Preface

It might be near the height of hubris to write a book about the gospel. I am not, however, writing this because I think I have a special revelation. Rather, it seems to me that there is a need to express the character and content of the gospel in an Orthodox Christian way that can be understood by modern English readers and that is not currently available.

Over the years, as I have struggled to find a way to express the gospel as part of being a pastor, teacher, and communicator, I knew that I would eventually have to compile these thoughts into a coherent whole. I am not claiming that this book is the only way to present the gospel nor the last word on it. It is, however, my best understanding of it and in many ways represents a significant correction or expansion on how I have understood it in the past.

So who exactly is my audience here? I would, of course, like to say “all mankind,” but I think this book is best suited to three groups of people: (1) those who are not familiar or only a little familiar with what Christianity is, (2) those who are being catechized (trained to be Christians) within churches, and (3) those who have been catechized and want to go deeper in their Christian faith.

I hope this book will be a tool in the hands of parents, clergy, catechists, and seminarians, and I also hope that it will be able to stand alone fairly well without much contextualization. It is not intended to be a full catechesis but rather to spur the reader toward catechesis. In short, this book addresses why someone would even want to be catechized.

A note for non-Christians: In this book, you will see many references to passages from the Bible (e.g., “John 3:16”). I understand that you may not see the Bible as authoritative in the way Christians do, but these references are there to help the reader further explore particular content.

A note for all: I write (as best as I am able) from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, but I do not regard the content of this book as being the Orthodox “version” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is simply the gospel. The gospel doesn’t have versions.

All errors here are my own, and I welcome correction and ask for your prayers.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick Emmaus, Pennsylvania Annunciation 2021