Called To Serve Bible Survey Book

This excellent little book, Called to Serve, by Father John Peck, is just the kind of tool I wish I had in hand when I began to study Holy Scripture in my youth. I would like to see it widely available to the young people and other beginners in all of our Orthodox parishes. It is a gem.

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon
Senior Editor, Touchstone Magazine
Chicago, IL

Finally, a comprehensive and practical introduction to Holy Scripture for Orthodox Christians! Called to Serve equips its users not only to grasp the content of the Bible in a memorable way, but it supplies the tools to apply that content in the context of everyday life. The Scriptures are treated not as academic text(s), but as the living Word of God bringing meaning and purpose from God to all who have, do, and will embrace It. Particularly helpful are the many mnemonic devices and summary outlines which make learning the Bible surprisingly easy and accessible.

Fr. Jonathan Cholcher
Fmr. Headmaster-St. Nicholas Orthodox School

How does someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible even begin to "study the Bible"? "Called To Serve" fills a huge gap in Orthodox study materials for both Christians who were raised on Bible study and others who have only heard the Scriptures read in services or quoted in books or homilies. For the person who is interested in beginning to study the Scriptures or is interested in leading a study group but has no clue how or where to begin, this is the book. Fr. John Peck has packed a wealth of information about the entire Bible in a short, very readable and interesting book. I will not hesitate to recommend it to our radio program listeners who are seeking an introductory "Bible Survey" from an Orthodox perspective.

Steve Robinson,
Host of "Our Life in Christ" Orthodox Radio Program
Mesa, AZ

As an Orthodox, home-schooling mother, I am constantly on the lookout for quality curriculum which may be utilized for the home-school arena. Furthermore, I am adamant about my children having a depth of knowledge of their Faith, one that runs deeper than what they receive from the typical church school. Fr. John Peck has provided a curriculum that meets all those needs. Having completed "Called To Serve," my children have a greater understanding of the Holy Scriptures. I look forward to using the other workbooks written by this author. I used this workbook for both my 6th, 7th and 9th graders; and I now plan to implement it into the teen program at our church. I hope the author continues to develop different workbooks.

Hannah Hunt
Home-schooling Mom

The book by Fr. John Peck "Called To Serve" is a welcome explanation of the Orthodox Christian reading of the Holy Bible. It clarifies, expands and explains the basic books of Old Testament and New Testament, pointing out in a contemporary style to all readers, especially the young and the unfamiliar with daily scripture reading, ways to get into the texts and discover anew a fresh approach to the ancient, precious and holy Word of God.

Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky
Holy Trinity Church, Parma Ohio

Called to Serve is a Bible survey in 20 short lessons. Its author, Fr. John Peck, says it is intended for those who want to learn more about Scripture, or those who want to have a text from which to teach others about Scripture. There are two black-and-white books, one for students and one for the teacher with answers filled in. Each book has 65 pages.
The course is thorough, and will guide students well in looking at Scripture from an Orthodox perspective. Fr. John has the gift of saying memorable and useful things in a succinct way. For example, he writes: "For the Orthodox Christian, the Old and New Testaments form a unified whole of God's revelation%u2026We see that the Old Testament prophets were receiving instruction from, and witnessing to, the same Christ that the New Testament apostles were" (page 4).

To the question of why we should bother with the Old Testament if it has already been fulfilled by Christ, the book gives a good answer. Fr. John writes that it is Christ who created the world, spoke to Moses in the Burning Bush, and sent the prophets. The Old Testament sets the New Testament experience in context for us since we did not live in that time and culture.

The lessons are varied-always a plus in a textbook. They offer map work, word devices to memorize data, discussion guides, diagrams and illustrations. Some of these would seem to work more successfully than others. For example, there are easier and probably more appealing ways to memorize the names of the apostles than by learning the strange mnemonic STAMPN J5s. But an effort has been made to give students, with their diverse learning styles, opportunities to learn in the ways they do best.

Called to Serve is a useful and attractive survey course. Fr. John has even offered readers a way of sending him feedback on the book. That is the mark of a writer who truly wants to make his work the best, and most useful, that it can be.

Valerie G. Zahirsky
O.C. A. Department of Christian Education

CALLED TO SERVE: A BASIC SURVEY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES FOR ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS. No longer will the Bible be an intimidating mass of stories and text gathering dust and guilt from disuse. In a fun and exciting journey, this workbook will take you through the entire Bible, and fill in the gaps and answer the questions that you may not even know you have.

In 20 short lessons, you'll have set a firm foundation for your life in the Holy Scriptures.