Eastern Orthodox Encounters of Identity and Otherness

Eastern Orthodox Encounters of Identity and Otherness PDF

Author: A. Krawchuk

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-01-16

Total Pages: 439

ISBN-13: 1137377380

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

From diverse international and multi-disciplinary perspectives, the contributors to this volume analyze the experiences, challenges and responses of Orthodox Churches to the foundational transformations associated with the dissolution of the USSR.

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine PDF

Author: Nicholas E. Denysenko

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-11-23

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1609092449

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The bitter separation of Ukraine's Orthodox churches is a microcosm of its societal strife. From 1917 onward, church leaders failed to agree on the church's mission in the twentieth century. The core issues of dispute were establishing independence from the Russian church and adopting Ukrainian as the language of worship. Decades of polemical exchanges and public statements by leaders of the separated churches contributed to the formation of their distinct identities and sharpened the friction amongst their respective supporters. In The Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Nicholas Denysenko provides a balanced and comprehensive analysis of this history from the early twentieth century to the present. Based on extensive archival research, Denysenko's study examines the dynamics of church and state that complicate attempts to restore an authentic Ukrainian religious identity in the contemporary Orthodox churches. An enhanced understanding of these separate identities and how they were forged could prove to be an important tool for resolving contemporary religious differences and revising ecclesial policies. This important study will be of interest to historians of the church, specialists of former Soviet countries, and general readers interested in the history of the Orthodox Church.

Human Dignity, Religion and the Law

Human Dignity, Religion and the Law PDF

Author: Mark Hill KC

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-09-09

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1040130763

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The concept of human dignity is already embedded in the constitutional architecture of the European Union and throughout the world, but it remains a slippery and elusive concept. In this volume, leading commentators from across the globe address the shift from the monolithic influence of major world religions in the past towards religious pluralism coupled with the increased secularism of civil society. The contributors, drawn from different backgrounds and traditions, explore how the deployment of a nuanced understanding of human dignity can provide a way to maximise religious liberty for all within liberal democracies. Specific consideration is given to the reasonable accommodation of religious practices through exemptions to generally applicable laws, conscientious objection on the grounds of religious beliefs, the interplay between religious pluralism and legal pluralism, balancing religious sensibilities with same-sex marriage, exercising the right to change one’s religion, both generally and with a particular focus on data protection, protecting the right to asylum in the light of recent changes in migratory flows and exploring its impact on those enjoying non-theistic beliefs, as well as the complex relationship between the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox Churches in these febrile times. Through the prism of informed investigation of these matters of specificity, the volume offers readers fresh insights and analysis which collectively contribute to an overall picture of governments in liberal democracies being encouraged and enabled to foster laws and practices whereby pluralism can be encouraged, and human dignity can flourish. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Law and Religion, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law and International Relations.

The People's Faith

The People's Faith PDF

Author: Nicholas E. Denysenko

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-10-19

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1978704607

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Works of liturgical theology tend to be produced by experts who draw from the sources and explain the meaning of the liturgy to the lay people. When such explanations are firmly grounded in the sources, the academy accepts and celebrates them as genuine works of liturgical theology. Liturgical theology requires an examination from a different perspective: the lay people's. How do the lay people explain their understanding of the liturgy in their own words? Drawing from the results of parish focus groups and a clergy survey, The People’s Faith presents the liturgical theology of the lay people in the Orthodox Churches of America. The People’s Faith presents original findings on how ordinary laity experience the Divine Liturgy, Holy Communion, Lent and Easter, liturgical change, and gender roles in the Liturgy. The author brings the laity’s views into dialog with the prevailing liturgical theology in the Orthodox Church and identifies several topics worthy of theological reflection. The people’s veneration for tradition tops a list of liturgical issues worthy of further research, including ecumenical aspects of the Eucharist, the relationship between liturgy and theological anthropology, and a desire to receive divine compassion during ritual celebration.

Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe

Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe PDF

Author: Aleksandra Djurić Milovanović

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-10-11

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 3319633546

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book explores the changes underwent by the Orthodox Churches of Eastern and Southeastern Europe as they came into contact with modernity. The movements of religious renewal among Orthodox believers appeared almost simultaneously in different areas of Eastern Europe at the end of the nineteenth and during the first decades of the twentieth century. This volume examines what could be defined as renewal movement in Eastern Orthodox traditions. Some case studies include the God Worshippers in Serbia, religious fraternities in Bulgaria, the Zoe movement in Greece, the evangelical movement among Romanian Orthodox believers known as Oastea Domnului (The Lord’s Army), the Doukhobors in Russia, and the Maliovantsy in Ukraine. This volume provides a new understanding of processes of change in the spiritual landscape of Orthodox Christianity and various influences such as other non-Orthodox traditions, charismatic leaders, new religious practices and rituals.

Modern Orthodox Theology

Modern Orthodox Theology PDF

Author: Paul Ladouceur

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-02-21

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 056766483X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Modern Orthodox theology represents a continuity of the Eastern Christian theological tradition stretching back to the early Church and especially to the Ancient Fathers of the Church. This volume considers the full range of modern Orthodox theology. The first chapters of the book offer a chronological study of the development of modern Orthodox theology, beginning with a survey of Orthodox theology from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the early 19th century. Ladouceur then focuses on theology in imperial Russia, the Russian religious renaissance at the beginning of the 20th century, and the origins and nature of neopatristic theology, as well as the new theology in Greece and Romania, and tradition and the restoration of patristic thought. Subsequent chapters examine specific major themes: - God and Creation - Divine-humanity, personhood and human rights - The Church of Christ - Ecumenical theology and religious diversity - The 'Christification' of life - Social and Political Theology - The 'Name-of-God' conflict - The ordination of women The volume concludes with assessments of major approaches of modern Orthodox theology and reflections on the current status and future of Orthodox theology. Designed for classroom use, the book features: - case studies - a detailed index - a list of recommended readings for each chapter

The Russian Orthodox Church and Modernity

The Russian Orthodox Church and Modernity PDF

Author: Regina Elsner

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2021-10-20

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 3838215680

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) faced various iterations of modernization throughout its history. This conflicted encounter continues in the ROC’s current resistance against—what it perceives as—Western modernity including liberal and secular values. This study examines the historical development of the ROC’s arguments against—and sometimes preferences for—modernization and analyzes which positions ended up influencing the official doctrine. The book’s systematic analysis of dogmatic treatises shows the ROC’s considerable ability of constructive engagement with various aspects of the modern world. Balancing between theological traditions of unity and plurality, the ROC’s today context of operating within an authoritarian state appears to tip the scale in favor of unity.

Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century

Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century PDF

Author: Lucian N. Leustean

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-05-30

Total Pages: 848

ISBN-13: 1317818652

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of Eastern Christian churches in Europe, the Middle East, America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Written by leading international scholars in the field, it examines both Orthodox and Oriental churches from the end of the Cold War up to the present day. The book offers a unique insight into the myriad church-state relations in Eastern Christianity and tackles contemporary concerns, opportunities and challenges, such as religious revival after the fall of communism; churches and democracy; relations between Orthodox, Catholic and Greek Catholic churches; religious education and monastic life; the size and structure of congregations; and the impact of migration, secularisation and globalisation on Eastern Christianity in the twenty-first century.

(Extra)Ordinary Presence

(Extra)Ordinary Presence PDF

Author: Markus Gottwald

Publisher: transcript Verlag

Published: 2017-08-31

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 3839427215

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Taking its cue from contemporary western debates on presence in the social sciences and the humanities, this volume focuses on 'presence' both as everyday experience and as an experience of intense moments. It raises questions about diverse social configurations of presence as well as about the specific cultural repertoires which encode, articulate, and shape discourses of presence. The contributions take as a premise that phenomena of presence are connected to particular forms of knowledge. Especially tacit knowledge (pre)determines experiences of individual and collective presence and becomes tangible in moments of presence or presentification.

Containing Balkan Nationalism

Containing Balkan Nationalism PDF

Author: Denis Vovchenko

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-07-18

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 0190612916

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Containing Balkan Nationalism focuses on the implications of the Bulgarian national movement that developed in the context of Ottoman modernization and of European imperialism in the Near East. The movement aimed to achieve the status of an independent Bulgarian Orthodox church, removing ethnic Bulgarians from the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This independent church status meant legal and cultural autonomy within the Islamic structure of the Ottoman Empire, which recognized religious minorities rather than ethnic ones. Denis Vovchenko shows how Russian policymakers, intellectuals, and prelates worked together with the Ottoman government, Balkan and other diplomats, and rival churches, to contain and defuse ethnic conflict among Ottoman Christians through the promotion of supraethnic religious institutions and identities. The envisioned arrangements were often inspired by modern visions of a political and cultural union of Orthodox Slavs and Greeks. Whether realized or not, they demonstrated the strength and flexibility of supranational identities and institutions on the eve of the First World War. The book encourages contemporary analysts and policymakers to explore the potential of such traditional loyalties to defuse current ethnic tensions and serve as organic alternatives to generic models of power-sharing and federation.