Grace Unbound

The Sacred Activism of an Orthodox Bishop

By: Bishop Demetrios C. Kantzavelos, Patra McSharry Sevastiades, Bill Kurtis - foreword

Narrated by: John Chancer

Bloomsbury presents Grace Unbound: The Sacred Activism of an Orthodox Bishop by Bishop Demetrios C. Kantzavelos and Patra McSharry Sevastiades, read by John Chancer.

The first step of any great journey can be the riskiest one of all. It is 1992, and the nation is reeling from the AIDS pandemic. When Fr. Demetri, a newly ordained Chicago-born priest, visits Bob—a man dying from complications due to AIDS, abandoned by his own parish priest out of fear—his life takes an unexpected turn. That single act of compassion sparks a deeper calling to social activism, setting him on a path he never anticipated. Yet nothing prepared the hard-nosed priest for a face-to-face encounter with a convicted murderer years later. Andrew, who is scheduled to be executed in less than three weeks, maintains his innocence regarding the grisly crime. But when the governor of the state—the inmate’s last hope—refuses to show mercy, the priest must again face the true cost of his calling.

In this gripping true story of faith, justice, and redemption, one priest's mission to save a single life becomes a fight to transform an entire system.©2025 Bishop Demetrios C. Kantzavelos, Patra McSharry Sevastiades (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

Bishop Demetrios's fervent call to rise up and confront the challenge of social unrighteousness is a call to affirm life. (Sister Helen Prejean)

A compelling account of faith in action. (George Stephanopoulos)

Grace Unbound is an excellent, highly personal introduction to social ministry grounded in Christian faith. Bishop Demetrios Kantzavelos of the Greek Orthodox Church recounts how—surprisingly—he became deeply involved in ministry to persons living with AIDS and in opposition to the death penalty. His compelling story is a call for all followers of the risen Christ to rise up on behalf of life in God’s interdependent creation. It is a particular challenge to churches like his own that have, at times, focused inwardly to the detriment of their social engagement. Social ministry, he argues, is not breaking with the tradition of the church, it is reclaiming it….I recommend Grace Unbound highly to anyone interested in the church and its ministries of justice, service, and peace. (Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon)