The book above is found either on Amazon here or from Wipf and Stock Publishers here. This book contains great authors, such as Fr. John Whiteford, Dr. Eugenia Constantinou, Mother Melania, etc. Twenty-one authors have come together to address a variety of topics in Christianity from an Eastern viewpoint. The purpose is to explain to the Western reader how the Eastern Church thinks. A comment on Amazon says:
“Forget the English word “apology” when you hear talk of Christian apologetics. Apologia in classical times had nothing to do with saying, “I’m sorry.” Rather, it points to the legal proceeding where reasoned arguments, supported by sound evidence, are intended to produce compelling proofs and yield a favorable judgment.
Christianity has always valued good apologetics, but today there is an even greater need. The apostolic faith is being challenged on every possible front. Secularists, atheists, statists, and fundamentalists, as well as free-thinkers and libertines of all persuasions, take shots at us every hour of every day, especially in social media. And many of the pious Orthodox who nominate themselves as internet apologists prove to be uncharitably combative and shallowly catechized, a hazard to themselves and others.
This is precisely where Dr. Azarvan’s volume proves its value. His assembly of twenty-one short essays from a variety of priests, monastics, and academics strikes a proper tone of “pastoral theology” (much in the style we hear from Pope Francis) tempered by academic depth and thoughtfulness. Many of the essayists will be familiar from Orthodox books of recent vintage (Dr. Kyriacos Markides, Fr. Lawrence Farley, Mother Melania, Dr. David Ford, and Fr. (Dr.) Josiah Trenham) and podcasts, blogs, and Facebook feeds (Fr. Jonathan Tobias, Dr. Eugenia Constantinou, Fr. John Whiteford, and Dr. Robert Arakaki).”
The review goes on for a while, but it gives you an idea of what is found in the volume. While the cover lists Dr. Amir Azarvan, he is actually the general editor of this compendium. I must admit to being one of the authors, and I quite enjoyed working on my part of it. Dr. Azarvan constantly challenged me to think my part through in a clear, concise, and understandable manner. I suspect that he did the same with others as well.
Part of the charge that we were given was to strike a difficult balancing act. Dr. Azarvan wanted us to write a volume that was written at a level that a non-scholar could read and profit from, but also written with sufficient scholarly references that a scholar could follow our thought and see some supporting documentation. It was a very interesting challenge.
I invite you to buy this volume. Recommend it to your friends. I believe that it has a worthwhile place in your library.
Very important note: Dr. Azarvan just wrote me and reminded me of a most important fact. He and I both graduated from Kent State University. Go Golden Flashes!
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