What does man seek in religion, and what should he seek in it? How does God reveal Himself in order to bring man to a knowledge of the Truth? How does suffering help this revelation to occur?

These and other questions were discussed by Fr. Seraphim Rose, an Orthodox Christian monk from the mountains of northern California, during a lecture he gave at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1981. The contents of this lecture comprise the present book, which includes Fr. Seraphim’s answers to questions asked by the university students.

Drawing from a variety of sources—the Holy Scriptures, patristic writings, the Lives of both ancient and modern saints, and accounts of persecuted Christians behind the Iron Curtain—Fr. Seraphim goes to the core of all Christian life: the conversion of the heart of man, which causes it to burn with love for Christ and transforms one into a new being.

Two-in-One Audiobook: This audiobook includes the entire book narrated by John Van Schaick, plus the latter 80% of the original archival tape recording of Fr. Seraphim’s lecture, with Fr. Seraphim’s own voice (the first 20% of the recording has been lost).