{"product":{"product_id":"1091371555","title":"Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026 Catholicism: Rome’s Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching","price":"22.0","image_url":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ssmAP1ZtL._SL500_.jpg","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1091371555"},"comments":[{"body":"Yes. Almost every single Orthodox and Catholic bishop, priest and layman for the past 1000+ years believed it mattered a lot. The idea that it doesn't matter is a recent ecumenist invention, drawn from the school of thought that says things along the lines of \"meh, all Christianity is the same\". It's not the same.\r\n\r\nI recommend [this book](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555) for an overview of Orthodox arguments against Catholic claims, and there are lists of differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism that I could copy and paste for you, but the most important differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism aren't as neat or as easily explained as \"on issue X, the Orthodox believe Y and the Catholics believe Z\".\r\n\r\nOrthodoxy and Catholicism come with two different theological worldviews. It's not just that we don't give the same answers - we don't even ask the same questions. Issues that are major in Catholicism are seen as minor or irrelevant in Orthodoxy, and vice versa.\r\n\r\nWestern Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism) largely revolves around the question: *\"What must I do to be saved?\"*\r\n\r\nEastern Christianity (including Orthodoxy) largely revolves around the question: *\"Who is Jesus Christ, and what is virtue?\"*","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"For a proper, book-length argument against the papacy, I recommend this book: [Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026amp; Catholicism: Rome’s Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555). It is largely about the events of the first millennium and demonstrates how little power the Bishop of Rome had at the time.\r\n\r\nI think the strongest argument against the papacy is that the early Christians simply did not act the way that modern Catholics act with regard to the Bishop of Rome. Practically everyone who had any disagreement with Rome in the first millennium ended up excommunicating the Pope (even if only for a few years). Can you imagine modern Catholic bishops *excommunicating the Pope* because they think he's wrong about something? The fact that this sort of thing happened all the time in the first millennium really proves that the Bishops of Rome were absolutely not regarded as the indispensable center of the Church.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"I am Orthodox and I think you should become Orthodox. But having said that...\r\n\r\nThe Catholic Church is the largest organization of any kind in human history. It has more members, more employees, and more departments, subsidiaries and affiliated institutions than any other human organization. As such, it is also going to end up with more skeletons in its closet simply by random chance. The Church with the highest number of church-run schools is also going to be the one where some of those schools have mass graves.\r\n\r\nBigger countries have more criminals than smaller countries, and bigger Churches have more criminals than smaller Churches. It's simple statistics. So I don't think this is a good reason to become Orthodox...\r\n\r\n...but it **is** a good reason to get interested in Orthodoxy, talk to a priest, find out about the arguments for Orthodoxy from [books like this one](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555), and then later join the Orthodox Church because you have concluded that this is the true Church of Christ.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"Happy to hear it! It is less polemical! \r\n\r\nSeems to a be a newer version out! https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/ref=m_pd_aw_sbs_sccl_1/144-0464154-6743839?pd_rd_w=JS6Zp\u0026amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.bc45384a-cf15-479c-b874-e31c5245d34e\u0026amp;pf_rd_p=bc45384a-cf15-479c-b874-e31c5245d34e\u0026amp;pf_rd_r=DYQZQSZ4002PH8KY3NS6\u0026amp;pd_rd_wg=9pAyM\u0026amp;pd_rd_r=c68564b0-0dd4-453f-86a6-9aee6ef0b245\u0026amp;pd_rd_i=1091371555\u0026amp;psc=1","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"Lomisnow"},{"body":"\"[Two Paths](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=two+paths+orthodoxy+%26+catholicism\u0026amp;qid=1655912816\u0026amp;sprefix=two+paths%2Caps%2C185\u0026amp;sr=8-1)\" is a really good book on the subject of the papacy. While it's written by an Orthodox Christian, he uses primarily Catholic sources for his research. It's a pretty short work and well worth a read for anyone wrestling with these questions.