Preaching Another Christ: An Orthodox View of Evangelicalism

by Theophan the Recluse

If you are an Orthodox Christian, consider How many times have you been approached by an Evangelical Christian asking whether you have been saved, or have Jesus in your heart, or have made a confession of faith in Jesus with your lips, etc? Whereupon you have been embarrassed, because you perceived that something was wrong with this approach, yet you could not come up with a proper answer. St. Theophan the Recluse, a holy bishop of 19th century Russia, shows us how to deal with this sensitive subject, allowing us to defend the truth and bring back those who have fallen into error.

If you are an Evangelical Christian, ponder seriously upon these writings with an open mind and without prejudice. Some teachings you hold on to very dearly as "based on the Bible," such as Confessing the Lord with Your Lips, Faith Alone, You are Saved, Sola Scriptura, Invisible Church, etc., will be shown to you as having no standing at all. May the Lord, through this letter, reveal to you the difference between His True Self and another Christ, and the difference between His True, Orthodox Church and another Church.

56 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2024

About the author

St. Theophan the Recluse, also known as Theophan Zatvornik or Theophanes the Recluse (Russian: Феофан Затворник), is a well-known saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. He was born George Vasilievich Govorov, in the village of Chernavsk. His father was a Russian Orthodox priest. He was educated in the seminaries at Livny, Orel and Kiev. In 1841 he was ordained, became a monk, and adopted the name Theophan. He later became the Bishop of Tambov.

He is especially well-known today through the many books he wrote concerning the spiritual life, especially on the subjects of the Christian life and the training of youth in the faith. He also played an important role in translating the Philokalia from Church Slavonic into Russian. The Philokalia is a classic of orthodox spirituality, composed of the collected works of a number of church fathers which were edited and placed in a four volume set in the 17th and 18th centuries. A persistent theme is developing an interior life of continuous prayer, learning to "pray without ceasing" as St. Paul teaches in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

Russian profile: Феофан Затворник

Reviews

[CL Fuqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Theophan the Recluse writes a concise, pastoral, practical, and at times harsh yet completely necessary letter of advice to an Orthodox layperson being led into heresy by a heterodox preacher. Reading it for yourself will be time well spent.

[Christian Proano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This letter is super pastoral, I am blessed I was able to read it, I'll be re-visiting it from time to time, "God is wonderful among His saints."