Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Teachings

by Archpriest Josiah Trenham

This audiobook has been made for three purposes. First, to provide the Orthodox listener with a competent overview of the history of Protestantism and its major traditions, from its beginnings in the 16th century to the present day. This overview relies heavily upon the Reformer's own words as well as the creeds of various Protestant faiths in order to avoid misrepresentation and caricature.

Second, to acquaint Orthodox and non-Orthodox listeners with a narrative of the historical relations between the Orthodox East and the Protestant West.

Finally, to provide a summary of Orthodox theological opinion on the tenets of Protestantism.

Genres: Religion, Audiobook, Theology, Christianity, Christian

Audible Audio

Published April 3, 2019

Reviews

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great find! As someone interested in Orthodox Christianity, I appreciated the insights from Father Josiah's perspective. His podcasts are great, and it's awesome to see his thoughts in book form. He dives deep into the Protestant Reformers like Zwingli, Calvin, and Luther, and explores the differences between Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology. Really enjoyed it!

[Dylan Tysinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a lot to think about from a different perspective than I’m used to as a Protestant

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fundamental to understand better Protestant teachings. I would highly suggest this book to anyone who is interested in the subject or looking into the Orthodox Christian faith.

[Jacob Toy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

[Bryce Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

My background is as a Bible Belt Southern Baptist.

Be warned Protestant friends, you will be called a heretic throughout this book... but lovingly. Before you get defensive, remember the Protestants also have a strong habit of being elitist and condescending, so much so that they have to split off and form their own church since they're obviously correct. It's right there in black & white (and red) after all! "You can make a denomination out of that!" said approximately 45,000 different Christians, and so they did. This eagerness to split is a major critique not only articulated by the Orthodox.

Rest assured, that's not the only very fair, even compelling, critique. The author has no problem dunking on the Protestant reformers for the first half of the book, my favorite of which is Martin Luther breaking his monastic vow of celibacy, then writing a treatise that the vow was not binding, yet "Luther repeats the Augustinian teaching that even marital intercourse is never without sin, but God excuses it by His grace because, quote, the 'estate of marriage' is at work." Luther also says that sex is biologically necessary, LOL. That seems ridiculous enough that I should fact check it. I will not.

For those who insist upon Scripture Alone, you too are a dirty dirty heretic <3. The author makes a great point here...
"Where is the reality of Sola Scriptura and the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture, if even those bound by faculty, friendship, politics, and faith cannot agree on the meaning of the central Christian act of worship?"
And not only worship, but upon salvation, the afterlife, prosperity gospel (ew), women in church leadership, Calvinism (double ew), Arminianism, and on and on. If the Bible were clear, why the enormous variety of interpretation. Explanations include: it's because those in power interpret it to benefit themselves (Luther and prosperity preachers?), the devil has led many astray (and how can we know who if the Bible is unclear?), pre-existing bias influences a person's interpretation (unavoidable?). For the Orthodox, the solution to this problem is tradition informs the interpretation.

Read, learn, and expand your understanding of other Christian traditions. They believe what they do for good reasons, just like you. Too bad your reasons suck. Repent from your heresy.

[Alex Ketchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Teachings by Rev. Archpriest Dr. Josiah Trenham is easily one of the most helpful books for newcomers to Orthodoxy. It’s direct, clear, and doesn’t waste time. For what it’s trying to do, it nails it completely. I’d recommend it to anyone new (especially from a protestant background) trying to understand what makes Orthodoxy distinct from other traditions without getting lost in theological jargon.

Another note, this is hands down way better than Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Finding the Way to Christ in a Complicated Religious Landscape by Fr. Andrew Damick. That book had some poorly explained nuances, and let's just say I can see why it has had so many renditions.

If you're wondering which to read between the two, I'll just say this: I gave Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy 2 stars. Rock and Sand, however, is solid from start to finish. Five stars.

[Ethan DeCock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fr Josiah traces the history of the Protestant Reformation up to the relatively present day. He focuses on the ‘major players’ of the movement and its many offshoot branches from the magisterial reformers. Using the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church he compares the movement to The Rock itself, the Orthodox Church.

He is very fair, he uses the reformers own words and he shows the many innovations of Protestantism, its splinters and its many evolutions and changes.

A very good read for Protestants to understand their history and its foundational beginnings in the 1500’s.

[Daniel Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This answers so many questions that no one ever told me, and I never asked.
“What is church history?”

I strongly suggest this book.

As an ex Protestant, I married a Catholic woman, and in my “infinite” wisdom, I tried to prove her that she was wrong, only to find the truth.

Was not expecting to change, but the truth is right there!

[Seth Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful and insightful critique of Protestantism.

Unfortunately, the answers provided are less helpful.

I do think Orthodoxy has a lot of strengths that Protestantism does not, but it overlooks both the weaknesses of Orthodoxy as a system - a place where Protestantism is strong.

Another helpful book in this stream is Against the Protestant Gnostics

[Lindsey Dorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super deep research into the traditions of church history that changes how I view denominations and the church today. Great for anyone who has never researched denominations or church tradition to see what the church was like beginning during the time of Jesus

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the first time as a Protestant, now reading it a second time as a Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christian! Glory to God! It is truly an amazing book. Fr. Josiah did all the heavy lifting with this one.

[Lily Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

👀

[Zach Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book!

[Benjamin Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. The church history II class I wasn’t taught in seminary.

[Ryan Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fr. Josiah Trenham's "Rock and Sand" proved to be an invaluable resource in understanding Protestantism from an Orthodox Christian perspective, earning 4 out of 5 stars from me. The book's comprehensive analysis and meticulous attention to theological detail resulted in extensive notes that I'll undoubtedly reference repeatedly in my spiritual journey. While the academic rigor and scholarly depth are admirable qualities, they also present my main critique - for a book that seems intended as a catechetical or introductory guide for inquirers, the dense academic language and complex theological terminology often required me to pause my reading to consult dictionaries and conduct word studies. Despite this accessibility hurdle, the rich content and thorough examination of Protestant traditions through an Orthodox lens make it a worthwhile, albeit challenging, read for those seeking to understand the theological distinctions between Orthodoxy and Protestantism. The knowledge gained was well worth the extra effort required to navigate the academic language, though I believe a slightly more accessible approach would have better served its apparent intended audience of inquirers and beginners.