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"feeble_stirrings"},{"body":"It's a lot to get into. The short version is, the power that the papacy has, as we now understand it and how it is practiced, simply didn't exist in the early Church. It developed over time, culminating in the decrees made by Vatican I. \r\nThis is a good book and fairly short read that goes into the kind of evidence you're looking for: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555","subreddit_name":"Catholicism","author":"shoenniker"},{"body":"You might find this book helpful. The person converted from the RCC to the EO, but has much love for his brethren in the RCC and doesn't bash them. It's very well researched and footnoted. The book is called *Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026amp; Catholicism: Rome’s Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching*\r\n\r\nA link to it here: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/ref=sr\\_1\\_1?crid=34CB06NTA0ZAK\u0026amp;dchild=1\u0026amp;keywords=two+paths+orthodoxy+%26+catholicism\u0026amp;qid=1634000692\u0026amp;sprefix=two+paths%2Caps%2C177\u0026amp;sr=8-1","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"frjeremy"},{"body":"Hi! I want to give you links to things that other people have only mentioned by name. :) (friendly reminder to everyone: Don't tell the inquirers to check out Ubi Petrus, *give them a link* to Ubi Petrus!)\r\n\r\nSo, here's that link: [The Ubi Petrus YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjgGS6wlnhilqkoLXxBc1og). This is largely dedicated to explaining and upholding the Orthodox stance in debates about the papacy.\r\n\r\nA very good book on the same topic is [Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026amp; Catholicism: Rome’s Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555). It is largely about the events of the first millennium and demonstrates how little power the Bishop of Rome had at the time.\r\n\r\nA great book on Orthodox theology in general is [Know the Faith](https://www.amazon.com/Know-Faith-Handbook-Christians-Inquirers/dp/194496701X).","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"Hello and welcome! Christ is risen! Naturally, we would love for you to join the Orthodox Church, as we believe she is the original Church of Christ. And opposition to the Catholic dogmas about the Papacy is a very good reason to become Orthodox, seeing how beliefs about the Papacy are one of the *main things* dividing Orthodoxy from Catholicism.\r\n\r\nNow, one quick piece of very important information, in reply to this:\r\n\r\n\u0026gt;I'm a bit intimidated because it seems like there's so many types of Orthodoxy.\r\n\r\nThe Eastern Orthodox Church functions like a federation or confederation (so like the United States, or Canada, or Australia), in the sense that it is made up of sub-units that are called Autocephalous Churches, or Local Churches, or \"jurisdictions\". These are like the states of the US or the provinces of Canada.\r\n\r\nSo, you can think of becoming Orthodox by analogy with immigrating to a federation. Does it matter which *state* or *province* within the US/Canada/Australia you \"join\"? No, and in fact, you're not really joining a state, you're joining the entire federation. You will live in a particular state of that federation, of course, but you can move freely from state to state and may not stay in the one you originally arrived in.\r\n\r\nIt is the same with the jurisdictions of Orthodoxy. You wouldn't be joining a particular jurisdiction, you would be joining the entire \"federation\" of the Orthodox Church, and simply attending one church within that federation.\r\n\r\nNow, with that out of the way...\r\n\r\n**Resources to learn more!**\r\n\r\nFirst, the website [AncientFaith.com](https://www.ancientfaith.com/) is an excellent repository of blogs and podcasts about Orthodox topics. It's arguably THE main English-language Orthodox website.\r\n\r\n- [Two Paths: Orthodoxy and Catholicism](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/) - This is one of the best and most accessible introductions to the Orthodox stance on Catholic claims, especially with regard to the Pope.\r\n\r\n- [Know the Faith](https://www.amazon.com/Know-Faith-Handbook-Christians-Inquirers/dp/194496701X/) - This is the best overview of Orthodox theology, in my opinion. It focuses particularly on comparing Orthodoxy with Protestantism and Protestant-inspired ideas that are common in the West. This is a must-read for anyone who is familiar with the \"pop culture\" version of Christianity and wants to find out how Orthodox Christian teachings are different from that.\r\n\r\n- [Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy](https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Heterodoxy-Complicated-Religious-Landscape/dp/1944967176/) - This book (and the [podcast by the same name](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy)) explains the differences between Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity (and even talks a bit about non-Christian religions). It has a really good chapter on Catholicism.\r\n\r\n- [Welcome to the Orthodox Church](https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Orthodox-Church-Introduction-Christianity/dp/1557259216/) - This book tries to explain everything about Orthodoxy from the perspective of a fictional convert joining a fictional Orthodox parish; it's particularly good for understanding the Liturgy and other elements of Orthodox praxis. This is most useful for someone who has never been inside an Orthodox church before.\r\n\r\nFinally, if you happen to live in the United States or Canada, use the [official directory of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops](https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes) to find Orthodox parish churches near you, that you could visit. It is much more reliable than trying to find Orthodox churches using Google or something else. Now, this directory is officially for *the United States*, and includes all the Orthodox Churches *there*, but it also has some limited usefulness for Canada in that it includes *some* (not all) Orthodox churches in Canada.