Called to Serve: Readings on Ministry from the Orthodox Church
By Fr. William C. Mills

d
Paperback (June 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-41-3
Price: $19.95 + S&H (USD)

Hardcover (June 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-42-0
Price: $34.95 + S&H (USD)

Called to Serve is a contribution to the ongoing theological discussion of ordained and lay ministry, taking into special consideration the numerous discussions and debates which are currently at the forefront of the Church, namely, how both the clergy and laity can work together for the good of the entire Body of Christ. The essays included in this volume are from some of the most noteworthy and ecumenically minded theologians in the Eastern Church. Most lived and ministered on the European Continent, although some eventually immigrated to the United States. Among the authors included in this volume are Metropolitans Kallistos Ware of Diokleia and Maximos Aghiorgoussis of Pittsburgh, Fathers Alexander Schmemann, Nicholas Afanasiev, Kyprian Kern, Sergius Bulgakov, and Georges Florovsky, as well as the lay theologians, such as Nicholas Berdiaev, Anton Kartashev, and Elizabeth Behr-Sigel. These theologians have been influential in a theological and liturgical renewal in the Eastern Church in both Europe and North America and were very active in ecumenical discussions and debates. They participated in the World Council of Churches as well as many local and international ecumenical organizations. These voices, many still unknown to a generation of readers, can once again help us to understand the various relationships among the people of God, both ordained and lay, and how we call can foster and encourage greater openness, understanding, and freedom in Christ.

Creative Suffering and the Wounded Healer: Analytical Psychology and Orthodox Christian Theology
By Byron J. Gaist, Ph.D.

d
Paperback (April 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-40-6
Price: $29.95 + S&H (USD)

It is frequently acknowledged that, despite Jung's disclaimers concerning the mutually exclusive boundaries between empirical science and metaphysics, analytical psychology does have important theological ramifications. Christian theology has been a historical antecedent to modern psychology, and can continue to be of relevance in this field through the scholarly exploration of its anthropological teachings in a contemporary academic and pastoral context. The primary purpose of this study is to outline a metatheoretical approach to discuss the interface between analytical psychology and Christian theology. As a secondary theme, it attempts to formulate, investigate and explore a theoretical rationale for adopting a depth-psychological approach to working with countertransference dynamics in both psychotherapy and spiritual direction, by including and valuing the spiritual dimension of experience. The concept of 'creative suffering' is utilized as a way of describing the process through which personal suffering, when experienced creatively, becomes more than the isolated pathological source of the therapist's private emotional wounds, being transformed to provide the main psychological background through which deep healing of the client's own trauma may occur on a personal and transpersonal level. It is, therefore, argued that creative use of the countertransference implies ongoing, active reflection by the therapist on the meaning and purpose of personal suffering, as occurs in some spiritual disciplines. This practice is adumbrated through a framework of conceptualisation derived from Orthodox Christian spirituality, employing the Jungian archetype of the 'Wounded Healer' in parallel to theological claims concerning the suffering of Jesus Christ, and the broader significance of suffering and evil in Christian theology. Parallels, similarities and differences between religious and psychological imagery and concepts are suggested throughout, which may prompt further exploration of areas of convergence and divergence between analytical psychology and Christian theology in particular, and between psychology and religion in general.

Orthodox Pastoral Service
By Archimandrite Kyprian Kern (Translated by Mary Goddard and Edited by Fr. William C. Mills)

d
Paperback (September 2009)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-32-1
Price: $13.95 + S&H (USD)

Nearly fifty years ago, the Eastern Orthodox monk and theologian, Archimandrite Kyprian Kern, explored pertinent issues regarding pastoral ministry. Kern's writings on clericalism and problems with the abuse of power and authority in the Church, for example, are as fresh today as when they were first written. Kern is probably the least known among Orthodox theologians in the West; however, his voice is now being heard for the first time in English and hopefully will inspire and encourage a new generation of clergy and laity who seek to better understand ministry in an Orthodox Christian context. Orthodox Pastoral Service is a collection of lecture notes from Kern's classes in pastoral ministry. In this book, Kern deals with important issues such as clericalism, the importance of the Eucharist for the life of the priest, and emphasis on the intellectual, spiritual, and personal preparation for the priesthood. Finally, one could look at this book as a historical document. On this level, Kern has left us with a detailed exposition of pastoral ministry in 19th century Russia.

