Orthodox Theology

Understanding Christian Denominations: A Guide to Doctrines, Worship, and Beliefs Across the Church Are you curious about the real differences between Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and the many branches of Protestantism? Do you want a clear, concise guide to how Christians around the world understand salvation, scripture, sacraments, and worship? This comprehensive and reader-friendly book breaks down the complex world of Christian denominations—without bias, jargon, or theological confusion. Understanding Christian Denominations explores the key beliefs, practices, and structures that define ...

He lived in a time when ideas could spark revolutions—or get you exiled. John of Damascus chose to write anyway. In a world split by empires, threatened by heresy, and shadowed by the rise of Islam, he didn’t retreat. He answered with logic, clarity, and conviction. And what he wrote still shapes how Christians worship, think, and speak about God today. He defended icons when the Church was ready to destroy them. He explained the Trinity in words so precise they’re still used in catechisms. He bridged Greek philosophy with Christian faith—centuries before the West caught up. He ...

Why are you drawn to Kabbalah? Are you a beginner trying to understand what Kabbalah can do for you? Are you trying to understand Jewish mysticism? Are you confused about what Kabbalah is and is not? Are you looking for answers to some of life’s deepest questions? Are you seeking a deeper connection with the Divine?Explore the mystical teachings of Kabbalah in this book designed to guide the beginner or the confused. Whether you seek personal growth or a deeper understanding of the universe, this book is your gateway to the life-changing secrets of Kabbalah. Start your journey now.

Unlock the mysteries of a faith that has guided hearts and minds for centuries. Serbian Orthodox Church for Beginners: Rituals, Saints, and Sacred Spaces is your ultimate guide to the rich traditions, spiritual practices, and inspiring history of Serbian Orthodoxy. Dive into the essence of a timeless tradition: Experience the Meaning of Rituals: Explore the significance behind sacred practices like the Divine Liturgy, Slava celebrations, and fasting periods, and how they shape the lives of believers. Connect with Inspiring Saints: Learn about Saint Sava and other pivotal figures whose faith...

The Bible reveals glorious things. And yet we often miss its power because we read it the same way we read any other book. In Reading the Bible Supernaturally, best-selling author John Piper teaches us how to read the Bible in light of its divine author. In doing so, he highlights the Bible's unique ability to reveal God to humanity in a way that informs our minds, transforms our hearts, and ignites our love.

Best-selling author and national radio host Dr. Andrew Farley is known to challenge legalistic and lifeless interpretations with his discerning take on controversial scriptures. In Twisted Scripture, Andrew skewers sacred cows and shatters destructive lies, bringing the undiluted truth about God's love and grace in a colorful and conversational look at the most controversial passages in the New Testament.

Deeply rooted in Christian tradition, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are poignant meditations on spirituality, often used in retreats to facilitate spiritual growth. Since its inception in 1524, countless Christians have been invigorated and challenged by these exercises, as their heads, and minds, have been opened to God's will.

The saints, the heroes of the Roman Catholic faith, lived lives of holiness, dedicated to serving God. The saints lived at different times in different places throughout history, but they all shared a love of God that has been documented through the teachings of the Church. Today, the saints serve as examples for all Catholics, showing the believers how to lead a more spiritual life. Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals and practices of worship or in honour of the saints that are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church.

This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

FAIRACRES PUBLICTIONS 212 Wendy Robinson (1934–2013) was a trained psychotherapist who became a member of the Russian Orthodox Church in England in 1980. To be able to combine these two vocations was, for her, to discover herself. She practised psychotherapy both with individual clients and, increasingly, with religious communities, both Catholic and Anglican, giving retreats and one-to-one counselling, and built up a strong and lasting connection with the Sisters of the Love of God in Oxford. She reflected on her dual vocation in lectures and articles, a selection of which are published ...

