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Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

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For Protestants or Catholics seeking to understand Eastern Orthodoxy, the Cross is a good place to start. In the
West a multitude of different views sprang up over the last millennium, but Orthodox Christian beliefs have remained unchanged. The contrast between those views is suggested by the two images on the book's cover, showing how differently the meaning of the Cross was understood, East and West.

Two Views of the Cross is a short, focused book, ideal for readers looking to grasp the overall picture (with some passages from Mathewes-Green's more-comprehensive classic, Welcome to the Orthodox Church). This volume adds a new title to Mathewes-Green's long list of helpful books about Eastern Orthodoxy. Looking at the Cross from Western and Eastern perspectives provides a concise introduction to the beautiful, mystical, and sometimes-surprising Orthodox faith.

Praise for Welcome to the Orthodox Church:

“Lucid writing marked by a strong sense of humor, but never escaping from the deepest spiritual realities.”
--Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Prof. of History, Baylor University

“Completely accessible, but utterly honest...This is a wonderful book.”
--Fr Andrew Louth, Prof. of Byzantine Studies, Durham University

“Few authors can take the mystery, beauty, and often-daunting complexities of Orthodoxy and transform them in such an inviting path of spiritual journey.”
--The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary

“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.”
--Rod Dreher, Author, Senior Editor & blogger at The American Conservative

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2022

205 people are currently reading
148 people want to read

About the author

Frederica Mathewes-Green

30 books137 followers

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
179 reviews41 followers
February 16, 2023


The book's greatest failure is that it is littered with false dichotomies of positions which the west holds in tension, but which she insists on taking as either/or. For example, in the book, the cross is either an offering for sin or a victory over death. Or, Christ’s death is either a sacrifice offered to God or a means of ransoming people from the evil one. Or death is either a consequence of sin or the punishment for sin. A more thorough engagement with the Western tradition should have revealed that these positions are not seen as opposites.
She begins with Anselm's view of atonement and proceeds as if that is the only way the western tradition views the cross. From there, Anselm becomes totalizing as an explanatory factor. Even up to the point of explaining the differences in the depiction of the passion between the east and the west. She never mentions for example that although Anselm’s views are considered important, they are in no denomination held to be dogmatic.


Overall, this book is good ONLY if you view it as a brief guide into the orthodox views of Christian fundamentals. I say that with a caveat, however. Given how much she misrepresents and/or truncates the western branch of Christianity I cannot be sure she represents eastern orthodoxy well. But as a way of comparing the west with Orthodoxy, the book is abysmal.
729 reviews
January 26, 2024
I read this book as requested by a friend who wanted me to give her a review. I went to amazon to order it and was a little taken aback at the price considering the length of the book. But I could read it for free using Kindle Unlimited, so I chose that option.

This book explained, in true layman's terms, almost exactly what was being taught in a class at my church based on the book "The Religion of the Apostles" I was glued to each page and even made high lights and book marks in my kindle. I will transfer all these to the copy that I ordered when I finished the e-book. I found it so helpful that I also ordered two more to give to people!

The author carefully begins by talking about what words mean. This is so important because if you and I both use the same word, but have a different idea of what it means, we cannot effectively communicate what we are thinking or believe. Step by careful step she talks about the views of ransomed, redeemed, delivered, and saved. She goes into forgiveness and mercy, sacrifices and offerings. Halfway through the book she begins to talk about the crucifixion - something one would think she'd start with given the title. But she needed to lay a foundation so the reader could properly understand the Orthodox view of the crucifixion and what it did for us. She goes into sin and righteousness, the problem of evil mercy and repentance, free will, the assurance of salvation, the incarnation (so important to understanding). She ends with theosis and how theology should be a part of our everyday lives.

This book is well worth the cost of the paperback. I'd advise getting the physical book over kindle because it is hard to properly use the footnotes which are at the end of the book. It's just too hard to scroll back and forth, much easier to flip pages. Also the physical book make it easy to highlight and take notes in the margins.
Profile Image for Diego Alvarado.
8 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2024
This is a critical read for those who have an interest in Christianity, philosophy, and history.

The book aims to analyze the beliefs of Christianity across time, therefore leaving one with a much deeper understanding of the beliefs and motivations that built the East and West.

