Image
Pantelis Kalaitzidis at the launch of his book "Orthodoxy and Political Theology" in Geneva.

Pantelis Kalaitzidis at the launch of his book "Orthodoxy and Political Theology" in Geneva.

Why has Eastern Orthodoxy not developed a full-throated political theology? Responding to this question, author Dr Pantelis Kalaitzidis offered a spirited critique of Orthodox Christians' approaches to political life and political theology at a launch of his book on 4 July at the World Council of Churches (WCC) headquarters in Geneva.

At the event a joint publishing series called “Doxa and Praxis: Exploring Orthodox Theology” was introduced. The publishing agreement is between WCC Publications and the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Volos, Greece.

                       

Kalaitzidis cited a host of historical reasons for what he claims is the muted voice of Orthodox Christianity in the political sphere, including its incorporation under a variety of autocratic regimes, from the Ottoman Empire to the Soviet Union, and its caution about Western modernism. Better known for its robust ecclesiology and rich doctrinal and liturgical identity, Orthodox Christianity now faces the need for a theological framework to address tumultuous social and political change, said Kalaitzidis.

As a tangible sign in this direction, Kalaitzidis dedicated his book to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for his ecumenical commitment, actions and public addresses on the environment, social justice and religious tolerance.

Kalaitzidis, editor of the series, introduced its first two publications, Orthodox Theology in the Twenty-First Century by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, and Kalaitzidis' own Orthodoxy and Political Theology. Responding to his book were Dr Tamara Grdzelidze and Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, who is a professor at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. Both are WCC staff members working in the Faith and Order Commission.

While Grdzelidze largely concurred with Kalaitzidis' analysis, she also drew attention to the massive suffering of ordinary Christians under various regimes and the need to respect their limited options for public witness. Mateus highlighted the theological tensions raised by political theology by recalling competing presentations by Orthodox theologian Dr John Meyendorff and liberation theologian Dr José Míguez Bonino in a Faith and Order meeting in Louvain in 1971.

The series is served by a board of editorial consultants that includes Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, Grdzelidze, Rev. Dr Emmanuel Clapsis, Dr Alexei Bodrov, Metropolitan Georges Khodr and Dr Peter Bouteneff, among others.

The first two volumes in the series are at press and will be available from WCC Publications' distributors in the next few weeks.

Read also: WCC book series to be launched (WCC press release of 18 May 2012)