The Holy Orthodox Church: The Ritual, Services and Sacraments of the Orthodox Church
By V. Rev. Fr. Sebastian Dabovich

d
Paperback (June 2009)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-31-4
Price: $11.95 + S&H (USD)

In this volume, Fr. Sebastian Dabovich (1863-1940) offers the reader separate readings and sermons on several several different subjects. As a pastor, he is obliged to instruct the people in all that pertains to salvation. On perceiving that of all his instructions, the present ones, which were also given in the present order, were more or less suitable, and could be, with less difficulty, compiled into a volume, with something bearing at least the semblance of a system, he decided to publish them in their present appearance. These instructions were offered to Christians by a Spiritual Adviser. Therefore, the reader must not expect to discover a learned thesis on Liturgical Science or Theology. The object which moved the author to publish this book is of a two-fold nature: firstly, he desired that the children of the Church, born in America, should have the opportunity of obtaining a book which they could easily read and understand, and, by God's grace, thereby grow firmer in the Faith; and, secondly, he desires with all his heart to contribute the little of God's might within him to further the holy object of Christ's Church and to teach others about the Orthodox Faith.

The Mystery of Healing: Oil, Anointing, and the Unity of the Local Church
By Fr. David G. Bissias

d
Paperback (October 2008)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-27-7
Price: $19.95 + S&H (USD)

The primary purpose in this book is to make a coherent argument regarding the liturgical life of the Church. The main focus is pastoral and practical, not purely theoretical or academic. The problem concerns the ceremony of Holy Unction that Greek Orthodox Christians, among other Orthodox (but not all), observe during Holy Week. At this ceremony, it is common for some clergy to distribute a portion the “Holy Oil” of anointing to those they have already anointed for their later use or the anointing of others who did not attend the service. While common, this distribution is not “regular” in Greek practice and does not appear in the ceremony’s rubrics (at least in the standard service books). This book discusses the question as to whether this is an appropriate practice. In its broader context, the problem raises still more questions regarding the normative understanding of Orthodox sacramental theology (Chs. 1, 3–4, 6), the meaning of Holy Oil itself (Ch. 2), the purpose for celebrating Holy Unction as a corporate ceremony during Holy Week (Ch. 5), and even the issue of liturgical uniformity within a local Church (Ch. 7).

Preaching in the Orthodox Church: Lectures and Sermons by a Priest of the Holy Orthodox Church
By V. Rev. Fr. Sebastian Dabovich

d
Paperback (June 2008)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-22-7
Price: $13.95 + S&H (USD)

In Preaching in the Orthodox Church: Lectures and Sermons by a Priest of the Holy Orthodox Church, Fr. Sebastian Dabovich (1863-1940) offers to the English-speaking public in general, and to those in America in particular, a historic, theological, and moral review of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the form of lectures and sermons. He allows the readers to see the actual practice and teaching of a Church which is making herself at home in the West, notwithstanding her birth in the East, and which knows no other head than Jesus Christ.

Adventures in the Unseen: My Adventures in Africa
By Archbishop Makarios (Tillyrides), Metropolitan of Kenya

d
Paperback (September 2007)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-13-0
Price: $29.95 + S&H (USD)

My Adventures in Africa is a sequel to Adventures in the Unseen: The Silent Witness. Many people who have read the latter have expressed further interest in the life of Orthodox Mission in Africa. The manner in which Orthodoxy was introduced into East Africa during the twentieth century, and the way in which it has taken root and spread, can only be explained in terms of a Divine miracle. Orthodoxy has spread phenomenally throughout East Africa. From Uganda, it has spread into Kenya, Tanzania and all Africa. In recent years, the Orthodox Churches of Finland, Greece, Cyprus and America have assisted their sister Church in East Africa. This help in no way detracts from the fact that the planting of Orthodoxy in East Africa was achieved by African men and African enterprise without any external missionary support. His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Metropolitan of Zimbabwe, a native of Cyprus, began his missionary activity in East Africa as the Prinicipal of the Patriarchal Seminary which was established in Kenya by His Beatitude Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus. In 1992, he was elected and consecrated Bishop of Riruta. He continued as principal of the Patriarchal Seminary until September 1997. The following year, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria elected him as Metropolitan of Zimbabwe. His collection of sermons and other discourses, delivered on various occasions, gives an insight into a work of transformation. Seventy years ago, authentic Orthodoxy did not exist in East Africa. Today, a network of hundreds of parishes extends across the length and breadth of this vast area of the continent. It is an event of no small significance in modern Christian history. These sermons serve to provide a witness to this remarkable phenomenon.