Frederica takes the reader on an easy-to-digest and profound journey through the evolution of Christian ideas and how these beliefs have affected culture and religion, causing confusion, hundreds of denominations, wars, and spiritual anguish.

She makes an excellent comparison between modern, more philosophized Christianity and its more Orthodox, original beliefs and traditions.

It is such a relief how digestible this book is. Many of these topics discussed, particularly the idea of salvation and the cross, are complex and challenging concepts to grasp and understand, especially for those new to Christianity and its original Orthodox roots. However, Frederica provides very deep but simple explanations on common topics believers or theologians/philosophers wrestle with.

For instance, much of this book is a process of unlearning rather than learning. The author walks the reader through a variety of beliefs and modern ideas regarding Christianity and demonstrates how these new ideas are now flawed and undermine Christianity. I was shocked to learn that nearly all my beliefs and conceptions of Christianity were deeply Western and extremely new. Resulting in deep confusion and misconception of God.

One of the most profound insights I left with that every Christian should investigate is the idea of the cross and atonement. Modern Christianity has conditioned believers into thinking we are in debt to God with sin and that the only way we could "repay" this debt was through Christ. This is a surprisingly new belief. Originally Christ's work was aimed at death, but now it is thought to be aimed at being forgiven for sins. Originally salvation was a victory, not where we repay the Father with Christ's blood. Orthodoxy (the original Christian belief) believes that NOTHING we do can pay the debt for our sins; instead, God simply forgives them.

This was my favorite section of the book, where the author highlights the original view of forgiveness, mercy, and salvation. Frederica provides an excellent example and description of what forgiveness is. When you forgive someone, you don't EXPECT or DEMAND something in return; that isn't forgiveness; that's transactional. Frederica here provides the truly profound and original idea of God being forgiving simply out of love. Everyone should read this section; it forever changed the way I view sin and the idea of having to "persuade God" or "win God's forgiveness" through good works, etc.

In summary, I left this book with a much deeper appreciation for Christianity and its original message and beliefs. They make far more sense and feel much less transactional. They fully display the idea of God in a manner that doesn't seem far-fetched or where you leave feeling like a flawed creature having to "win God over.". It does an excellent job discussing the Western influence on Christianity and comparing these beliefs to the original ones. My entire view of Christianity has shifted with this amazing introductory book on Christian Orthodoxy.
Profile Image for Charise Duckworth.
41 reviews
January 14, 2025
This book was a very thought provoking read. It brought ideas to the table that I had never even considered, but after considering them found much validity in. It can be a bit hard to follow at times and is a very theologically dense book. Would recommend to anyone of all denominations.
Profile Image for Becky Filipek.
529 reviews7 followers
December 19, 2023
Her argument is too hung up on Anselm of Canterbury and the debt repayment metaphor, though it IS a biblical concept. It seemed like in trying to argue against Jesus sacrificing himself to pay for sin she would always accidentally argue for it indirectly, which was frustrating. But it's difficult not to do that when you quote Scripture that talks about being offered for sin, even if you're trying to say that isn't what it says.

Also, I understand the value of koine Greek, but the Hebrew Old Testament trumps the Septuagint.

The last few chapters were more useful in understanding some Orthodox thought. And I am thoroughly Western in how I think, so the more Eastern way of thinking is definitely not for me. The concepts I agree with, but I would use a different vocabulary.
Profile Image for Jeremy.
652 reviews36 followers
May 8, 2023


Potent Quotables:

The idea that God’s honor had to be restored before he could forgive us doesn’t appear until a thousand years into the Christian story. Such theories arose in a different era, culture, and language, and on a whole different continent, than the one the New Testament writers knew. I have seen Eastern Christians astonished and appalled when they learn that any Christian believes Christ died to pay our sin-debt to the Father.

If you and I forgive each other without demanding repayment, we do the very thing that troubled St. Anselm: we treat sinner and sinless alike, we leave sin uncorrected, and we knock the scales of justice awry. To look at it from the other direction: if God had to receive satisfaction before granting forgiveness, then “as we forgive” would mean we had to do the same. We couldn’t forgive a serious injury, not until there was restitution or punishment. To graciously waive repayment would wreck eternal justice. And how would we know where to stop? If serious injuries must be redressed, wouldn’t non-serious ones need to be, as well?