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"It's nearly impossible to summarize the arguments for Orthodoxy (as opposed to Catholicism) in a single reddit post, so instead I will recommend a book: [Two Paths: Orthodoxy and Catholicism](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/). This is one of the best and most accessible introductions to the Orthodox stance on Catholic claims, especially with regard to the Pope.\r\n\r\nTo go more in-depth, I would also recommend [Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy](https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Heterodoxy-Complicated-Religious-Landscape/dp/1944967176/). This book (and the [podcast by the same name](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy)) explains the differences between Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity (and even talks a bit about non-Christian religions). It has a really good chapter on Catholicism.\r\n\r\nBut like others have said, you really should visit a local Orthodox church. If you happen to live in the United States, there is [a really useful official directory](https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes) that you can use to find Orthodox churches near you.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"Hi and welcome! Christ is risen! I would like to share some online and printed resources with you.\r\n\r\nFirst, [AncientFaith.com](https://www.ancientfaith.com/). The largest and most important Orthodox website in English. It contains a huge number of podcasts and blogs about almost every aspect of Orthodoxy and the Orthodox faith.\r\n\r\n[Orthodox Wiki](https://orthodoxwiki.org/Main_Page) is useful, but suffers from the same problems as all other wikis (anyone can edit anything so inaccuracies can sneak in and they will remain until someone notices them).\r\n\r\nIf you happen to live in the United States and are looking for Orthodox churches near you, use the [official directory of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops](https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes). It is much more reliable than trying to find Orthodox churches using Google or something else.\r\n\r\nAnd now for useful books:\r\n\r\n- [Two Paths: Orthodoxy and Catholicism](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/) - This is one of the best and most accessible introductions to the Orthodox stance on Catholic claims, especially with regard to the Pope.\r\n\r\n- [Know the Faith](https://www.amazon.com/Know-Faith-Handbook-Christians-Inquirers/dp/194496701X/) - This is the best overview of Orthodox theology, in my opinion. It focuses particularly on comparing Orthodoxy with Protestantism and Protestant-inspired ideas that are common in the West. This is a must-read for anyone who is familiar with the \"pop culture\" version of Christianity and wants to find out how Orthodox Christian teachings are different from that.\r\n\r\n- [Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy](https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Heterodoxy-Complicated-Religious-Landscape/dp/1944967176/) - This book (and the [podcast by the same name](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy)) explains the differences between Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity (and even talks a bit about non-Christian religions). It has a really good chapter on Catholicism.\r\n\r\n- [Welcome to the Orthodox Church](https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Orthodox-Church-Introduction-Christianity/dp/1557259216/) - This book tries to explain everything about Orthodoxy from the perspective of a fictional convert joining a fictional Orthodox parish; it's particularly good for understanding the Liturgy and other elements of Orthodox praxis. This is most useful for someone who has never been inside an Orthodox church before.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"Hi and welcome! I will begin by recommending two books:\r\n\r\n- [Two Paths: Orthodoxy and Catholicism](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/) - This is one of the best and most accessible introductions to the Orthodox stance on Catholic claims, especially with regard to the Pope.\r\n\r\n- [Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy](https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Heterodoxy-Complicated-Religious-Landscape/dp/1944967176/) - This book (and the [podcast by the same name](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy)) explains the differences between Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity (and even talks a bit about non-Christian religions), and has a really good chapter on Catholicism.\r\n\r\nNow, I also have a brief summary. Some time ago I typed out a list of differences of belief between Catholicism and Orthodoxy. This list doesn't cover *all* the differences, as we also differ in our *approaches* to theology in a way that's not easy to explain. Still, I think the list is useful. Here it is:\r\n\r\n1. **Papal supremacy.** Catholics believe that one bishop (the bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope) is the head of the Church and has universal jurisdiction over other bishops and over all Christians. They also ascribe certain other unique roles to the Pope which no other bishop has. The Orthodox have no such \"super-bishop\". All bishops are equal. We do have Patriarchs, but they're just regular bishops who happen to be in charge of *administrative* matters over a certain area (i.e. what gets built and where, which priest gets appointed to which parish, and so on). They don't have any power to decide what Orthodox Christians believe. The Orthodox believe that supreme authority can only be held by a council of all the bishops of the Church (or as many as can attend).