Frederica Mathewes-Green

For Protestants or Catholics seeking to understand Eastern Orthodoxy, the Cross is a good place to start. In the West a multitude of different views sprang up over the last millennium, but Orthodox Christian beliefs have remained unchanged. The contrast between those views is suggested by the two images on the book's cover, showing how differently the meaning of the Cross was understood, East and West. Two Views of the Cross is a short, focused book, ideal for readers looking to grasp the overall picture (with some passages from Mathewes-Green's more-comprehensive classic, Welcome to the Orthodox Church). This volume adds a new title to Mathewes-Green's long list of helpful books about Eastern Orthodoxy. Looking at the Cross from Western and Eastern perspectives provides a concise introduction to the beautiful, mystical, and sometimes-surprising Orthodox faith. Praise for Welcome to the Orthodox Church: "Lucid writing marked by a strong sense of humor, but never escaping from the deepest spiritual realities." --Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Prof. of History, Baylor University "Completely accessible, but utterly honest... This is a wonderful book." --Fr Andrew Louth, Prof. of Byzantine Studies, Durham University "Few authors can take the mystery, beauty, and often-daunting complexities of Orthodoxy and transform them in such an inviting path of spiritual journey." --The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary "No one alive today has done more to introduce ordinary Americans to the wonders of the ancient faith than Frederica Mathewes-Green. If not for her, I doubt I would be Orthodox." --Rod Dreher, Author, Senior Editor & blogger at The American Conservative

This is the story of a reverse pilgrimage. Instead of packing our bags to visit the site of a miracle, the miracle came to us. Every Pascha, a miracle takes place at the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem: a mysterious blue flame descends, and set candles spontaneously on fire. For the first half hour or so the flame is mysteriously cool, and hair or clothing placed in it do not ignite. This miracle has happened every year from the 9th century. The flame descended as usual on Pascha, April 8, 2017, but then something unusual happened: the next day, it was brought by plane to America. People began to share the fire from one church to the next. Before long, something of a movement arose to spread the fire as widely as possible, coordinating through a dedicated Facebook page, and hand-carried across the nation. This book describes the journeys made by "humble firebearers" to bring the Holy Fire even to distant, remote Orthodox communities. In the process, another unexpected miracle took place, as Orthodox Christians were united in a common goal across all ethnic and jurisdictional boundaries. May the Holy Fire continue to spread, and make us all one

This is the story of a reverse pilgrimage. Instead of packing our bags to visit the site of a miracle, the miracle came to us. Every Pascha, a miracle takes place at the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem: a mysterious blue flame descends, and set candles spontaneously on fire. For the first half hour or so the flame is mysteriously cool, and hair or clothing placed in it do not ignite. This miracle has happened every year from the 9th century. The flame descended as usual on Pascha, April 8, 2017, but then something unusual happened: the next day, it was brought by plane to America. People began to share the fire from one church to the next. Before long, something of a movement arose to spread the fire as widely as possible, coordinating through a dedicated Facebook page, and hand-carried across the nation. This book describes the journeys made by "humble firebearers" to bring the Holy Fire even to distant, remote Orthodox communities. In the process, another unexpected miracle took place, as Orthodox Christians were united in a common goal across all ethnic and jurisdictional boundaries. May the Holy Fire continue to spread, and make us all one

Welcome to the Orthodox Church—its history, theology, worship, spirituality, and daily life. This friendly guide provides a comprehensive introduction to Orthodoxy, but with a twist: readers learn by making a series of visits to a fictitious church, and get to know the faith as new Christians did for most of history, by immersion. Mathews-Green provides commentary and explanations on everything from how to “venerate” an icon, the Orthodox understanding of the atonement, to the Lenten significance of tofu. It’s the perfect book for inquirers and newcomers, but even readers who have been Orthodox all their lives say they learned things they never knew before. Enjoyable, easy-to-read, and leavened with humor, Welcome to the Orthodox Church is a gracious guide to the ancient faith of the Christian East.

Mathewes-Green opens up "The Gospel of Mary" to see her early life

In the earliest centuries of faith, Christians in the deserts of Palestine and Africa sought a short prayer that could be easily repeated, in order to acquire the habit of “prayer without ceasing.” The result was The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” This jewel of Eastern Christianity aims at enabling a person to be in God’s presence, rather than to focus on feelings or thoughts about God. The first section of The Jesus Prayer offers a concise overview of the history, theology, and spirituality of Orthodoxy, so that the Prayer can be understood in its native context. Following, is a conversational question-and-answer format that takes the reader through practical steps for adopting this profound practice in everyday life.

