friend who is interested in Christianity but doesn’t need to be inundated with information or processed clichés. But read it for yourself first. It’s a gem.

“‘Arise, O God, judge the earth, for to Thee belong all the nations!’ The defeat of the rebellion has begun, and God’s authority over all the earth is being renewed.”

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the Orthodox Christian view of the meaning of the Gospels and how it differs from other branches of Christianity.

[Hannah Fleace · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible, convicting, and beautiful explanation of the Gospel and Christ’s victory. Just, wow.

[Erica Visocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child of protestantism, my education of the bible, the gospel, was not deep. In fact, it was utterly shallow. So when I came into the church, it was as if the gospel came alive. When I walk into an Orthodox church, it feels as if I’m walking through history, I’m surrounded by the saints and relics of the gospel, and actually come face to face with the story of Christ on the iconostasis. It’s rich, deep, and whole.
15 years later, I still find that I am always absorbing more. Arise, O God by Father Andrew Stephen Damick brings to life the realities behind the events and people of the gospel, enlightening us to the purpose behind what we believe. He takes the time to break down what the gospel is, why we have it, who Jesus is, what He did, and what He expects of us. Things that I never even wondered “why” or “how” about are now clear. It's amazing how we can gloss over so many things.
Arise, O God contradicted a lot of things that I used to believe as a protestant, like that humans become angels when we go to heaven. It was a bit shocking as a catechumen, but I gradually learned it as a truth. Why is it? Well, as Fr. Damick teaches humans are a completely different species of being than angels. As we read in the scriptures, angels are not the sweet little cherubs that we think of, but appear in different forms and can be quite odd looking with six wings, many eyes, etc. Fallen angelic beings unfortunately stay fallen, yet God gave us the gift of mortality so that we can repent and return to Him.
This book is an important read for EVERY Christian. I would also suggest that especially Orthodox Christians should revisit it every once in a while as a refresher, a pep talk, and a reminder of the gift God has given us. We need to be sure that we are keeping the knowledge of Christ’s victory and our destiny fresh for ourselves as well as our families, neighbors, and communities.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, comprehensive, and to the point.

[Christopher Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book with a concise clear presentation of the Gospel.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent $30, so I was expecting a full size book. What arrived was almost pocket-sized (as tall as my hand is long).

I shelved my disappointment long enough to read the book, and appreciated the author's clear style. The content is stunning, illuminating, and deeply refreshing to this disenchanted Protestant. The gospel without a sales pitch? Now that's interesting. I really do recommend the content of this book. I think, if embraced, it would transform the Protestant church in radical ways. I will be thinking on it for some time.

A few criticisms. The thesis begged for evidence. There were no citations. Supposedly, this is because the author is merely summarizing what is plainly known in his own church tradition. But since the book seems to be aimed at those unfamiliar with the tradition, citations would have been helpful for making the case.

Second, I am currently reading Dr. Michael Heiser's book called "The Unseen Realm", which essentially makes the same arguments as Andrew's book, but does so with a litany of scholarly citations and biblical textual proofs. It was published in 2015. I find it a remarkable convergence that Heiser's scholarly work aligns so well with Damick's "traditional Orthodox" views of the gospel. I know Heiser didn't plagiarize, because every second sentence has a citation, and his work has passed peer review. I would like to have some of the same assurances about Damick's work. At the very least, I hope future printings of Damick's book can acknowledge the sources of the ideas presented.

Third, I often found myself wondering which of the 3 points we were discussing. The book doesn't clearly delineate among the demons, sin, and death segments. At least not clearly enough that this tired reader could distinguish among them without leafing forward and backward a few times

Finally, I appreciate where Damick is coming from in trying to win over some newcomers. As part of his target audience (an evangelical seeking for something more), I would appreciate a slightly different tone when reading about his interpretations of my theological starting points. I understand he was raised in evangelicalism, and it feels like he is still a bit bitter about it. He presents "his" gospel in contrast to "mine", and a bit more grace would be appreciated.

The content of this book is worth the steep pricetag and above quibbles. I will be thinking about the content for some time, and for those interested, I recommend Dr. Heiser's more detailed analysis of the same topic.

[w gall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very clear, very enlightening- in a certain way. This book helped me to further distance myself from the vestiges of the centrality of substitutionary atonement paradigm that persist in my thoughts. I have doubts about the claim that a first century Judean would have said he worshipped two or three gods. Why then did Jesus begin with the Shema when answering the lawyer about the greatest commandment? I also wish that Fr. Andrew would have explained how the Cross relates to this understanding of Christ's victory, given it's large place in the New Testament, especially in the writings of St. Paul.

