The Russian Orthodox Church and modernity : a historical and theological investigation into Eastern Christianity between unity and plurality / Regina Elsner ; with a foreword by Mikhail Suslov
Intro -- Foreword -- Acknowledgment -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Russian Orthodoxy and Modernization: Seven Historical Snapshots -- 2.1 15th/16th century: The crisis of tradition -- 2.2 The crisis of belonging: The liturgical reforms of the 17th century -- 2.3 The crisis of the self-evident: Peter I's reforms and the synodal period -- 2.4 Religious-philosophical awakening in the 19th century -- 2.5 The Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church 1917-1918 -- 2.6 The Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union -- 2.7 The challenge of freedom: The end of the Soviet Union and the dawn of the 21st century
2.8 Summary: Central argumentation lines -- 3 Dogmatic Orientations and the Tension between Unity and Diversity -- 3.1 The incomprehensibility of the trinitarian unity of diversity -- 3.2 Human being between unity and multiplicity -- 3.3 Church communion as unity in diversity -- 3.4 Summary: The tension between unity and diversity as a paradigm of Russian Orthodox theology -- 4 Theological Answers to Secular Challenges? -- 4.1 The unity of the Church and diversity in the Church -- 4.2 The unity of the people and diversity of opinion -- 4.3 The unity of the world and cultural diversity
5 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Sources -- Literature
Summary
"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." -- from publisher's website
