(Part 2) Best products from r/Catacombs

/u/unheeding has made an excellent suggestion. I really like how Macullough weaves in the Israelite history as essential to understanding the Christian history. If I might widen the variety here, however, if by only a little bit:

Justo Gonzalez is fantastic. He has a two volume, recently re-edited series on the history of Christianity called The Story of Christianity. Here's Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Gonzalez also has a short book that focuses on the history of Christianity through the development of doctrines called A Concise History of Christian Doctrine which, as far as I can gather is a much condensed version of the another three volume set that I've never read. Gonzalez is fun, approachable, and honestly a really good read.

I am also in the middle of Christianity: A Social and Cultural History and it is quite good so far, though I've not gotten into it quite so much as Gonzalez.

I am also in the middle of an Old Testament history book for my Hebrew Bible course called Understanding the Old Testament which has a really exciting philosophy of doing history and I'm really into it. This book has me at least as excited as Gonzalez, but Anderson's approach is a very responsible one which still evokes power and mystery revolving around the development of the Hebrew canon as well as those things that we simply cannot know, even if we can try to take a really good shot at it.

I hope this helps.

I sure can. Check out this book It's a great introduction to the Orthodox faith and it was written by a Western Christian (I think he's a Protestant but I'm not sure). It is, in my Orthodox opinion, a great introduction to some of the basic concepts of Orthodoxy as well as the similarities and differences between the traditions. It's also a pretty easy read as he doesn't get bogged down in any specific Orthodox ideas but rather gives a great overview and moves on. It's also available on Kindle if you have one.

I'm not, myself, but I have been mistaken for one several times and am immersed in the literature of that movement. That's about all I've got. I think liturgical_libertine at least flirts with the category if he doesn't embrace it, but I won't speak for him.

EDIT:
>I'm pretty sure most people would agree that the Christian religion is built upon theism

I just wanted to challenge this a bit. I understand that by "theism" you simply mean a belief in God, but there are some fascinating more or less orthodox theologians who refuse to be described as "theists." I would place Kierkegaard and Marion in this category. This is worked out very well in this book, which I highly recommend. He also mentions some anti-theists (not read: atheists) in the Jewish camp, notably one of my favorite theologians Franz Rosenzweig.

Pastor here. Are you thinking about ministry yourself? Are you reading for your own spiritual encouragement, or for equipping yourself?

Either way, here are some books I'd highly recommend:

Buechner's Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, and Fairy Tale. Easily the best book on ministry and preaching I've ever read.

Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. Brilliant and insightful look into the nuances, dangers, and call of pastoral ministry. A MUST read.

C. Stephen Evan's Soren Kierkegaard's Christian Psychology. Easily one of the best books on diagnosing and understanding souls.

Baron Friedrich von Hugel's Letters to a Niece. A fabulous book of personal, pastoral care through letters. (You can even, if you like, read my review of it here.)

Personally, I would avoid Keller at this point. He's too new to the scene, and therefore a little un-tested. Read old books (or books about people who are long dead) first. Then you can read Keller later with a critical eye. (Of course, Buechner is still alive--but he's been around for a long time, and Telling the Truth is amazing.)

The Other Side of Pastoral Ministry by Daniel A. Brown. It was a major influence on me when I was a charismatic evangelical pastor (as the author is) and it's still as relevant now that I'm an Orthodox deacon.

Bottom line: Statistically the average family stays a member of a given congregation for around seven years. (That includes the lifers and the butterflies who never settle.) We all want to grow the Church: Will you settle for an increasing number of butts in pews or an increasing influence in your community? Is that the meaning of a commission to make disciples?

Or will we concentrate on the individuals whom God has given us, bless them personally, and ensure that their time under our spiritual care is highly profitable to their soul, that they are more conformed to Christ than ever before, and that the person who moves on from our congregation or city is not the person who arrived?

This book doesn't major on ridiculously pat answers or bullet-lists. What it does is unpack the approach a pastor needs to have if his goal is to pastor - i.e. be a shepherd - in the flock God has given him. Anybody can be a preacher, trainer, teacher, administrator, or a face on a big screen. All you need is talent. But a pastor is someone who invests his time, heart and soul in developing Christian character in his congregation, one human being at a time.

Thank you.

Now that I'm back home, here are some recommendations. First, I might note that while /u/johnnytoomuch's post has some good links in it, the truth is that for someone new to the whole Orthodoxy thing, that's all going to be hitting the ground too hard and fast.

So here are my recommendations, geared towards somebody totally new to Orthodoxy (I'd say beginner, but we're all beginners, even the likes of St. Theophon the Recluse).

1. Bread and Water, Wine and Oil by Archimandrite Meletios (Webber) is actually a relatively solid introduction to both Orthodox theology, practice, and language. It's also a fairly short read. My copy is well dog-eared. If you're a digital guy, there's also a Kindle version.
   
2. Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh touches on prayer specifically. What's more, this book will be of use to you regardless of your background.
   
3. Check your bookstore for a prayer book. Study the prayers in there. They're actually rather dense. The notes in the one published by Holy Trinity Monastery (ROCOR) in Jordanville, New York, commonly just called the Jordanville Prayerbook, has some excellent note sections, though I would not attempt that full prayer rule without some advising from a spiritual father, particularly for someone new. That book also contains the text of the Divine Liturgy and a few other services, so you can use it to follow along (except for the hymns that are prescribed by the day or week). That said, it does have a few glaring typos in the prayers themselves--they work on revising it regularly, though.
   
4. If you really want to get in to how the Divine Liturgy (and the rest of the services) are put together, get yourself a copy of the horologion. This one is also by Holy Trinity Monastery, and is in common use at many English speaking Orthodox parishes in North America. I warn you, though: that rabbit hole is very deep. There are 13 different books we pull from*.
   
   I'd also ask the priest what book he uses for his inquirers class.
   
   * For a layman, the horologion and psalter (if you have a Bible, you have the psalter) are the core of it. You do not need and should probably not purchase your own copy of the Menaion (the books that give the hymns for feasts and saints) or the Ochtoechos (the books that give the hymns for the tone of the week). I'm also not mentioning the Triodion (the book of Lent) or Pentecostarion (the book of Pascha). The other 7 books are generally clergy books or books for specific occasions.

I think that's one reason why we have seen a growing willingness by pastors and theologians to consider something as radical as a total return to first principles; consider the perspective advocated by:

• Philosopher Jacques Ellul's Anarchy and Christianity
  
• Theologian and former missionary Darrel L. Guder's ecclesiological extension of Barth's critique on religion / aggrandizing of revelation in The Continuing Conversion of the Church
  
• Theologian and former youth pastor Kenda Creasy Dean against "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"
  
• Pastor and theologian David E. Fitch in The Great Giveaway: Reclaiming the Mission of the Church from Big Business, Parachurch Organizations, Psychotherapy, Consumer Capitalism, and Other Modern Maladies.
  
• Theologian and former pastor Soong Chan Rah against ethnocentrism and classism in The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity
  
• Pastoral and authorial team, John M. Perkins and Shane Claiborne's Follow Me to Freedom: Leading and Following As an Ordinary Radical

"The Orthodox Church" By Kallistos Ware. A very readable and comprehensive book by a well respected convert now bishop.

Byzantine Theology by John Meyendorff. He is one of the greatest contemporary Orthodox theologians.

The Way of the Pilgrim Author unknown. This is a classic of Eastern Christian spirituality that brings many people into the Orthodox way.

Hope these help!