St. Isaac of Syria, a seventh-century bishop of Nineveh, points out that we can’t call God just, in human terms, since he pays the laborers who worked only one hour as much as those who worked all day, and the father of the prodigal embraces his son without any restitution. “Do not call God just,” St. Isaac says, “for his justice is not manifest in the things regarding you.”

In another version of the [prodigal son parable], the father might have said, “I’d love to take you home, son, but who’s going to pay this Visa bill? Somebody’s got to pay the debt first.” Or he might have said, “I’d love to take you home, but I can’t have people thinking I would overlook an insult. I’m going to have to punish you, for the sake of my honor.” Or he might have said, “I’m so full of wrath I can’t see straight. Even if I killed you, it wouldn’t be enough. You’re not worth killing. You’re garbage. But your older brother, who has never offended me—he is innocent. I’ll kill him, and the sight of his blood will soothe my wrath”... The older brother doesn’t always get a fair shake, when people talk about this parable. He has a legitimate complaint: the younger son has squandered his half of the inheritance, and from now on they’ll all be living on the elder brother’s share. It isn’t fair, to tell the truth. When the father welcomes back the prodigal without requiring repayment, it is unjust, in earthly terms. But the father invites the older son to sacrifice his legitimate claim, and join him in a love that doesn’t count the cost.

Christ’s death on the Cross was an offering to the Father—but it wasn’t a payment. This is a distinction we don’t readily catch, because the making of sacrifices is no longer a feature of daily life. But it was never the case that the Father needed animal blood before he could forgive his people. It was rather that his people needed to offer it. Sinners needed to make a costly gift as evidence to themselves and others that they were sincere; they needed to show that they really were sorry for their sin, and really intended to renounce it. Gifts have no power of coercion; an offering can’t compel a penitent sinner to live righteously. But a gift sets a seal on his intention. The Temple sacrifices and offerings demonstrated a commitment to God and an intention to live righteously. They never were payments for sin. This can be rather a new thought, if we are used to thinking of salvation as a transaction: a big pile of debt on this side, and a big pile of payment over there, and now we’re in the clear. I think what leads us astray is that we think the Old Testament sacrifices were like the offerings made in the old Greco-Roman religion, which went to pay off debts or win divine favors. That’s rather a crass idea, and unworthy of attribution to the God-guided Hebrew people.

“In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Notice that St. Paul says “not counting their trespasses;” he does not say God counted the trespasses, weighed the Cross, and considered the debt well paid. The purpose of the sacrifice is reconciliation, not repayment.

The Sacrifices and Offerings aspect of salvation is simple and direct: it is the restoring of a relationship of love. It’s not necessary to add an extra layer of offending abstract justice, and God being unable to forgive us until that’s repaid. But if you’ve always arranged your mental furniture around that extra bit, it’s hard to get it out again. It’s fairly easy to expand, elaborate, and proliferate, when busy with intellectual matters, but it’s not so easy to recover an earlier simplicity. That’s one reason it takes converts a few years to get the hang of Orthodoxy. Certainly, it’s possible to interpret these Scriptures differently, and claim that they prove objective justice has to be satisfied, or a penalty paid, before God can forgive us. People can interpret any verse of Scripture in a number of ways, and each new interpretation can eventually become a venerable tradition. But it’s worth asking: When did that tradition begin? How recently did it appear, in Christian history? How closely does it resemble the understanding of the New Testament’s original audience? If nobody thought of this interpretation for a thousand years, doesn’t that make it kind of iffy? We can ask further: does this interpretation lead to spiritual health? Does it create in us a lively mix of repentance and gratitude? Does it lead us into a more sure and accurate awareness of God’s presence? Or does it lead us to think of God as the corresponding party in a formal transaction—all we have to do is slap his Son on a Cross, and we’re in the clear?

I sometimes hear people say that we should use all of the theories of the atonement, because each one supplies something essential to our understanding. I can’t agree completely, because the early-church belief that God forgives freely isn’t compatible with the later theory that he had to be paid. Yet there is much beauty to explore in the scriptural language of Sacrifice and Offering, once it’s liberated from the overtones of a one-for-one transaction.

This is one of the most significant differences between Western and Eastern Christian theology: In Euro-American Christianity, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) means that the punishment for sin is death. It’s like saying that the punishment for speeding is a fine. But in Orthodoxy, “the wages of sin is death” means that sin is death. The two are inextricably enmeshed: sin causes death, and fear of death causes sin… Because sin separates us from God, it separates us from life, light, love, and every good thing. To sin is to absorb death within your mind, within your feeble body. Death is the result of sin, not a punishment. It is a consequence. A mother who tells her son, “If you keep climbing up there, you’ll fall and break your leg,” and is proved right, didn’t inflict the broken leg as a punishment.

Tempting thoughts, no matter how loathsome, should not distress us; they may not even be our own thoughts, but just missiles flung at us by the evil one in his attempts to drag us away. So just let them pass. There’s a saying, “The birds fly overhead, but you don’t have to let them nest in your hair.” And don’t get pulled into trying to debate or refute them. Any kind of engagement with a thought can pull you into a downward slide. Just recognize them when you see them, and turn back to your constant inner prayer. “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Over the centuries, the psychology of temptation has been thoroughly mapped by Orthodox athletes of prayer, and the tactic of simply dismissing those thoughts and turning prayerfully toward Jesus has proved to be the best strategy.

St. Augustine [said] that we are born with a corrupted nature, inclined to sin (Orthodox would agree), and also born guilty of Adam’s sin (Orthodox would not agree). But Augustine also taught that our nature is entirely corrupted, and contains no health at all. Since we are corrupted in every respect, St. Augustine said, we are not able to choose not to sin. We will sin every time, unless God intervenes. (In the Protestant Reformation, this doctrine acquired the name Total Depravity.) The Church regards Augustine as a saint (though no saint is perfect), but Orthodox don’t agree with St. Augustine’s stand against free will. As before, your view of salvation makes a difference here. If salvation means paying the Father the debt we owe for our sins, then that payment would have to be entirely Christ’s doing. If the Cross wasn’t payment enough, we’re all in trouble. But if you look at salvation instead as a rescue action, free will has different implications. You can choose whether or not to accept a rescue. In that regard, you have free will. That’s true, even though you don’t have to do anything to deserve a rescue.
Profile Image for Matt Koser.
79 reviews9 followers
June 26, 2024
I liked: her emphasis of Union with God as opposed to transactional salvation, argument that “forgiveness must be free if it is forgiveness at all”, explanation of sin as poison, her reliance on early church fathers.

She switched from Protestant to E Orthodox decades ago. There were a few times when she said, “When I was a Protestant, I thought…” as if the problem was with protestant theology. However, many times it was just bad theology (not Protestant specifically). I appreciated how she is able to write specifically for Protestants because of her background.

I was also not a big fan of her explanation of God’s preserving work in the believer (it was too weak).

With these two critiques, it was tottering between 4 and 5 ⭐️s, but leaned just a bit more toward 5. This was a helpful summary of Orthodox Soteriology. I’m thankful for how the Western church has benefitted from Eastern church thought recently. The East has a lot to offer.

We’ll written and great content.

______

My ⭐️ rating criteria
- ⭐️: I absolutely did not like or totally disagreed with the book and would recommend that no one else read it
- ⭐️⭐️: the book was below average style or content, arguments were very weak, wouldn’t read it again, but wouldn’t beg people not to read it necessarily
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️: a fine book, some helpful information (or a decent story, for the handful of novels I read), maybe I disagreed somewhat, enjoyed it decently well
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: a very good book, information was very helpful, mostly agreed with everything or it was a strong argument even if I disagree, was above-average enjoyable to read
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: incredible book, I enjoyed it more than most other books, I want to read it again in the future, I will be telling everyone to read it for the next few weeks
Profile Image for Devon.
275 reviews9 followers
February 20, 2025
An interesting comparison of the views of Eastern Orthodoxy and the Western churches (RC and Protestant) on views of atonement and the cross. This is a good introduction to these thoughts. My only knock is that she tends to be overly simplistic in her descriptions of western positions. However, I understand that the goal of the book was not to get deep into the weeds. But I did not feel as though she dug in at all in places where it would have been helpful.
Profile Image for Jeremy.
652 reviews36 followers
July 1, 2023


Potent Quotables:

+ Christian leaders of the first and second century declared Christ’s victory over Hades, and his deliverance of the righteous departed:
- “Even the prophets, being his disciples, were expecting him as their teacher through the Spirit. And for this cause, he whom they rightly awaited, when he came, raised them from the dead… He descended, indeed, into Hades alone, but he arose accompanied by a multitude; and rent asunder that means of separation which had existed from the beginning of the world, and cast down its partition-wall.” Ignatius of Antioch (AD 35-108)
- “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sins suffered even unto death, whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the pangs of Hades.” Polycarp (AD 69-155)
- “The Lord God remembered the people of Israel who lay in the graves, and he descended to preach to them his own salvation.” Justin the Martyr (AD 100-165)
- “For three days he dwelt in the place where the dead were… The Lord remembered his dead saints who slept formerly in the land of burial, and he descended to them, to rescue and save them.” Irenaeus (AD 130-202)

+ As a Protestant I sometimes wondered: How had the early Christians known that Christ’s Resurrection meant that we would be resurrected too? Why wouldn’t they think of it as something that happened to Jesus alone, like the Ascension or the Virgin Birth? (I didn’t doubt that we would be resurrected; I just wondered how the early Christians arrived at that conclusion.) They found it in the Scriptures, of course:
- “Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol [Hades], restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit” (Psalm 29/30:3)
- “From the depths of the earth you will bring me up again” (Psalm 70/71:20)
- “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol” (Psalm 48/49:15)
- “He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8)
- “Because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit” (Zechariah 9:11)
- “I will deliver them from the hand of Hades, and I will redeem them from death. O Death, where is your penalty? O Hades, where is your sting?” (Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:55)

The early Christians saw Christ’s victory in Hades as the center-point of the Gospel story; it is the moment when we are ransomed, redeemed, delivered, and saved. But in the West, the events of Holy Saturday faded in importance, and this dynamic moment-of-rescue was largely forgotten.

People can interpret any verse of Scripture in a number of ways, and each new interpretation can eventually become a venerable tradition. But it’s worth asking: When did that tradition begin? How recently did it appear in Christian history? How closely does it resemble the understanding of the New Testament’s original audience? If nobody thought of this interpretation for a thousand years, doesn’t that make it kind of iffy? We can ask further: does this interpretation lead to spiritual health? Does it create in us a lively mix of repentance and gratitude? Does it lead us into a more sure and accurate awareness of God’s presence? Or does it lead us to think of God as the corresponding party in a formal transaction—all we have to do is slap his Son on a Cross, and we’re in the clear? I sometimes hear people say that we should use all of the theories of the atonement, because each one supplies something essential to our understanding. I can’t agree completely, because the early-church belief that God forgives freely isn’t compatible with the later theory that he had to be paid. Yet there is much beauty to explore in the scriptural language of Sacrifice and Offering, once it’s liberated from the overtones of a one-for-one transaction.

St. Isaac of Syria (d. AD 700) thought that the pain of Hell would be caused by realizing, at last, how much God loved us, and that we have rejected his love: “Those who are punished in Gehenna are scourged by the scourge of love… I mean that those who have become conscious that they have sinned against love suffer greater torment from this than from any fear of punishment. For the sorrow caused in the heart by sin against love is sharper than any torment that can be… This is the torment of Gehenna: bitter regret. But love inebriates the souls of the children of Heaven by its delectability.”
Profile Image for shell.
5 reviews
February 4, 2025
This is one of those books that you could read multiple times and still glean new information from. I highly recommend it for anyone coming out of Protestant traditions into the Orthodox faith. It will blow your mind and help readers understand how the theology that resulted from the reformation got so off track.
12 reviews1 follower
December 21, 2023
This is a refreshing and empowering book

While none of this was actually “new“ to me, after following Jesus and studying the Bible, for 52 years, I love how she put it together logically, building from one point to another. Over recent years I have been struggling with what I was taught about the Cross. I think I have traveled through most of the different theological positions she described, and have landed fairly close to Orthodoxy as she describes it. (I didn’t know that it was Orthodoxy, but I’m fine with that!)
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to grow in their understanding of God, and the work done through Jesus.
96 reviews
July 30, 2024
Intellectual Graciousness, Clear, Simple and with…

… wonderful humor included. What a treasure we have in Frederica Matthews’s-Green. I want to read or listen to (my 82 y/o macular degenerating eyes are going …) everything she has written. I feel loved with the love of Christ our God and copied and pasted almost half (a lot, but not that much) of the book into my notes. Waiting now for August 10 when I am eligible for my next free book on Audible. Looking forward to hearing her read her own book on the Jesus Prayer which is transforming this newly Orthodox old lady’s life. If you haven’t already come to an Orthodox Church.
Profile Image for John Funnell.
182 reviews10 followers
July 4, 2023
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”

A famous quotation. Although the term “enemy” is far to extreme in this case. It makes the point.

As an evangelical reformed baptist Pastor I push against the theology of Roman Catholicism (praying for the people). Eastern Orthodoxy has done this for over one thousand years more than us.

We are ignorant to assume theological parallels between them. In fact the church in the East see us as a mere branch of the RC!

This book gives a great introduction to all three views of the cross in a respectful and challenging way.
59 reviews
December 5, 2023
I thought this was a really great read. The author used to be Protestant (Episcopalian) and converted to Orthodoxy. The biggest frustration for me was the massively broad brush in which she painted Protestantism. She's intentional about it and says as much. But otherwise, she really helps to describe the Orthodox view of the atonement. I've always been a little of Saint Anselm introducing Penal Substitutionary Atonement and she spends a lot of time outlining an argument against this view and for, what we in the west would probably call the ransom theory. Overall, I was very impressed.
Profile Image for Kelly Hohenstern.
372 reviews3 followers
August 28, 2023
Book 32 of 2023: Two Views of The Cross by: Frederica Mathewes-Green

“He paid a debt he did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.”

“Salvation isn’t a process; salvation is a gift. But life is a process. We have to keep on making the decision to follow Christ, over and over again, day by day, and even minute by minute.”

Interesting and concise book of Orthodox Christian beliefs. Enjoyed reading and learning about it.
90 reviews
February 24, 2025
Excellent. Short chapters and book but very powerful and insightful. Most likely going to re read it now just because. Did audible because it wouldn’t sync with kindle but want to go back and highlight (nearly the whole book).

A lot of thoughts and ideas I’ve been struggling with that I thought were new to me or “out there”….turns out they are ancient and orthodox - who knew?!

Recommend for anyone who thinks they’d be interested in it.
2 reviews
October 20, 2022
A wonderful and helpful book.

Being young in Orthodoxy, I found this book to be invaluable in clearly showing the important theological differences between Holy Orthodoxy and the West. While Holy Orthodoxy has maintained the Faith once given , the West has sadly changed many of the fundamental tenants of the Faith. I think this book will be a great help to many people.
Profile Image for Cordell Brooks.
7 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2023
Overall a good book that is well written with beautiful illustrations. However, I will say that there are false dichotomies within it. I believe there is beauty in both views of the cross. For me this book acted as more of a synthesis of the various views of soteriology and I am thankful for this author’s insight.
Profile Image for Luke Izaak.
25 reviews2 followers
February 5, 2024
Thank you. This is one of those books I feel guilty listing as ‘Read’. Luke Stephen De Young’s, ‘Religion of the Apostles’. There’s so much weight and depth here that I’ll need to read it at least a dozen times before - if ever - I can say ‘I get it’

Such a blessing this author is.

Thank you for your work.

Lord, have mercy!
Profile Image for Nat (Photini) C..
28 reviews3 followers
May 9, 2023
This is a must read for every Christian! Especially if you want to understand how Orthodox Christians view forgiveness & mercy, atonement, salvation sin, Hades, evil, free will, etc.
a very easy read and by no means exhaustive but very articulate and an excellent compare and contrast!
1 review
July 4, 2023
Brilliant!