Christian Philosophy in the Patristic and Byzantine Tradition
By B.N. Tatakis

d
Paperback (September 2007)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-16-1
Price: $22.95 + S&H (USD)

Hardcover (September 2007)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-17-8
Price: $32.95 + S&H (USD)

Tatakis is a real master of thought, a "philosopher who theologizes," or, putting it otherwise, a philosopher who takes theology seriously and brings out its insights dressed in philosophical form. The result is indeed a most fruitful synthesis of philosophy and religion; a philosophy of religion, or more accurately, a religious philosophy. It is a Christian philosophy, which is possible, because this is indeed the legacy of Byzantium, that priceless alabaster of Eastern Orthodox Christianity of which Tatakis has been a key exponent and interpreter. It is precisely this Greek Orthodox Christian synthesis that this volume explains in a straightforward, comprehensive and profound way. This work is a real companion to Tatakis' earlier work on Byzantine Philosophy, laying the emphasis on the content of Byzantine thought and its characteristic religious bent, Greek Orthodox Christianity, as distinct from its history and literature, which are more typical of the earlier work. There are certain overlaps between the two books, but this one brings out more clearly the Greek Orthodox theological dimension in Tatakis' thought which deserves to be explored much more than it has. It reveals the great soul of this extraordinary man who is both a philosopher and a man of faith and theology; and who, in spite of the exigencies of life (as he describes them very movingly in his last and most interesting book - the book of his life - published posthumously in 1993), has left us the strength and the aroma of the Greek Orthodox spirit and nobility.

Reviews:
"...il entend être un manuel d’étude permettant une approche globale plutôt qu’une analyse approfondie. La simplicité de son style, lors même qu’il aborde des questions complexes, le destine à un large public." (Jean-Claude Larchet on Orthodoxie.com) (English translation)

"After attaining a graduate degree in scholastic philosophy with an emphasis in neo-Thomism I found that I learned more from this little book than I did in two years of study with a Catholic seminary!" (Theologos on The Byzantine Forum)

The Real Holy Grail: An Orthodox Response to Dan Brown's Deceptions in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code
By Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette, Kafr el-Sheikh, Barrary and the Monastery of Saint Demiana

d
Paperback (January 2007)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-14-7
Price: $15.95 + S&H (USD)

Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, by author Dan Brown, have deceived millions of people across the world with a plethora of lies about the one true God, Christianity, the Holy Bible, and the Christian Church. Dan Brown has achieved this by presenting the elements in his novels under the guise of fiction, while at the same time, claiming that they are factual. But even Brown's "facts," which he maintains are historically informed, are full of inaccuracies and historical discrepancies. What Dan Brown is describing in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code can most certainly not be categorized as fiction, because in reality, the core and foundation of his writing is Theological and Christological. However, the Theology and Christology which Dan Brown has incorporated into his novels is a false Theology and Christology-it is grossly distorted and stridently far from the truth. This apologetic work sets out to provide the true Theological and Christological teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church in response to the deceptions in the selected writings of Dan Brown.

Essays on Orthodox Christianity and Church History
By Charles B. Ashanin

d
Paperback (August 2006)
ISBN: 1-933275-08-1
Price: $17.95 + S&H (USD)

These essays were written at intervals during Dr. Ashanin's teaching career of thirty-five years. They were published in various publications as a response to the theological challenges which his generation had to face. He wrote them to elucidate the historical issues of my time from the Christian perspective. Although these essays were written in particular periods of time, they have present day relevance, because he tried to interpret the issues discussed in them under the aegis of the recurring, underlying themes. A Christian historian, while he observes all rules of the historical method and deals with his subject sub specie temporis, cannot escape awareness that there is another dimension which he cannot ignore, a dimension in all human aff airs to which he must pay attention in his writings, that of sub specie Aeternitatis. He must combine epis temology, the knowledge of things, with eschatology, the divine goal to which everything is guided by divine wisdom. In philoso phy, this aspect is known as teleology, the aim to which every thing leads. While these may not be found explicit in his writings, they are implicit in them, because his intellectual consciousness is imbued with this orientation, and it is inevitable that it is embodied in his work.