[Brad Dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinct, strong, simple. And yet not ideas you’ll come across in most of the non-Orthodox church. These past two years I’ve felt great frustration in the realization that the Western Church has neglected the spiritual warfare aspects of the gospel and Kingdom’s coming. In this book, that negligence is undone. Though some Orthodox ideas within don’t fall in line with my own theological convictions — in the last 1/4th of the book, mostly — this book is nearly exactly what I’ve been wanting as I try to build resources that help others in realizing the true nature of the gospel. This is a short read but one that can save a life.

[Joshua Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dope AF, best summary of Orthodox soteriology

[Julio Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un buen libro, en armonía con autores que admiro, como Wright y Heiser (aunque no se si lo haya leído) y muy importante: desde una la ortodoxia.

[Alex of Yoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per recommendation and as part of my goal to read all of Fr. Andrew's published works, I have finished this short but very important read detailing what is "the gospel" aka the core of the Christian message to the world. Long story short: it's not what most Americans think it is.

Fr. Andrew's book gives a fantastic introduction to the Christian "gospel". It's a term we've all heard, but what does it really mean? Where did it come from? Who is Jesus and why should we care? What is Christianity truly teaching about God, the world, humanity, and our response to this "good news"? We've grown accustomed to seeing "the gospel" as a sort of religious "sales pitch" or "judgement statement". Fr. Andrew rejects this mentality and makes the case that most Americans have missed out on what exactly their faith is about. It's way deeper and cosmic than we could have imagined.

Where was this book when I was a catechumen?! Seriously, making the switch from evangelical Protestant to Eastern Orthodox required a ton of mental gymnastics and feeling like I had missed something vital somewhere on my faith journey. This was it! This book is so clear, concise, and easy to read, and yet it is able to communicate and unravel the misconceptions I had been taught and give a proper framework for what exactly, according to the ancients, the Christian message really is and what it's asking people to do and what Jesus really accomplished on our behalf (and why we should care). It pulls in careful study of the Scriptures, the ancient Jewish and Roman world in which they were written, and language and history in order to present a point by point explanation of the faith. While it's written for anyone (even non-Christians), it's very much so the lynchpin of Orthodox theology and should, therefore, be a must-read for anyone considering joining the Church.

My only complaint is that I feel it's too short! I would've loved more explanation on some of the points and a deeper look at how all of this affects the modern life. I understand wanting to keep things simple and concise for the average joe, but so much was so new and different from popular Protestant teaching, that I would've loved to have it expounded upon just a little further. Still, I think the point of it is to lead one to exploring more if they're intrigued by what they read and not to be exhaustive, but a few more pages wouldn't have hurt (in my opinion).

Overall, I absolutely recommend this is anyone with any interest in Christianity or Orthodoxy, especially new converts. This would be the perfect read for a catechumen class as well, since then they could read and ask questions of the priest who could then go deeper on the points and clarify Fr. Andrew's points. Definitely give this book a try. It's easy to read, short, and immensely informative.

[logankstewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend bought and gave me this book. I’d never heard of it or the author before.

This book takes an Eastern Orthodox perspective and examines the gospel. Historically we look what the word means and how it was used in antiquity. Then we take the same logic to Christ and the Gospel.

I am not Eastern Orthodox and had some major contention with interpretation and application of various verses (specifically Psalm 82 and Genesis XX). The author is making a claim that part of the main reason Jesus came was to put aright demonic influence, that mankind had been under the sway of demons since almost the beginning, and that mankind is still at war with them. I’m this life you either align yourself with Jesus or you join the side of the demons. And this is a continual choice of every person for the rest of their lives.

I would argue that Colossians 2:15 shows that Jesus “disarmed” the demons through the cross. He triumphed over them. They are now in open shame, powerless over believers, and we in Christ have no fear of falling under their sway. (I might would go so far to say that this applies even to non-believers, but on that point I’m not sure where I land yet.)

As to the day to day living in the battle lines, I don’t necessarily disagree with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick. We are in battle. The battle is against sin and the flesh, against our own desires and hearts. At the beginning Man fell under sway and disobeyed God. But our every sin after this can’t be blamed on demons. We have free choice. And we’re screwed up enough on our own that we don’t need help for failure. “The heart is deceitful above all things” it says in Jeremiah 17:9.

Overall I found the historical view of the word “gospel” the most interesting piece of this book, and I wholeheartedly support the author’s view on the absurdity of the sales-pitch gospel message that defines so much of modern Christianity today.

Jesus is real. He died for our sins in accordance with Scriptures. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. He appeared to Peter and the other apostles and to James and to more than 500 people and to Paul. He’s alive today still, right now. And this changes everything, from demonic influence to fixing my own personal sins. And he gives this grace to all who believe.

