It is my hope that this small book will acquaint many readers with a Christian custom that has roots deeper in the common history of our faith than anyone knows. The action may at first seem awkward; it may take time to acquire the gracefulness of those who have woven it through their prayers for decades. But there is hardly a more visible way to "take up your cross," as the Gospel of Matthew says (Matthew 10:38), than this, and join the company of those who in all ages have borne witness to Christ before the world. -Frederica Mathewes-Green (from the Introduction)

Andreas Andreopoulos is recognized throughout the world as one of the most eloquent young scholars of Christianity. He earned his Ph.D. in theology at the University of Durham and has taught in Toronto, Montreal and Philadelphia. He is currently Lecturer of Christian Theology at the University of Wales.