On "Challenges of Orthodox Thought and Life"

Fr. Milovan Katanic recently posted about a new book on his blog Again & Again. Here's a snippet from that post followed by the publisher's info for the book.

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Lent isn’t only a time we try to find something nourishing to eat so that we might feed our bodies but we also look to feed our souls with something good to read. Luckily for us a new book has just come out which promises to do just that.

The book is “Challenges of Orthodox Thought and Life: Reflections on Christian Foundations and Living Traditions” by Hieromonk Calinic (Berger). The book is, in fact, a collection of essays which were, as is noted in the preface, “originally published in Solia-The Herald, the diocesan periodical of the Romanian Episcopate of America, where they appeared in the column Orthodox Thought and Life. Here they have been arranged by topic, edited and in some cases, slightly expanded.”

And just who is Fr. Calinic? Well, I know him because he’s my neighbor, parish priest of the local Romanian Orthodox Church here in Hermitage. What I didn’t know however, was that many others – if they don’t know him personally, have at least heard of him. And so I’ve noticed his articles re-printed in a number of our Serbian parish bulletins. What’s more, they have been translated into Serbian and appeared in church periodicals in Serbia as well. Why? I think for the simple reason that his articles are so rich in theology yet, at the same time, written in a simple, straightforward prose, “not in persuasive words of human wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:1). Which is to say this book is filled with essays written for all of our faithful parishioners, all of whom are hungry and thirsty for the Word of God...

Complete post here.

(Orthodox Gifts) - A challenge - something which causes us to free ourselves from distraction and to focus our spiritual and mental energy in order to achieve a goal. A challenge demands effort and dedication. If met, it grants the goal as its reward. In Orthodox Christianity, the goal is salvation, our union with God in Christ.

"Challenges of Orthodox Thought and Life" presents a series of short essays centered around essential and provocative questions of Christian belief and life, all meant to bring the reader into the spiritual arena, where the decisive challenge of salvation is presented. Based on the Holy Scriptures, engaging the living and patristic Tradition and informed by contemporary scholarship, these short reflections provide a source-book of knowledge and inspiration for a vibrant Orthodox faith in today's world.

About the Author

The Rev. Hieromonk Calinic (Berger) has written and lectured on Orthodox theology in numerous academic and popular venues. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University (BSEE, 1988), Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (MTS, 1994), and the Catholic University of America (PhD, 2003). He is the pastor of Holy Cross Romanian Orthodox Church in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.