Know the Faith: A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers

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by Fr. Michael Shanbour

Over the centuries since the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches, the two groups have diverged to the point that they often no longer understand each other’s vocabulary, let alone the fundamental concepts on which each faith is built. Know the Faith is an attempt to present Orthodox Christianity in a way Western Christians can understand, grounding each point in Scripture and patristic theology, with comparisons to what Catholics and Protestants believe. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian seeking to explain your faith to others or an inquirer into this ancient faith, Know the Faith will help you understand and communicate the Orthodox faith as never before.

About the Author: The Rev. Fr. Michael Shanbour is a lifelong Orthodox Christian and pastor of Three Hierarchs Orthodox Mission in Wenatchee, Washington. He received his M.Div. at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1989. He has been active in youth, camp, music, and Christian education ministries. Fr. Michael was ordained to the holy priesthood in 2001 and pastored mission parishes in Topeka, Kansas, and Spokane, Washington, before being assigned to Three Hierarchs. He is blessed to live in Wenatchee with his wife, Makrina, and son, Simeon.

Praise for Know the Faith

"I'm always on the lookout for the most helpful book for the many inquirers into Orthodox Christianity that come through my church's door. Fr. Michael's new book is an excellent resource in that it is creative, Biblical, Orthodox, well-argued, and a joy to read. If you take the Bible seriously, are interested in Orthodoxy and how it compares to other Christian groups, you need this book." -Fr. Noah Bushelli, Pastor, St. Philip Orthodox Church, Souderton, PA

"Know the Faith presents the Orthodox faith in a clear and easy-to-understand way, and goes a step further by dealing with the objections other Christians might lodge; yet perhaps it's greatest value comes from the extensive collections of quotations from the Scriptures and the Fathers supporting Orthodox faith and practice. This is the toolkit any Orthodox could use to respond to the questions and critiques of other Christians." -Frederica Mathewes-Green

"The best book of this kind I've ever read. With much confusion in the world about Christianity, this book in a loving way with patristic integrity explains the faith once delivered to the saints. This is a great book for the inquirer, catechumen, pastor or teacher." -Dn. Basil (Vasily) Hinkle, Holy Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church, Ellensburg, WA

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Author: Fr. Michael Shanbour

Publisher: Ancient Faith Publishing

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Fr. Michael Shanbour

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Product Reviews

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Helping to bridge the gap between East and West

Posted by David Jarman on Feb 23rd 2019

I have not yet finished reading this book (I am up to Chapter 9), but even so I wanted to compose this review because it has already been a very positive read. I heartily recommend anyone from a Protestant background curious about Orthodoxy to examine this book.

Speaking as a Lutheran enquirer into Orthodoxy, I have often found it hard to navigate the (at times enormous) differences in theological worldview between East and West, especially when it comes to certain loaded terms likes 'sanctification,' 'repentance,' and 'faith.'

This book does a great job of explaining the Orthodox understanding of various topics, while being sensitive to the cultural assumptions, history, and spiritual issues borne from and found within the Reformation, Protestantism and (by extension) the Roman Catholic church.

For me in particular, its explanation of God's grace in the Orthodox Tradition was very illuminating. In the past few years of haphazardly investigating Orthodoxy, I had often seen this (very different - to a Protestant) understanding of grace alluded to in various writings, but never truly presented in an approachable way as it is here. Or, at least, not in a way that made it 'click' for me as this book does.

I look forward to finishing it!