Whether you're brand-new to the Bible or you grew up in the second pew, reading God’s Word can feel confusing or boring at times. Understanding it well seems to require reading it thoroughly (and even repeatedly), but who wants to read something they don't understand? If you've ever wanted to read through the Bible or even just wanted to want to read it, The Bible Recap is here to help. Following a chronological Bible reading plan, these recaps explain and connect the Old Testament and New Testament, section by section.

Confused by the overtly philosophical, wordy, and Biblically lacking treatises on the Trinity? Then this is for you. In The Image Of God by Samuel Garcia attempts to tackle one of the core doctrines of Christianity by paying attention to the ignored singular analogy of the Trinity in the Bible text itself: the trinity of man, and how it fits nicely with the traditional and current perception of the Trinity with little contradiction, yet confident in its assertion of the importance of rightly dividing the word of God and make solid statements about the Trinity that few dare make. The ...

Turning the other cheek does not mean standing by while the enemies of God dismantle Christian civilization and brainwash our children. Decrying the cowardice that masquerades as meekness, Eric Metaxas summons the Church to battle. An attenuated and unbiblical “faith” based on what Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace” has sapped the spiritual vitality of millions of Americans. Paying lip service to an insipid “evangelism,” they shrink from combating the evils of our time. Metaxas refutes the pernicious lie that fighting evil politicizes Christianity.

In this updated edition of the popular textbook An Introduction to the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann and Tod Linafelt introduce the listener to the broad theological scope of the Old Testament, treating some of the most important issues and methods in contemporary biblical interpretation. This clearly written textbook focuses on the literature of the Old Testament as it grew out of religious, political, and ideological contexts over many centuries in Israel's history.

The first six centuries of Christianity were colorful ones indeed. The early Church, as an extension of the Apostolic age, represents the living Bible which is practiced daily; it reveals biblical and heavenly thought. She also manifests her dogma, order, economy, and behavior as the bride of Christ and His ambassador in the world. The Church lived bearing the features of her crucified Christ, gladly and joyfully accepting persecution. These first six centuries were also characterized by councils, controversy, and heresy in the sincere quest for an understanding of the true faith. The ...

Ecstasy, or extasis, is the Greek term for trance, and is linked with a pleasurable, God-given state of out-of-body experience recorded throughout the New Testament and the church age. Starting with the apostles ecstatic experiences on Pentecost, the Book of Acts further records trances in the lives of Peter and Paul. From the early church to the Christian mystics of the Middle Ages and the famous revivalists of centuries present, God s movements on the Earth have always been marked by these supernatural experiences.

Alexandria was famous for its many schools long before Christianity became established in the city. By far the largest school was the "Museum," founded by Ptolemy and destined to become the most renowned school in the East. Other celebrated institutions were the "Serapeum" and the "Sebastion." Each of these three schools possessed its own enormous library. St. Jerome records that St. Mark himself founded the Christian School of Alexandria . The Holy Spirit inspired him to establish the school in order to teach Christianity since this was the only way to provide the new religion a solid ...

A man who has consciously and deliberately walked the path of Christ, John Shelby Spong has lived his entire life inside the Christian Church. In this profound and considered work, he offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today as he shows just how deeply Jewish the Christian Gospels are and how much they reflect the Jewish scriptures, history, and patterns of worship.

Regimen Books Christian Classics publishes high-quality texts of important books. They pay particular attention to textual editing to assure accuracy, and they emphasize a readable and attractive design. Each includes an informative, insightful introduction written by an expert. The Orthodox Faith includes a glossary of terms and of people. The authority of The Orthodox Faith has always been great among theologians of both the East and the West. It collects in a single work the opinions of the ancient writers scattered through many volumes, and then systematizes and connects them in a ...

To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into two camps - Catholic and Orthodox. However, as the second largest Christian denomination, Orthodox Christianity is anything but foreign to the nearly 300 million worshipers who practice it. For them, Orthodoxy is a living, breathing reality; a way of being Christian ultimately rooted in the person of Jesus and the experience of the early church.