Pittsburgh Theological Seminary professor John Burgess' "Holy Rus': The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia" is a broad survey of the multifaceted role of Russian Orthodoxy in contemporary Russia. The book provides a clear, insightful read that any novice of Orthodoxy and Russian studies will find useful in understanding the faith's unique role in modern Russian society.
In "Holy Rus'", Burgess shows what happens when a Calvinist who knows little about Russian Orthodoxy lives (temporarily) in Russia. His anecdotes about traveling across the country and spending time with clergy, laypeople, and other Russians provide an intimate look into a Western theologian's gradual understanding of Russian Orthodoxy while grappling with the faith's ostensible contradictions.
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