Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition Book

I was delighted at James Payton's respectful and thoroughly researched take on the Orthodox Faith in Light from the Christian East: Introducing the Orthodox Tradition. This is the kind of book one can recommended to a non-Orthodox friend who's looking to gain a better understanding of a the Eastern Christian tradition without having to feel like it's being shoved down their throat. Conversion stories, while very helpful and informative, often force the reader to take a position. This book is informing you on the Eastern Orthodox church and its beliefs rather than trying to preach Orthodoxy. Prof. Payton does spend some time each chapter encouraging Western readers to think about what can be gained in their own faith tradition by learning about Orthodoxy.

"There is much in the Eastern Orthodox understanding of the relationship of the Creator and his creation that can enrich our Western Christian perspectives about God and his relationship to the creation of which we are part and in which we live." pg.99

Payton is not Orthodox himself, but his respectful handling of the faith is refreshing in a day of internet polemics regarding East/West discussions. Here you will not find someone who has not just read a book about Orthodoxy or has gone to a service or two. Payton is a professor of Byzantine & Church History and, in his acknowledgments, it is evidenced that he has visited many different Orthodox churches and made friends and discussed much with many different Orthodox priests and theologians. Even though he is looking from the outside in he knows his stuff and he is deeply respectful to our faith.

Light from the Christian East would make an excellent companion book to either Metropolitan KALLISTOS' (Timothy Ware) The Orthodox Church or Fr. Anthony Coniaris' Introducing the Orthodox Church. However, it brings to the table a different perspective. Prof. Payton delves much more into the mind and perspective of the Orthodox Christian. He explains why we view God, Creation, theology, sin, the fall of man, and salvation the way we do. Rather than a list of what we believe or our history, he goes deeper and tries to understand the Eastern Orthodox mindset.

My one minor reservation with the book is the author's desire for Western Christians to use this knowledge to deepen their own faith walk (it is the only time he gets a bit preachy). I'm not sure that he meant it this way, but I would worry that people would fall into an attitude of "a-la-carte" Christianity, picking and choosing what they want or not. I would have preferred if the author had just shared the Orthodox faith and encouraged Western Christians to appreciate our differences.

If you looking for a book to better understanding of Eastern Christianity but don't want polemics or to be preached at about what is wrong with Western Christianity, I think A Light from the Christian East would be a very good jumping off point.