Light from the Christian East

Light from the Christian East
By James Payton

After reading it through and having discussed it with friends who have read it, I would rank this book as in the top 6 of introductions to Orthodoxy for Protestants. This is also something of a primer on Protestant theology, so it serves a double function. I recall from my Lutheran days being shocked at the "Catholic" side of the tradition, being raised in a rather romaphobic parish and school. This book would have helped me gain a better perspective of both my own Protestant position and that of the more authentic/established/universal Tradition. It gets into some deep waters. True, it is intended as a college textbook and is based upon the author's lecture notes (who is Protestant), but it may be a little too much for Protestants who are used to guitars, clowns and mimes in church. Even so, if you are seriously thinking about these issues, this would be a good place to start to wade into the deep end of the ocean and away from shore (once you begin to realize that your theological sandcastles were never meant to resist the tide of historical truth, perhaps, as it was for me).

He covers almost all of the bases in a very clear and sympathetic manner. Other books of interest may include the outstanding Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for the American Christian, the mroe aggressive Dancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religion, the brief but direct Discovering the Rich Heritage of Orthodoxy, the solid duo Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious ProtestantsTradition, Scripture, and Interpretation: A Sourcebook of the Ancient Church (Evangelical Ressourcement: Ancient Sources for the Church's Future), and the two profound introductions to the spirituality of the Eastern tradition, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality and Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father : Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father. Of course, The Orthodox Way is a classic standard.