Rock and Sand, by Archpriest Josiah Trenham - book review.
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022
This book is a concise, truthful rendering of Protestant
history and beliefs. At my Evangelical Bible College, church history was
a blank between the New Testament and Luther. The history of the
Reformation was so romanticized and whitewashed it made Roman Catholic
history unintelligible and Ancient and Orthodox Church history
non-existent. This book is physically very high quality and worthy of
its content. I wish I could have had this tool half a century ago. As an
old retired orthodox prison chaplain, I could not help but be envious
of the young seekers blessed with it.
Hat's off to Archpriest Josiah Trenham from Archpriest Symeon Elias.
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The following is the howling of a demon.
Hat's off to Archpriest Josiah Trenham from Archpriest Symeon Elias.
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The following is the howling of a demon.
Knight Telekinetic
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021
The author mischaracterizes many Protestant articles of faith and betrays a shallow understanding of Reformed theology.
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Understanding that Lucifer is the Father of Lies, that review was from the liar himself, without one modicum of truth. It was a plaintive cry, "Leave us alone, what have we to do with you?"
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This next review is from a person whose theology is delusional.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020
XXX
____________________________
Understanding that Lucifer is the Father of Lies, that review was from the liar himself, without one modicum of truth. It was a plaintive cry, "Leave us alone, what have we to do with you?"
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This next review is from a person whose theology is delusional.
______________________________________
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020
An interesting telling of the Protestant Reformation from a
biased ex-Protestant convert to Eastern Orthodoxy. I found it
distasteful since I prefer to embrace both sides.
XXX
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This is by are the most accurate review:
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This is by are the most accurate review:
Mr. Twisted
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2019
First, this is a very well done book, simply from the
perspective of quality. As another reviewer pointed out, the look and
feel of the book is excellent and the publisher should be commended for
it.
Second, the content is an absolute treasure trove of insight into the Reformation, which I would argue must be understood by any Orthodox Christian wishing to engage with Protestants of any form. We live in a world birthed by many facets of these historical events, and nearly every church in America owes much of its intellectual roots to the efforts of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and the other major actors of the 16th century.
But herein exists the irony: most Protestants actually know very little about the Reformation, and only pay lip service to it as an event. This is why Archpriest Trenham's book is so important; it shows, through careful research, what the Reformers actually believed, not just what modern "bible churches" think they stood for.
For example, do most modern, Western Christians know that Martin Luther "taught the importance of making the sign of the Cross" or that "advocated for a yearly auricular confession in the sanctuary...employed written prayers and a structured liturgy...believed in and taught the perpetual virginity of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Theotokos... [and] completely rejected the idea of an invisible church as it is so commonly embraced by Protestants today"? Do they realize that he advocated for infant baptism, rejected the idea that Scripture showed a return of the Jewish people to the "Holy Land" was prophesied, and defended iconography?
Having read 5 different books on the Reformation in the last 6 months (in addition to other readings over the years), I can confidently say that this is one of the better ones out there, and goes a long way towards bridging a gap between the Reformed Christians and The Orthodox Church, as it does not just discount everything they taught, but also points out where they were right. This is highly important, as we should always strive to do the same whenever possible.
I highly recommend this book.
Second, the content is an absolute treasure trove of insight into the Reformation, which I would argue must be understood by any Orthodox Christian wishing to engage with Protestants of any form. We live in a world birthed by many facets of these historical events, and nearly every church in America owes much of its intellectual roots to the efforts of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and the other major actors of the 16th century.
But herein exists the irony: most Protestants actually know very little about the Reformation, and only pay lip service to it as an event. This is why Archpriest Trenham's book is so important; it shows, through careful research, what the Reformers actually believed, not just what modern "bible churches" think they stood for.
For example, do most modern, Western Christians know that Martin Luther "taught the importance of making the sign of the Cross" or that "advocated for a yearly auricular confession in the sanctuary...employed written prayers and a structured liturgy...believed in and taught the perpetual virginity of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Theotokos... [and] completely rejected the idea of an invisible church as it is so commonly embraced by Protestants today"? Do they realize that he advocated for infant baptism, rejected the idea that Scripture showed a return of the Jewish people to the "Holy Land" was prophesied, and defended iconography?
Having read 5 different books on the Reformation in the last 6 months (in addition to other readings over the years), I can confidently say that this is one of the better ones out there, and goes a long way towards bridging a gap between the Reformed Christians and The Orthodox Church, as it does not just discount everything they taught, but also points out where they were right. This is highly important, as we should always strive to do the same whenever possible.
I highly recommend this book.
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