Welcome to the Orthodox Church

"No one alive today has done more to introduce ordinary Americans to the wonders of the ancient faith than Frederica Mathewes-Green. If not for her, I doubt I would be Orthodox. Hers was one of the greatest and most surprising gifts anyone has ever given me, and it's thrilling to think of how man others will receive it through this book." Rod Dreher, author of Live Not by Lies and The Benedict Option

"I am simply thrilled that my dear friend Frederica Mathewes-Green has written this primer on the Orthodox faith. This book will change lives." Eric Metaxas, Author of Bonhoeffer and Letter to the American Church

"This is more like a friend than a book. It's the voice you hope to hear beside you in church, mujrmuring explanations and encouragement as you make your journey. I highly recommend it." Rev. Dr. Christopher Metropulos, Executive Director, Orthodox Christian Network

"Beautifully written and carefully explained with a heart for the non-Orthodox. As an evangelical who grew up in hte Greek Orthodox Church, until being shipped off to boarding school in England, I found myself longing to revisit the liturgy and traditions of my youth." Emmanuel Kampouris, Former Chairman & CEO of American Standard Companies, and Founder of Biblemesh.com.

“In her own warm, engaging way, Frederica takes us on a journey that is strange and exotic for those previously unfamiliar, and a spiritual refuge and oasis for those who have embraced it. This just may be the Church you have been looking for and didn’t even know it existed.” —John Maddex, CEO, Ancient Faith Ministries

“How do you introduce (Eastern) Orthodoxy? Frederica Mathewes-Green suggests we treat it as a large, and much-loved, family house. She takes us round it, showing us all the rooms and what goes on in them. Her conversational style is completely accessible, but utterly honest; there is lots of information, and she deals directly with problems to be encountered. It feels a bit like Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. This is a wonderful book.” —The Very Revd. Archpriest Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus of Patristic and Byzantine Studies, Durham University, author of Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology

“Frederica Mathewes-Green, author of Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy...has written a new book about getting to know the Orthodox Church. In it she walks the reader through a semi-fictional, representative American parish of the Orthodox Church, stopping to chat along the way...Mathewes-Green is a good companion, colloquial and easy, clear even when she dives into knotty theological controversies. What other book will you read this year that gives a quick summary of the controversy over the double procession of the Holy Spirit? But one of the great things about Mathewes-Green’s writing is that, unlike so much from the C.S. Lewis school of Christianity, she does not live entirely in the world of arguments. She writes with ‘the mind in the heart,’ as the Orthodox say. Christianity is not primarily a philosophy or assent to a set of propositions; it’s a way of life. Mathewes-Green never loses sight of that...The reader gets what the book’s title promises. But the best reason to read this book is that the author is wise. Wisdom springs from deep roots within a well-ordered soul, and is quite different from the things we mistake it for: intelligence, charm, wit, sympathy, openness, or empathy. Wisdom is rare in public discourse; when you see it, you recognize it.” —J. Mulrooney, New Oxford Review

“Plenty of books deal with Christian theology in weighty and abstruse ways, but precious few apply the theology so wholly to the everyday lived realities of life, and in such easily accessible prose, as does Welcome to the Orthodox Church. This book follows exactly Frederica Mathewes-Green's tried and true recipe, of lucid writing marked by a strong sense of humor, but never escaping from the deepest spiritual realities. Do take warning, though. If you do read this thoughtful and passionate book, you will run the risk of having to take the claims of Orthodox Christianity very seriously indeed.” —Philip Jenkins 

“Frederica Mathewes-Green, through her writing, has become the ‘Greeter’ for every person who begins to seek out and explore the “other Christianity” which is the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Few authors can take the mystery, beauty and often daunting complexities of Orthodoxy and transform them in such an inviting path of spiritual journey as this author has done with this book.” —The Very Rev Dr Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, St. Vladimir’s Orthodoxy Seminary, New York

This beginner's guide to Orthodoxy is comprehensive but not ponderous, profound but lightened by humor, focused on heaven but framed in down-to-earth terms. It is, moreover, a work of superb hospitality. While guiding her guests through a fictitious but true-to-life Orthodox house of worship and introducing them to its parish family, Frederica Mathewes-Green serves up a lavish feast of Orthodox architecture, art, theology, history, and devotional practices, all seasoned with tangy anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom. Even longstanding Orthodox believers will find nourishment here. —Carole Monica Burnett, Editor, Fathers of the Church Series, Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC