Distinguishing phenomenology from theology remains difficult. The article argues for a theo-phenomenology that accepts religious faith as a given. It then describes the essence of religious call in Eastern Orthodox spirituality, using concepts such as appeal, communion, divine grace, love, prayer, fidelity, apophatic intentionality, and a hyper-intelligible gaze before Revelation. Religious call and answer are existential and theandric experiences involving askesis, fidelity of thought, and mystical experience. In the Holy Spirit, call and answer are no longer distinct for one who becomes a son of God by grace, faith, and good works.
Faith in the Eastern Orthodox tradition has two types: simple faith, which is a set of theoretical teachings and dogmas, and contemplative faith, which is an experiential, ascetical, ethical, and mystical knowledge. Non-religious faith—natural or philosophical—serves as the foundation for religious faith. The article uses a theo-phenomenological method to analyze faith both theologically and phenomenologically, drawing on the relationship between phenomenology and theology.