\r\n\r\n2. **The Filioque**. Catholics say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father *and the Son*. Orthodox say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. The original Creed stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, without mentioning the Son, and the Orthodox strictly adhere to the Creed as originally written. The phrase \"and the Son\" (which in Latin is one word: \"filioque\") was added in later centuries in the West. Catholics argue that this phrase makes no difference one way or the other, and that the Orthodox are just splitting hairs. The Orthodox argue that it makes a big difference, and that you can't just change the Creed willy-nilly like that.\r\n\r\n3. **Development of doctrine**. The Catholic Church considers it acceptable to declare new doctrines which were not believed by Catholics in previous times. Simply put, Catholic beliefs can, in principle, be *changed* (with only a few exceptions). The Orthodox Church strongly objects to this idea. In the Orthodox view, while it's certainly possible to develop new opinions (= personal views about non-essential topics, which are not mandatory for all Christians), it is not possible to discover new doctrines (= beliefs that are mandatory for Christians). In other words, you can't impose new rules that weren't around before. All that is essential for salvation was known by the Church from the beginning. The Church may clarify doctrines or rephrase them in words that modern people can understand, but it cannot declare that something which was widely rejected in the past is to be considered mandatory belief in the future. This is probably the main reason why we are called \"Orthodox\".\r\n\r\n4. **Leavened vs. unleavened bread in the Eucharist**. The Orthodox believe that only leavened bread can be used for the Eucharist, because this is the type of bread that Christ is described as using at the Last Supper (the Gospels call the bread he was using *artos*, not *azyma*). Roman Catholics use unleavened bread, in keeping with the Jewish Passover practices. On the Orthodox side, the exclusive use of leavened bread was decreed by the Quinisext Council in 692 AD, which we regard as a continuation of the Sixth Ecumenical Council but which the Catholics do not recognize. So, we actually can never accept the use of unleavened bread, because it would go contrary to one of the Ecumenical Councils.\r\n\r\n4. **Original Sin**. Many Catholics (and most Protestants) view Original Sin as a guilt or debt that all humans are born with. The Orthodox Church believes that Original Sin (or \"Ancestral Sin\", as we sometimes call it to emphasize our different view) was a corrupting influence that made human beings predisposed to sin, but no one alive today is guilty of it. To put it differently: Orthodoxy views humans as addicted to sin, while Catholicism views humans as actually guilty of sin from the moment they are born. Or at least, that is what a lot of Catholics say. Other Catholics insist that Catholicism agrees with the Orthodox position in this regard, although that makes the Immaculate Conception extremely hard to understand (if no conception is inherently \"bad\" by transmitting guilt, why would anyone need to be *immaculately* conceived?).\r\n\r\n5. **The Immaculate Conception**. Catholics believe that Mary the Mother of God was born without the guilt of Original Sin, unlike all other human beings who are born guilty of Original Sin, and therefore Mary was in some sense more than human. This is a consequence of the Catholic view of Original Sin as implying guilt for all human beings. Since the Orthodox do not believe that anyone living after the first humans was guilty of Ancestral Sin, we have no need for any doctrine of immaculate conception. (Note: This Catholic doctrine was only introduced in the 19th century - see point 3, above.) Furthermore, we ask: If there are two possible kinds of conception - the \"normal\" kind and the \"immaculate\" kind - and one of them is just *better* in every way, then why doesn't God grant *everyone* an immaculate conception?\r\n\r\n6. **Satisfaction soteriology**. Catholics (and Protestants) view salvation as a type of satisfaction of debt - in other words, sinning is like breaking a law, and God is like a policeman who has a duty to punish you for breaking that law, but there's a loophole (the sacrifice of Christ) which allows you to get away without punishment even though you deserve it. The Orthodox Church views sin more like an addiction or a disease, God more like a doctor, and the sacrifice of Christ more like the medicine that will cure you.\r\n\r\n7. **Purgatory.** Catholics believe in purgatory - a \"third place\" in the afterlife where many souls undergo a \"temporal punishment\" which is necessary to fully purge them of the guilt of sin (because sin requires both a \"temporal punishment\" and an eternal \"spiritual punishment\", and it's only the eternal one that gets forgiven through the death and resurrection of Christ). Orthodox do not believe this.\r\n\r\n8. **Papal infallibility.** Catholics believe that, under certain conditions, the Pope has the power to make infallible statements. We do not believe that any human being has this power. (Note: This Catholic doctrine was only introduced in the 19th century - see point 3, above.)