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God and You: Person to Person
Book by Anthony M. Coniaris
- GenresChristian
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 28, 2008
(Won't finish) I haven't finished this yet and I'm not sure I will. It's a book about having a personal relationship with Jesus written by an Orthodox priest in Minneapolis. I understand the great value of church fathers and great thinkers of the past, but this book seems to be more of a collection of sayings than anything else. The content that is provided by the author seems so far to be very repetitive and shallow, and he strings together very long quotes from others without really asserting anything substantial. It has been disappointing so far. I suppose it might have been written for the Orthodox Christian afraid of evangelical values - as if "personal relationship with Jesus" are bad words that need to be redeemed and proven as legitimate.
October 2, 2025
beautiful truths, written simply and more like an essay. but not very eloquently written.
April 18, 2012
So far I have only read the first half, so this review may change. If my opinions change as the book progresses I will by all means come back here and correct.
This book is a very well-written and basic reminder about how we make our relationship with Christ a personal one - about how we put on Christ and live with Him in our hearts and souls in the life of the Church.
Packed with simple, solid advice and wisdom from the Holy Fathers of the Church, modern theologians and authors, and a bit of down-home advice from a few 'regular folks', this book reminds us how to live life in the Church as a communion of love with God and each other. We put on Christ, and through the communal life of the Church (including the Sacraments, Prayer, the Liturgy, the Church calendar, the Feasts, Confession, and the Eucharist), the Grace of God, and our own personal efforts at home and in the world we become closer and closer to Christ our God.
The structure of the Orthodox Church is such that by participating in it's life we are protected from error and ensure that the faith we proclaim and work to make our own is the original Christian apostolic faith handed down through the ages. By fully engaging ourselves in the Liturgy, in the Eucharist, Prayer, and the Sacraments and over time making it our own we are shown the surest path to that true personal relationship with Christ the author speaks of.
As God is infinite in His Being, this path is never-ending, and goes by the rather impressive-sounding name of theosis. This is the true purpose and work of every Christian. Through the life and work of the Church our personal relationship with Christ is built on a firm foundation. The love that we have towards Him grows as the mustard seed until it fills us entirely, and fountains of living water spring forth in our hearts and souls. We become 'little Christs' (Christians), and little by little cast off our old man in favor of the new.
Most Christian confessions pay at least some lip service to some of the basic tenants of the faith, but only the original, catholic, apostolic Orthodox Church retains the fullness of the true faith in all it's glory. The richness and fullness of the faith we proclaim is such that an eternity isn't enough to grasp it all. But as the author warns, we must not rest in the fact that we have such a faith, or that we belong to 'THE' Church, or that our parents did, or that our ancestors did, or that we know all the words of the Liturgy. Every man, woman, and child must not just attend and function in the Church, but must make it a personal and living faith. We must make the faith our own, and the love of Christ must fill our hearts. The love of Christ is the beginning and the end of our journey. Through Him, loving Him as He loves, and learning to love our neighbor with such a love - through this we have life, and life eternal. And then through this love, through identifying ourselves fully with Jesus Christ, we finally become truly human.
As a secondary issue, I think this book does a very nice job of simply explaining that although our faith must be personal, it is also communal. And that communal faith is best lived not in a random assemblage of persons making up their own rule as they go, but in the original Church established by Christ and the Apostles. Very nicely done.
This book is a very well-written and basic reminder about how we make our relationship with Christ a personal one - about how we put on Christ and live with Him in our hearts and souls in the life of the Church.
Packed with simple, solid advice and wisdom from the Holy Fathers of the Church, modern theologians and authors, and a bit of down-home advice from a few 'regular folks', this book reminds us how to live life in the Church as a communion of love with God and each other. We put on Christ, and through the communal life of the Church (including the Sacraments, Prayer, the Liturgy, the Church calendar, the Feasts, Confession, and the Eucharist), the Grace of God, and our own personal efforts at home and in the world we become closer and closer to Christ our God.
The structure of the Orthodox Church is such that by participating in it's life we are protected from error and ensure that the faith we proclaim and work to make our own is the original Christian apostolic faith handed down through the ages. By fully engaging ourselves in the Liturgy, in the Eucharist, Prayer, and the Sacraments and over time making it our own we are shown the surest path to that true personal relationship with Christ the author speaks of.
As God is infinite in His Being, this path is never-ending, and goes by the rather impressive-sounding name of theosis. This is the true purpose and work of every Christian. Through the life and work of the Church our personal relationship with Christ is built on a firm foundation. The love that we have towards Him grows as the mustard seed until it fills us entirely, and fountains of living water spring forth in our hearts and souls. We become 'little Christs' (Christians), and little by little cast off our old man in favor of the new.
Most Christian confessions pay at least some lip service to some of the basic tenants of the faith, but only the original, catholic, apostolic Orthodox Church retains the fullness of the true faith in all it's glory. The richness and fullness of the faith we proclaim is such that an eternity isn't enough to grasp it all. But as the author warns, we must not rest in the fact that we have such a faith, or that we belong to 'THE' Church, or that our parents did, or that our ancestors did, or that we know all the words of the Liturgy. Every man, woman, and child must not just attend and function in the Church, but must make it a personal and living faith. We must make the faith our own, and the love of Christ must fill our hearts. The love of Christ is the beginning and the end of our journey. Through Him, loving Him as He loves, and learning to love our neighbor with such a love - through this we have life, and life eternal. And then through this love, through identifying ourselves fully with Jesus Christ, we finally become truly human.
As a secondary issue, I think this book does a very nice job of simply explaining that although our faith must be personal, it is also communal. And that communal faith is best lived not in a random assemblage of persons making up their own rule as they go, but in the original Church established by Christ and the Apostles. Very nicely done.
January 4, 2015
This is a fantastic book from an Orthodox perspective on the goal of the Christian life: to become closer and more like Jesus Christ. Coniaris develops his ideas through extensive quotations from the Church Fathers as well as through one's participation in prayer, the Divine Liturgy, and the sacraments--especially, baptism and the Eucharist.
It is refreshing to me, as I come from an Evangelical background, to find a foundation for the same idea regarding a personal relationship with one's Lord and Savior in the Orthodox Church. Even more so, the foundation for this provided by the Church is much more solid than one based solely on the Scripture, the Holy Spirit and myself.
I highly recommend this book to Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike who want to develop a deeper and richer personal relationship with Jesus.
It is refreshing to me, as I come from an Evangelical background, to find a foundation for the same idea regarding a personal relationship with one's Lord and Savior in the Orthodox Church. Even more so, the foundation for this provided by the Church is much more solid than one based solely on the Scripture, the Holy Spirit and myself.
I highly recommend this book to Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike who want to develop a deeper and richer personal relationship with Jesus.
February 14, 2011
Good for "cradle" Christians who want to make the faith of our fathers their own. Has some awesome quotes.
July 17, 2015
Life changing :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews