Preview
  • Know the Faith

  • A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers
  • By: Michael Shanbour
  • Narrated by: Darrell Smith
  • Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (67 ratings)

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Know the Faith

By: Michael Shanbour
Narrated by: Darrell Smith
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Publisher's summary

Over the centuries since the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches, the two groups have diverged to the point that they often no longer understand each other’s vocabulary, let alone the fundamental concepts on which each faith is built.

Know the Faith is an attempt to present Orthodox Christianity in a way Western Christians can understand, grounding each point in Scripture and patristic theology, with comparisons to what Catholics and Protestants believe. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian seeking to explain your faith to others or an inquirer into this ancient faith, Know the Faith will help you understand and communicate the Orthodox faith as never before.

About the author: The Rev. Fr. Michael Shanbour is a lifelong Orthodox Christian and pastor of Three Hierarchs Orthodox Mission in Wenatchee, Washington. He received his M.Div. at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1989. He has been active in youth, camp, music, and Christian education ministries. Fr. Michael was ordained to the holy priesthood in 2001 and pastored mission parishes in Topeka, Kansas, and Spokane, Washington, before being assigned to Three Hierarchs. He is blessed to live in Wenatchee with his wife Makrina and son Simeon.

©2016 Michael Shanbour (P)2021 Michael Shanbour
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What listeners say about Know the Faith

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What is wrong with the narrator?

The book is informative if you can get past the narrator. They might as well have a computer generated voice. Completely monotone.

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Great overview

I’m a convert but always enjoy finding books that I can rough up my Protestant edges with to remind me of the central teachings of the faith. Great for anyone really, someone new to the faith or learning about some nuances after being Orthodox for awhile (even cradle Orthodox).

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A thorough and efficient introduction to Orthodoxy

Theology can sometimes feel overwhelming, as it requires a close reading of scriptural context, historical research, and philosophical study to truly feel a sense of capture over such a large and significant field. Additionally, understanding the nuances and distinctions between theologies of a similar faith tradition or that even share a vocabulary (with wildly different meanings) can add to this general apprehension, as the very act of locating a belief as arising from an Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Protestant worldview requires humility, knowledge, and a will to truth that is sometimes beyond the resources we naturally possess. As such, Rev. Shanbour’s “Know the Faith” could not make this a more welcoming, accessible, and interesting of an experience.
By leveraging a clever set of pop-culture examples, historical knowledge, and references to both scripture and ancient Church fathers to ground Orthodox Christian belief around 11 theological concepts, the author invites the reader with open arms into the history and mystery of the church’s doctrine. Shanbour often opens a theological belief with where it has come from, but also takes the careful time to explain alternative interpretations by setting Orthodoxy in conversation with the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. Understanding that not all depictions of the faith are the same, Shanbour does an exceptional job at fairly explaining why Orthodox conceptions exist and how evolutions of the faith (or answers to Orthodoxy) stack up to the faith of the earliest disciples of the Christian Church.
Shanbour begins an ambitious work by covering 11 topics that cover Orthodox theology, but the structure of his approach suggests that the book is ideal for clear and efficient descriptions of Orthodoxy, introductions to Orthodoxy, and/or necessary engagement for Roman Catholics or Protestants looking to discern how elements of their traditions engage the Orthodox church. The 11 topics that Shanbour works through are on Orthodox teachings regarding the Church, Grace, Salvation, Justification by Faith, Tradition & Scripture, the Eucharist & Liturgical Worship, Ordination & the Priesthood, Confession & Repentance, Icon Veneration, the Intercession of the Saints, and the Veneration of the Virgin Mary. These are what could loosely be described as the theology of the Orthodox Church, and each chapter includes an introduction, history of the concept, the Orthodox philosophical perspective on the concept, responses to popular criticisms, responses to Roman Catholic and/or Protestant positions (as well as detailing both subtle and overt differences between the approaches), a full list of scriptural references that support the Orthodox position, and a list of quotes from ancient Church fathers to demonstrate extra-biblical consistency and scriptural application.
The audiobook is narrated by Darrell Smith and runs for approximately 9 hours and 50 minutes (appropriate, given its print counterpart’s 300+ page count). Given the word efficiency, it is relatively easy to become enraptured to a point where it feels as if virtually no time has passed: Smith speaks at a slow and steady pace, but Shanbour’s text empowers each sentence to be its own complete thought. Said differently, Shanbour does with one sentence what many authors struggle to do with four; so while the pace and the total time of the audiobook could be detriments for a different text, they ultimately compliment and enrich the engaging composition given here.
Anyone interested in the Christian faith, whether they find themselves completely external to the faith, a newcomer, or a longtime participant should read this book since it gives such a thorough account on what Christianity is and how it has developed throughout time. I would encourage any Christian in the Roman Catholic or Protestant traditions to work through these pages, as Rev. Shanbour provides iron-sharpening provocations about a variety of Christian practices. The illumination of wisdom lost to denominational ideology is a risk that affects all with time, but powerful, convicting, and scripturally honed words such as these shine a light on productive ways to (re)encounter the faith.
Whether you are new to Orthodox Christianity, familiarizing yourself with its theology and history, or an older Orthodox Christian looking for clear and concise ways to communicate its concepts to loved ones, this book is a must-have (and its audiobook, a must-listen).

