That They May Be One: An Invitation for Protestants to Encounter the Ancient Church

by Mark Bradshaw

Many Protestant Evangelicals are searching for authentic, ancient Christianity. Increasingly this is leading people to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Maybe you haven't even heard of it, but it's one of the fastest growing Christian traditions in America.For those who are encountering the Orthodox Church from a Protestant background, you will find certain ideological and theological obstacles, and they may seem insurmountable. "That They May Be One" shows how you can overcome these difficulties and see not only how the Orthodox Church is holding fast to the ancient practice of first century Christianity, but how it fixes so many of the problems you have probably encountered in Protestantism.Find answers to your questions about the early Church, the Reformation, formation of the canon, prayer to saints, icons, and more.

264 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2017

Reviews

[Daniel Rundquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I approached this book with the requisite open mindedness. I didn't need Bradshaw or anyone else to inform me that Protestantism is failing the mission of the Gospels. While he does not outright say that, I know that is true--I have lived those failures for decades which is what motivated me to pick up this text. Bradshaw does an excellent job of presenting the main issues Protestants might have when they view Orthodoxy from their own dogmatic perspectives. He explains in some detail (with citations) why Luther and others were right to challenge the authority of the church, but in so doing, created a flawed Theology that when carefully examined, cannot be supported by either the tradition of the early church or by the Bible itself. Bradshaw does this in an organized and masterful way as he avoids pulling the reader into the weeds and stays on the main topic of his title. He then openly addresses other "catholic weirdness" issues that people seem to struggle with when they look at Orthodoxy. I suppose if he wanted the book could span a thousand pages on the topic if he had not applied discipline to stay on course. I truly enjoyed this easy to read book which leaves me with much to consider. From one author to another, thank you, Mark Bradshaw for your work here. You have cast a splinter of bright light into a dark room.

[Sujit Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Bradshaw's goal in writing this books is clear from the title. He makes it clear at the outset that the book is an apologetic work. In the introduction itself he offers suggestions on other books to start if the reader wants a more spiritual approach. That is a very humble approach; Bradshaw maintains that humility throughout the work.

The book is organized into several chapters that cover some of the significant issues. He starts by challenging some of the bedrock principles of protestantism (sola scriptura, sola fide, etc) and then addresses issues that protestants find objectionable (Mary, Infant Baptism, Real Presence, etc.). I think this approach is really effective. In fact the book is worth the price just for the first two chapters alone.

I really appreciated Bradshaw's historical approach. He covers the early church's teaching on a topic, the early reformers' stand on the same topic and modern historians' opinion on the same topic.

I highly recommend this book for anyone considering the Orthodox faith. I also recommend it to Orthodox priests, sunday school teachers and anyone interested in Orthodox apologetics. If you have ever been challenged on why you are Orthodox, this books is a great asset. Sunday School teachers will find great references to scripture and early church fathers on critical issues.