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fr Damick offers the book for the non-believer or those just being introduced to Christianity to help them understand the basic premises of Christianity: the Gospel, sin, repentance and resurrection. He offers what he says he is offering. The book may be a good read for those in his target audience as long as they do read the bible "literally" with the help of Church tradition. So, for example angels and demons play a big role in his thinking, but some of that is read into Scripture by later tradition as the bible itself doesn't explain everything about the spirit world but before the modern era many attributed much of what happens in the world to various spirits, good or evil. Again it seems as if the omnipotent an omniscient God feels threatened by His creatures.
Damick says the story of the tower of Babel is one of his favorite lessons from Scripture, but I have to admit I find it one of the most troubling bible stories as it makes God look rather petty and even silly. The omnipotent God is somehow threatened by misguided human hubris. Had God done nothing, humans would have discovered they are not capable of reaching heaven by building a tower and would have dispersed. God for unknown reasons in the story is fearful and then vengeful. Additionally, the end of the story is humans are all incapable of communicating with each other which would seem to imply that this is God's will for us on earth and all our wars, misunderstandings, prejudices, failures to communicate, partisanship, polarities and divisions are in fact what God wants for humanity.
My last criticism would be that though Damick presents Christ as conquering death, Satan, demons and Hades, yet demons seem to continue to have the run of the things in the lives of most people including Christians. It is a bit difficult to understand Christ's 'victory' if in fact everyone is still under the power of sin and Satan.

[Jonathan Friess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Einer seiner Hauptpunkt ist, dass das Evangelium keineswegs ein "Angebot" ist, und schon gar nicht etwas im Stile eines Werbe-Slogans (Du hast hier ein Problem, wir haben dir eine Lösung, sag Ja zu unserer Lösung). Vielmehr ist das Evangelium die Nachricht: Ein König ist gekommen, er hat den Sieg errungen und er hat ein Königreich aufgerichtet! (Dem kann man sich anschließen (durch Glaube, Busse und Taufe oder dem kann man sich widersetzen und muss dann mit den Konsequenzen leben.) Das verdeutlicht dieses Buch sehr gut.
Der Sieg Jesu ist, so schreibt Damick weiter, über drei Elemente: über Dämonen, Sünde und Tod. Auf alle drei Elemente (nicht nur bloss auf die Sünde) geht er ein, denn alle müssen ausgeführt werden, um dem Evangelium gerecht zu werden. Er breitet dazu viele historische Begebenheiten aus und durchwandert die Geschichte der ganzen Bibel. Die außerbiblischen Quellen nehmen dabei viel Raum ein, was sehr bereichernd ist (und ein klein wenig das sola scriptura verletzt, vielleicht zurecht... :o ).
Es bleibt aber vieles Unbeantwortet. Er sagt, dass es wichtig ist, dass Jesus auferstanden ist und dass die drei Elemente besiegt werden, aber er erklärt nicht, wie das geschah und was das nun bedeutet (z.B. was genau hat sich jetzt bezüglich den Dämonen geändert??? Wie ist in der Auferstehung der Tod besiegt worden?) Hier wären ein paar Erklärungen mehr hilfreich gewesen, anstelle der langen Ausführungen über die Umwelt der Bibel...
Das Buch ist sehr kurz und vor allem an Nichtchristen gerichtet. Lesenswert ist das es trotzdem für alle, denn es sensibilisiert für die Thematik: Jesus ist nicht allein Sühneopfer, sondern vor allem Sieger; und das Evangelium ist nicht, "was Jesus für dein Leben tun kann," sondern was Er kosmosweit getan hat.
Ps. Das Youtubevideo "Arise O God - A Cosmic Vision of the Gospel | with Fr. Andrew Damick" ist eine gute Zusammenfassung.

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a shout of joy coming from the weary troops as they see their enemy flee, like a trumpet blast announcing the glory of the king, like a song rising up from a people rescued from their captives, comes this book and its summary of the Gospel. Short like the examples just given, similarly clear with its message, and in the same way, exactly what the recipients know, need, and recognize, this book presents the whole picture of the Gospel — who God is, what He has done for us, and how we can participate in this Greatest of all Good News.

That being said, this book is not a market-driven mega-church sales-pitch presentation. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” “Jesus died so you don’t have to.” “God’s wrath will be poured out on all the unrepentant sinners.” Yes, yes, and yes, but how do those statements actually relate and support each other? With a simplistic understanding of the Gospel — taking any one of those statements as the core “problem” and building one’s theory of salvation upon it — the resulting “gospel message” is incoherent, liable to factious divisions, and ultimately not like the true Water of Life that can slake the soul’s everlasting thirst.

This book takes the full picture of the Gospel and presents it, fully rounded out and complete, in a way that anyone and everyone can understand it and respond to it. The Enemies of mankind — death, sins, devils — have been utterly defeated, you are invited to join God’s victory — routing out the final vestiges of their effects, and the eternal plan for mankind is more glorious than you can imagine — ruling on a throne only angelic bodies are fit to withstand.

Highly recommended for new students, old students, groups or individuals, Christians or not, basically anyone who speaks English and wants to hear the music of the Good Spell and harness its power.