Join Frederica Mathewes-Green on a guided retreat through an ancient Orthodox text. Regardless of your denominational background, First Fruits of Prayer will bring to life the prayer experience of first millennium Christianity through immersion in this poetic hymn, an extraordinarily beautiful work that is still chanted by Christians around the world each Lent. It weaves together Old and New Testament Scriptures with prayers of hope and repentance and offers ancient ways of seeing Christ that still feel new today. “Fascinating and sometimes magisterial…. A skilled interpreter of the theology and history of the Orthodox tradition, Mathewes-Green arranges the Great Canon of St. Andrew…into 40 readings accompanied by scriptural references, commentary, theological reflection and questions.” —Publishers Weekly“Rick Warren gave us 40 days of purpose. Frederica Mathewes-Green gives us 40 days of deep prayer and reflection…. This is destined to become a devotional class for generations to come.”—Dallas Morning News

Discover how icons can become part of your own life of prayer. Encounter twelve of the world’s most significant Orthodox icons with one of today’s best-loved spiritual writers as your guide.“The Open Door provides an open window into a radically different approach to spiritual formation, one that is more ancient/Eastern than modern/Western, one that feels refreshingly new as well as seasoned, rich, and time-tested.” —Brian McLaren, author of Everything Must Change and A Generous Orthodoxy

Why are modern Christians so indistinguishable from everyone else? How come Christians who lived in times of bloody persecution were so heroic, while we who live in safety are not? How could the first Christians fast valiantly, but we feel deprived without dessert? How did New Testament believers pray without ceasing? How could the early Christian martyrs actually forgive their torturers? What did the Christians of the first centuries know that we don't? That's what this book is about. From the author:When I look back at the process of writing The Illumined Heart, I'm amazed all over again at how God directed it. I wrote the whole thing in a week, the week before Christmas, in fact, which is so typically congested with last-minute errands, unpredicatable weather, aches and sniffles. For Orthodox Christians, it's also a week that we fast from meat and dairy, adding another ball to the juggling act. Yet somehow I started writing the book on Monday morning and completed it Sunday night, just fourteen minutes after the Christmas Eve service began. (I kept wondering where in the week I'd dawdled and lost that fourteen minutes.)It's no wonder that I look at The Illumined Heart as the one out of all of my books that felt the most God-directed. Mostly, he told me when to shut up. For a cup-runneth-over writer like me, starting a book is like moving into mid-pregnancy and putting on those stretch-front trousers for the first time; they're like a license to eat. And knowing that I have room to write on and on, whatever comes to mind, makes for abundant, wandering prose. Yet The Illumined Heart is quiet, proportional, just-enough; it's like a jewel. It's no wonder that this is a personal favorite among my own books, and the one I must urge people to read. I'm pleased by the amount of good work it's done so far, and hope that it will continue to do much more.

A memoir of the author's unexpected pilgrimage to the ancient Eastern Orthodox faith outlines its traditions, sacraments, and recent surge in popularity, and explains why it has survived throughout time. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

What should the church look like today? What should be the focus of its message? How should I present that message? We live in as pivotal and defining an age as the Great Depression or the Sixties–a period whose definition, say some cultural observers, includes a warning of the church’s influence. The result? A society measurably less religious but decidedly more spiritual. Less influenced by authority than by experience. More attuned to images than to words. How does the church adapt to such a culture? Or should it, in fact, eschew adapting for maintaining a course it has followed these last two millennia? Or something in between? These are exactly the questions asked in The Church In Emerging Culture by five Christian thinker-speaker-writers, each who advocate unique stances regarding what the church’s message should be (and what methods should be used to present it) as it journeys through this evolving, postmodern era. The authors are: Andy Crouch–Re:Generation Quarterly editor-in-chief Michael Horton–professor and reformed theologian Frederica Mathewes-Green–author, commentator, and Orthodox Christian Brian D. McLaren–postmodernist, author, pastor, and Emergent senior fellow Erwin Raphael McManus–author and pastor of the innovative and interethnic L. A.-based church, Mosaic Most unique about their individual positions is that they’re presented not as singular essays but as lively discussions in which the other four authors freely (and frequently) comment, critique, and concur. That element, coupled with a unique photographic design that reinforces the depth of their at-once congenial and feisty conversation, gives you all-access entrée into this groundbreaking discourse. What’s more, general editor Leonard Sweet (author of SoulTsunami and AquaChurch, among several other acclaimed texts) frames the thought-provoking dialogue with a profoundly insightful, erudite introductory essay–practically a book within a book. The Church In Emerging Culture is foundational reading for leaders and serious students of all denominations and church styles.