Between Heaven and Russia: Religious Conversion and Political Apostasy in Appalachia

Religious conversion is transforming American democracy by attracting Americans who look to Russian religion and politics for answers to Western secularism and the loss of traditional family values. This ethnography highlights an intentional community of converts who are exemplary of broader networks of Russian Orthodox converts in the United States. These converts seek and find a conservatism more authentic than Christian American Republicanism and a nationalism unburdened by the broken promises of American exceptionalism. This book provides insight into the growing constellations of far-right conservatism and its implications for understanding the current political climate in the United States and the future of American values, ideals, and democracy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2022
Publisher: Fordham University Press

In a remote corner of Appalachia, a group of American citizens has found solace in the Russian Orthodox Church, embracing a new Russia under the leadership of Putin. Historically a minority immigrant faith in the United States, Russian Orthodoxy is gaining traction among Americans seeking an alternative to Western secularism and the erosion of traditional family values. This ethnographic study sheds light on an intentional community of converts who exemplify the broader networks of Russian Orthodox converts in the United States. These individuals sought a conservatism more authentic than Christian American Republicanism and a nationalism untethered from the broken promises of American exceptionalism. Ultimately, both converts and the Church that welcomes them deploy the subversive act of adopting the ideals and faith of a foreign power for larger, transnational political ends. This ethnography offers insights into a rarely considered religious world, including its far-right political roots that nourish the embrace of Putin's Russia. It reveals how religious conversion intertwines with broader issues of social politics, allegiance, (anti)democracy, and citizenship. These conversions provide a window into both global politics and foreign affairs, while also revealing how specific U.S. communities are navigating social transformations in the twenty-first century. With far-reaching implications for our understanding of conservative Christianity and right-wing politics, as well as contemporary Russian-American relations, this book offers valuable insights into the growing constellation of far-right conservatism. While Russian Orthodox converts may form a moral minority, their experiences and perspectives shed light on the complex dynamics shaping American society and politics.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780823299492