Know the Faith

A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers

By: Michael Shanbour

Narrated by: Darrell Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

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

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.

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.

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).

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).

Very helpful book

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

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! 😫

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!"

Helpful for those newly Orthodox

I was christmated 2 years as of this post and I found this book extremely helpful. I am not very familiar with the ancient orthodox teaching of the early church and I thought Fr. Michael’s explanation of the main teachings of Orthodoxy very simple and easy to understand. They are also well thought out and clearly presented. I highly recommend this book to anyone new to the faith that is seeking a better and clearer understanding of our ancient traditions.

Most complete and accessible survey of Orthodoxy

Topical chapters are replete with references to Scripture, quotes of Church Fathers, and answers to common objections.

Must read/listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of historic Christianity

I listened a little faster since the narration was on the slow side. The narrator had some odd pronunciations, but overall was fine to listen to. The actual book was phenomenal. Wow. Fr. Michael did a great job of explaining Orthodoxy in terms that an Evangelical (or recent Evangelical convert) can understand.