Arise O God

The Gospel of Christ’s Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death

By: Andrew Stephen Damick

Narrated by: Andrew Stephen Damick

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about what Jesus can do for your life. It is not even the answer to the question, “How can I be saved?” It is the declaration of a victory. In his coming to earth, his suffering, and his Resurrection, Christ conquered demons, sin, and death. In Arise, O God, author and podcaster Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick introduces us to the spiritual war that Christ won by his victory, how we are caught in that war’s cosmic crossfire, what the true content of the gospel is—and how we are to respond.

Ancient Faith: the leading publisher of books about Orthodox Christianity in English.

©2021 Andrew Stephen Damick (P)2021 Andrew Stephen Damick

An important read for EVERY Christian.

As a child of protestantism, my education of the bible, the gospel, was not deep. In fact, it was utterly shallow. So when I came into the church, it was as if the gospel came alive. When I walk into an Orthodox church, it feels as if I’m walking through history, I’m surrounded by the saints and relics of the gospel, and actually come face to face with the story of Christ on the iconostasis. It’s rich, deep, and whole.
15 years later, I still find that I am always absorbing more. Arise, O God by Father Andrew Stephen Damick brings to life the realities behind the events and people of the gospel, enlightening us to the purpose behind what we believe. He takes the time to break down what the gospel is, why we have it, who Jesus is, what He did, and what He expects of us. Things that I never even wondered “why” or “how” about are now clear. It's amazing how we can gloss over so many things.
Arise, O God contradicted a lot of things that I used to believe as a protestant, like that humans become angels when we go to heaven. It was a bit shocking as a catechumen, but I gradually learned it as a truth. Why is it? Well, as Fr. Damick teaches humans are a completely different species of being than angels. As we read in the scriptures, angels are not the sweet little cherubs that we think of, but appear in different forms and can be quite odd looking with six wings, many eyes, etc. Fallen angelic beings unfortunately stay fallen, yet God gave us the gift of mortality so that we can repent and return to Him.
This book is an important read for EVERY Christian. I would also suggest that especially Orthodox Christians should revisit it every once in a while as a refresher, a pep talk, and a reminder of the gift God has given us. We need to be sure that we are keeping the knowledge of Christ’s victory and our destiny fresh for ourselves as well as our families, neighbors, and communities.

Refreshing

The author has done his homework and it shows in the content of this work. The subject although very common was delightful examined with historical emphasis making this message new in the modern context. Very enjoyable and simplistic.

The “Why” of Christianity, sorely missing today

This book is a blessing. It’s short, clear, and motivating. It is the defense of our hope that the modern Church is sorely unprepared to deliver. It delivers cosmic Why, and an invitation to the greatest adventure and challenge available to Man - exactly what so many thirst for, and available to us all!

The Gospel I never knew

This book, Arise O God, presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it would have been understood by the hearers of those in the first century, living under the rule of the Romans. Father Andrew has written a book that clearly presents this understanding, at the same time contrasting it with the gospel as presented and understood by Protestant Christians, especially, and in my case, here in the United States. The difference between these understandings of the Gospel is laid out in such a way that it is easily grasped, and presented in a spirit that is not offensive. I highly recommend this book.

Profound account of why Christ matters

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick has a gift for making important and profound concepts clear. He is a great explainer, and this book is him at his best. This is not an apology for Orthodoxy (our shared faith), but an attempt to describe why Christ should be at the center of every human's life. There are no culture wars or list of rules here. If you appreciate the work of Michael Heiser (especially in "What Does God Want"), then you are going to enjoy this. But it's even better because it includes the theme of sacrament (it flows naturally from Biblical cosmology). Yes, I have quibbles, but I am SO happy to have this book.

One more thing, this is one of those cases where the author reading the book is a good thing.

One of the Best Gospel Presentations

This book was so impact full to my understanding of the gospel. There wasn't a word wasted or any unnecessary concepts discussed. It also served as a good corrective to many popular and evangelical misunderstandings.

Concise and approachable explanation ancient Christian Gospel

A refreshing and clear presentation of what Christianity means from an ancient perspective. Fr. Andrew draws from history, Old Testament, New Testament and other sources to present clearly how Christ conquered death and what that means for our present and future life. This short, accessible and lively book should be helpful for anyone interested in the meaning of the Christian faith and where it came from.

fantastic book. could use a bit more editing

great audio reading. I recommend audio format. Author reads.

There's a few theological things he said where I think the wording could have used a bit more refinement so maybe another edition someday.

I think some of facts he stated could have used citation in the print edition.

I think this has the potential to become new English classic, a kind of Orthodox version of Mere Christianity.

Excellent

Beautiful description of what the Gospel actually is and what it means to ‘have Faith’ or ‘believe’

Nice intro

A nice introduction to the Orthodox Christian view of the meaning of the Gospels and how it differs from other branches of Christianity.