Mystic in the Graveyard: The Exile of Charles Bozidar Ashanin
By Peter Denbo Haskins

d
Paperback (June 2006)
ISBN: 1-933275-07-3
Price: $14.95 + S&H (USD)

Dr. Ashanin's great love and awareness of God gave him rare insight into the souls and spiritual needs of others. He saw and felt things of the spirit in ways that most people cannot. Though he never claimed to be so, Dr. Ashanin was a true mystic, combining an all-consuming devotion to the Presence of the Holy with gifts of clairvoyance, wisdom and a profound understanding of Scripture and of the writings of the early teachers of the Faith. As a scholar of early Church History, he inspired many students with his genuine living out of the Gospel through his care of their souls. At the university of Ghana in Lagos, Africa, at Allen and Claflin Universities in South Carolina, and finally for 23 years at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, Dr. Ashanin was more than a professor -- he was a mentor, beloved friend and companion on the spiritual journey. Dr. Ashanin's deep life of prayer and compassion also committed him to ecumenism, to the Body of Christ in all its manifestations. As a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church with twelve hundred years of Slavonic spirituality in his soul, he worked closely with students studying for the Protestant ministry, enriching their traditions and perspectives of the Gospel in the manner of a true "staretz" (spiritual guide). This ecumenical commitment cost him greatly. For its sake, he suffered the disdain and persecution of colleagues whose "modern" Christianity mocked and rejected his devotion to the transforming spirituality of the early Church.

Ecclesiasticus II: Orthodox Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer
By Protopresbyter George Dion. Dragas
(with a Preface by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston)

d
Paperback (May 2005)
ISBN: 0-9745618-0-0
Price: $17.95 + S&H (USD)

Ecclesiasticus II: Orthodox Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer brings together essays, which were delivered on various occasions and are arranged into four general topics-hence the subtitle. The first section on Icons offers an introductory lecture on the iconoclastic dispute with a select (updated) bibliography and a fresh exposition, on the basis of the original text of St. John of Damascus' Defense of the Icons. The second section on Saints represents an introduction to Orthodox Hagiography, which was prepared for the Orthodox-Reformed Dialogue, and offers an extensive bibliography on the subject. The third section on Feasts is a general presentation of the major movable and immovable feasts of the Orthodox liturgical years and dovetails with the section on the Saints. Finally, the fourth section on Prayer offers two expositions of the Lord's Prayer, one by St. Maximos the Confessor and another by St. Macarios of Corinth, which are representative of the patristic understanding of this Prayer that constitutes the basis of Orthodox spirituality.

Adventures in the Unseen: The Silent Witness
Volume I: Harare, Zimbabwe, 2000.
By Archbishop Makarios (Tillyrides), Metropolitan of Kenya and Irinoupolis

d
Paperback (May 2004)
ISBN: 0-9745618-5-1
Price: $27.95 + S&H (USD)
READ THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

The manner in which Orthodoxy was introduced into East Africa during the twentieth century, and the way in which it has taken root and spread, can only be explained in terms of a Divine miracle. Orthodoxy has spread phenomenally throughout East Africa. From Uganda, it has spread into Kenya, Tanzania and all Africa. In recent years, the Orthodox Churches of Finland, Greece, Cyprus and America have assisted their sister Church in East Africa. This help in no way detracts from the fact that the planting of Orthodoxy in East Africa was achieved by African men and African enterprise without any external missionary support. His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Metropolitan of Zimbabwe, a native of Cyprus, began his missionary activity in East Africa as the Prinicipal of the Patriarchal Seminary which was established in Kenya by His Beatitude Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus. In 1992, he was elected and consecrated Bishop of Riruta. He continued as principal of the Patriarchal Seminary until September 1997. The following year, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria elected him as Metropolitan of Zimbabwe. His collection of sermons and other discourses, delivered on various occasions, gives an insight into a work of transformation. Seventy years ago, authentic Orthodoxy did not exist in East Africa. Today, a network of hundreds of parishes extends across the length and breadth of this vast area of the continent. It is an event of no small significance in modern Christian history. These sermons serve to provide a witness to this remarkable phenomenon.

NOTE: Proceeds from this book will go to support the Archbishopric of Kenya and Irinoupolis.

Ecclesiasticus I
Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy.
By Protopresbyter George Dion. Dragas
(with a Preface by Metropolitan Methodios of Pisdia)

d
Paperback (March 2004)
ISBN: 0-9745618-3-5
Price: $13.95 + S&H (USD)
READ THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

The central theme of the Church provides the basis for the collection of statements and essays in this book. They were produced for various occasions and are designed to reach the lay Christian. Two or three of them, however, attempt to go deeper into the wonderful but complex mystery of the Church. Orthodox Christians will find them useful in considering some central perspectives of their ecclesiastical heritage. It will help non-Orthodox Christians to acquaint themselves with Orthodox ways of thinking concerning the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and, thus, facilitate contemporary dialogue and rapprochement. This provides starting-points for further thought, discussion and inquiry.