Down to earth explanations of our own spirituality. Instead of looking at the original purpose of Christianity, it tells in the error of western thought of salvation as a transaction instead of pursuing a oneness with God.
Profile Image for Jessica.
39 reviews
May 30, 2024
Fantastic read! Simply written, profoundly communicated. Helpful resource for those curious about theories of atonement and in need of an approachable guide to understanding the difference between Western views and Orthodox views. highly recommend!
42 reviews
November 9, 2024
Excellent education in the Eastern Church's doctrines, well-written and understandable. This is not written at a post-doc level. The author explains some things in new ways which bring revelation and deeper understanding.
2 reviews
December 22, 2022
Succinct and thoroughly Orthodox

I've been looking for a ear and concise explanation of salvation according to the Orthodox understanding, and this book provides it.
Profile Image for Seraphim Davis.
10 reviews2 followers
July 29, 2024
A good book for understanding and learning how to explain the differences between Orthodoxy, Catholicism and protestantism.
Profile Image for Aysan.
1 review
May 18, 2025
Reading Two Views of the Cross felt like stepping into a sacred conversation — one that goes back centuries. The book offers an Orthodox view of the meaning of the Cross, and even though I’m a Protestant, I found myself drawn into its beauty, even when I didn’t fully agree.

Honestly, there were moments when I felt a little uncomfortable. The emphasis on Tradition and the way the book sometimes positions Orthodoxy as the “original and only true” Christianity — that was hard for me. For example, the idea that “death is not a punishment but a consequence,” or that salvation isn’t about legal standing but about healing — these were very different from how I’ve usually understood the gospel.

But even in disagreement, I found depth and reverence. This book didn’t push me away — it made me think, and that’s something I always appreciate. I especially loved this part:

“Jesus didn’t come to save us just from the penalty of our sins; he came to save us from our sins – now, today, if we will only respond…”

As a Protestant, I might phrase it differently, but I get the heart of it — and it touched me. It reminded me of how real and present Christ’s transformation is meant to be.

Some sections felt less relevant to me, like the deep criticism of Western theology or the strong reliance on icons and mysticism. But I kept reading. And now I’m reading it a second time, because I can tell it’s the kind of book that reveals more the more you sit with it.

I’m especially thankful because my boyfriend is Orthodox, and I want to understand his faith better. This book gives me a way to compare our views not in opposition, but in conversation. We’re not trying to win debates — we’re growing together.

So thank you, Frederica. You didn’t just write a book. You opened a door. 🙏
Profile Image for w gall.
401 reviews9 followers
March 28, 2025
The early chapters focus on eastern and western views of the Cross and the distinction is made very clear. The focus then widens to other aspects of salvation.
In chapter 20, we find, "We must get all the impurities out of our lump of coal [our bodies], everything that will not burn," a summary of the aim of the Orthodox Christian doctrine of synergy, cooperation between each of us and God. As Jesus said, "You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Personally, this verse caused me to put aside the Christian Faith when I was sixteen. Thankfully, the Lord drew me back three years later.
I wish Kh.Frederica had put this sentence and the paragraph containing it in a more detailed context of the place of the Cross in Christian Faith.
When the impression is given that our salvation is up to us, as I feel this sentence does, the Cross steps aside, figuratively speaking. The entire New Testament provides this context for what Jesus said. Of course the Cross does step aside for the Christ's Resurrection. As it says in the Orthodox Church Orthros (Matins) service, " through the Cross joy has come into all the world." Asceticism is indeed involved in our pilgrimage, but the heart of the Gospel, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, is the Cross and the Resurrection, the goal of the Christian life. We carry our Cross daily toward this, sustained by keeping our eyes on the goal.

Profile Image for John Coatney.
115 reviews3 followers
April 10, 2023
A marvelous, reader-friendly yet in-depth look at soteriology from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, but aimed at an audience with a Western Christian background. Clearly written with great examples and analogies. Highly recommended.
4 reviews2 followers
March 2, 2025
As an Orthodox catechumen, I’ve been reading several books to understand the faith. This is extremely important as a former Protestant who needs clarification on the historical side of the true faith.
If you are new to the Orthodox Church or born into it, this book is a must read.
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