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A wealth of knowledge.

Know The Faith: A handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers by Michael Shanbour is such a informative and interesting book. I listened to the Audible version and plan to by an actual book for underlining and note taking. If I had it now there are many excellent quotes I would include in this review. But I am so thankful for the Audible version being a busy mom. I can listen much faster than I can read.
I was raised Byzantine Catholic and converted to Orthodoxy 3 years ago. My husband is Anglican. This book helps me to answer many of the questions I get from curious friends and family. Especially helpful to me has been chapter 8: Confession and Repentance and chapter 11: Veneration of the Virgin Mary. I now feel I have the knowledge and biblical references to share with those who ask how and why we honor her as we do. You will finish this book with a better understanding of how to kindly defend my aspects of your faith.

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wonderful introduction to the Orthodox Faith

this book is well written and an excellent introduction to the Orthodox Faith. Each chapter deals with a specific concept by explaining the Orthodox belief while contrasting it to RCC and various forms of Protestantism. Every chapter has scriptural references as well as excerpts from the Church Fathers. Two of the final chapters deal with Protestant objections concerning veneration of the saints and the Virgin Mary along with the Orthodox replies. I highly recommend this book for the inquirer or new catechumen.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful book

Father Michael's book really helped me grasp the "whys" in my pursuit of truth. Thank you!!

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terrible narrator, monotone!

this is a great book so far, but man, it is very challenging to listen to this guy! He has NO expression in his voice at all! He never lifts his voice at the end of a word or sentence, it's just straight, low monotone. arg, I wish someone else would re-narrate this book! 😫

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An Informative Read on the Orthodox Faith, Great for Protestants and Roman Catholics

An informative, satisfying listen on Orthodox theology and practice. In this timeless book, Fr. Shanbour clearly lays out the teachings of the Orthodox Church. I especially enjoyed how the author organized the book to open with those topics that will be of most interest and help to inquirers, converts, and others. The first four chapters (covering the church, grace, salvation, and justification by faith respectively) clearly lay out the fundamental doctrines of the Orthodox church. As I am a convert from Protestantism, I found the author's inclusion of Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines to be incredibly helpful. It is amazing how much greater the differences are between Eastern and Western Christianity than between the two main branches of the Western Church.

I did find the audiobook version of this book to be a bit of a challenge, given the content's depth. If one is just starting their exploration of Orthodoxy I recommend they get a physical or electronic copy of this book. However, if one is already fairly familiar with Orthodox teachings and practice, this is a solid listen that I highly recommend. The narrator is engaging without being overly dramatic.

I highly recommend this book in any edition to those who want to learn more about the Orthodox faith, especially if they are coming from a Roman Catholic or Protestant background.

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Fascinating to a Protestant

I found this to be very interesting to my Protestant mind and helped me understand the parts of Protestant theology that never made sense to me.

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A handbook for everyone!

"Know the Faith" by Fr. Michael Shanbour exceeded my expectations. I've been Orthodox for over 15 years, and explaining what we believe and why can be kinda tricky. However, with the information contained in this book, I feel like I now have a simpler way of talking through topics such as the priesthood and icons with those who didn't grow up in the faith. I also appreciate that Fr. Michael included scripture references as well as those from the Church Fathers. Don't think you can listen to this book once and get everything within its 345 pages. This is a guide that should be revisited at least yearly, which is why I also bought the hard copy. It's truly a "Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers!"

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