Mr. Constantelos has done a Major service to Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular in presenting this book. He clearly explains in a language that is easy to understand such sujects as 1) The divinity in history 2)The Holy Spirit 3)Life in the Church 4)The Relevance of the Church today 5)The Patristic and Monastic Aspects of the Church. The book is well ballanced and very informative.

Not a book to be read for pleasure, this one struck me as very modern despite its subject. The beliefs of many of the Saints discussed are still being bought forth by liberals in America while the conservative predecessors still exist, claiming all problems belong to the individual. The idea that the welfare state is a new idea is quickly disproven when one sees all the great social welfare works set forth in the Byzantine era. I would have liked some comparison to the modern situation but it remains pretty informative and useful, especially for history-loving folks.