About this item
Highlights
- The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards winner"Do they really pray to icons?
- About the Author: James R. Payton Jr. (Ph.D., University of Waterloo, Canada) is a professor of history at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario.
- 240 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christianity
Description
About the Book
James R. Payton, Jr. introduces us to Eastern Orthodox history, theology and practice. For all readers interested in ancient ecumenical Christian theology and spirituality, this book is especially open and sympathetic to what evangelicals can learn from orthodoxy.
Book Synopsis
The Word Guild 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 250 million adherents worldwide. What's more, a steady stream of evangelical Christians has been entering the Orthodox Church in recent decades. Isn't it time we gained a deeper understanding of Orthodoxy?
In Light from the Christian East, James Payton gives us just that. With a sympathetic eye and even hand, he ushers readers into the world of Orthodox Christianity--its history, theology and religious practices. In doing so, he clears away the confusion and misunderstandings that often prevent non-Orthodox Christians from fully appreciating the riches of this ancient tradition. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Orthodox Christianity.
Review Quotes
"Light From the Christian East can illuminate the pathway of our Christian pilgrimage and help us better recognize how to journey through this life to the hope set before us."
--Ed Harris in Criswell Theological Review, Spring 2008"For anyone interested in learning more about Eastern Orthodoxy, James R. Payton, Jr. leads his reader on an informative tour through the theology and practices of this tradition. Payton deeply appreciates what he finds in the Orthodox tradition and urges his Western readers to do the same."
--Calvin Theological Journal, April 2010"For Evangelicals interested in understanding Orthodoxy, Payton's book is an excellent study, it will also give many a better idea of how outsides might look at our own faith."
--Faith Today, Nov/Dec 2007"James Payton has combined his thorough familiarity with Eastern Orthodoxy--her history, theology and practice--with a gracious and respectful sensibility, and produced a book that is inviting, accessible and more content-rich than an introductory work is expected to be. Light from the Christian East is an excellent book."
--Frederica Mathewes-Green, author of The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation"Payton provides a sympathetic introduction to Orthodox theology for Western Christians, especially Protestants. His aim is not merely to inform, but also to enrich and deepen Western theological traditions and faith practices."
--Amy Plantinga Pauw, Christian Century, May 6, 2008About the Author
James R. Payton Jr. (Ph.D., University of Waterloo, Canada) is a professor of history at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario. He has studied and been in dialogue with Eastern Orthodoxy for many years, and has lectured and written extensively on Orthodoxy and Protestant-Orthodox relations. He is president of Christians Associated for Relationships with Eastern Europe.