\r\n\r\nThose are the differences of *doctrine*, or belief. In addition, there are many differences of *liturgical practice* and *disciplines*. We have different styles of worship, obviously, and Orthodox priests can be married while Roman Catholic priests cannot be. However, neither side regards priestly celibacy or marriage as a matter of doctrine, so that is actually not a doctrinal difference.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"},{"body":"(Not the user you replied to.)\r\n\r\nThe extremely low-resolution take is that certain teachings developed in Rome over time without input from the rest of the Church.  Rome occupied a special place of honor, and the Bishop of Rome was \"first among equals,\" but he was never supposed to be some kind of super bishop above all other bishops.  There are other issues, but to this layperson, that seems to be the main one.\r\n\r\nIf you're really going to put in the work, I suggest Michael Whelton's *[Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026amp; Catholicism: Rome's Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching.](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555)*\r\n\r\nI'm reading *[The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century](https://store.ancientfaith.com/the-religion-of-the-apostles/)* by Fr. Stephen De Young right now.  Not specifically helpful Re: East vs. West, but it's so fascinating I'm going to recommend it anyway.\r\n\r\nAnd then there's [The Lord of Spirits](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits) podcast.  If I'm not mistaken, I think I've seen you mention Heiser's work here before.  If you like Heiser, you'd like these guys, from what I know of Heiser, anyway.  God bless you on your journey.  I'd encourage you to attend services at both EO and RC parishes, as that was a help for me, as well.\r\n\r\nYou can likely find numerous threads on this exact topic with additional research recommendations by searching at r/OrthodoxChristianity as well as the RC sub.","subreddit_name":"Christianity","author":"ComfortableGeneral38"},{"body":"Two Paths: Orthodoxy \u0026amp; Catholicism: Rome’s Claims of Papal Supremacy in the Light of Orthodox Christian Teaching https://www.amazon.com/dp/1091371555/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_X4CXRR78V79GHMRBXJYW?_encoding=UTF8\u0026amp;psc=1","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"nolarising"},{"body":"Wow, you're getting some horrible answers here. Ignore the \"what's wrong with Pope Francis?\" replies. smh.\r\n\r\nWe have some people in Orthodoxy who wish they could have a leader like Pope Francis. Fortunately, they are a very small minority. Even more fortunately, since we have no Papacy they could never impose their wishes anyway. Our decentralized structure limits any damage that they could possibly do.\r\n\r\nNow, to answer your question!\r\n\r\nIf you're interested, you should begin by reading printed or online introductions to Orthodoxy, and then visit one (or, ideally, more than one) local Orthodox church near you. Here are some useful resources:\r\n\r\nFirst, [AncientFaith.com](https://www.ancientfaith.com/). The largest and most important Orthodox website in English. It contains a huge number of podcasts and blogs about almost every aspect of Orthodoxy and the Orthodox faith.\r\n\r\n[Orthodox Wiki](https://orthodoxwiki.org/Main_Page) is useful, but suffers from the same problems as all other wikis (anyone can edit anything so inaccuracies can sneak in and they will remain until someone notices them).\r\n\r\nIf you live in North America and are looking for Orthodox churches near you, use the [official directory of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops](https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes). It is much more reliable than trying to find Orthodox churches using Google or something else.\r\n\r\nAnd now for useful books:\r\n\r\n- [Two Paths: Orthodoxy and Catholicism](https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555/) - This is one of the best and most accessible introductions to the Orthodox stance on Catholic claims, especially with regard to the Pope.\r\n\r\n- [Know the Faith](https://www.amazon.com/Know-Faith-Handbook-Christians-Inquirers/dp/194496701X/) - **Definitely buy this book!** It explains Orthodox theology, particularly comparing it with Protestantism and Protestant-inspired ideas that are common in the West. This is a must-read for anyone who is familiar with the \"pop culture\" version of Christianity and wants to find out how Orthodox Christian teachings are different from that.\r\n\r\n- [Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy](https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Heterodoxy-Complicated-Religious-Landscape/dp/1944967176/) - this book (and the [podcast by the same name](https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy)) explains the differences between Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity (and even talks a bit about non-Christian religions).\r\n\r\n- [Welcome to the Orthodox Church](https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Orthodox-Church-Introduction-Christianity/dp/1557259216/) - this book tries to explain everything about Orthodoxy from the perspective of a fictional convert joining a fictional Orthodox parish; it's particularly good for understanding the Liturgy and other elements of Orthodox praxis. This is most useful for someone who has never been inside an Orthodox church before.","subreddit_name":"OrthodoxChristianity","author":"edric_o"}]}