Christian Orthodox Political Philosophy: A Theological Approach

The Church is a spiritual and heavenly reality called by God to make disciples of all nations. This book furthers the development of a structured and integrated Christian Orthodox political thought, grounding the mission of the Church in the present world on an understanding of God as Trinity and Her mission to baptize diverse cultures. The author offers proposals for how the Church could view questions of domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God, and suggests specific steps to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2023
Publisher: Holy Trinity Publications

The Church is commonly spoken of as an institutional reality, but much less frequently recognized as a spiritual and heavenly reality called by God "to make disciples of all nations." (Mt. 28:19) This modest work furthers the development of a structured and integrated Christian Orthodox political thought, where the Church is neither sidelined as having no relevance to this present life nor dominated by temporal questions or popular movements at the expense of its eternal salvific mission.

The author seeks to ground the mission of the Church in the present world, both on an understanding of God as Trinity and in Her mission to baptize diverse cultures. To do this effectively, the Church must recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns. It must exemplify the Gospel as a way of communal and social life, not allowing itself to be reduced to an impersonal ideology manifest within the sphere of either imagination, ideology, or a private individualistic existence.

Drawing upon this philosophy, the author offers proposals for how the Church could view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He also suggests specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations, addressing in particular the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church. Though these specific proposals will by no means enjoy universal acceptance, they will serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances.

b. The author proposes that the Church should view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He suggests that the Church should recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns, exemplifying the Gospel as a way of communal and social life. The author also proposes specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations, addressing the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church.

While these specific proposals may not enjoy universal acceptance, they serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances. The author emphasizes the importance of the Church's mission to make disciples of all nations and to bring the world into the Kingdom of God, and suggests that the Church should view questions of domestic politics and international relations with this perspective in mind.

c. The author proposes that the Church should view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He suggests that the Church should recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns, exemplifying the Gospel as a way of communal and social life. The author also proposes specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations, addressing the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church.

While these specific proposals may not enjoy universal acceptance, they serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances. The author emphasizes the importance of the Church's mission to make disciples of all nations and to bring the world into the Kingdom of God, and suggests that the Church should view questions of domestic politics and international relations with this perspective in mind.

d. The author proposes that the Church should view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He suggests that the Church should recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns, exemplifying the Gospel as a way of communal and social life. The author also proposes specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations, addressing the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church.

While these specific proposals may not enjoy universal acceptance, they serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances. The author emphasizes the importance of the Church's mission to make disciples of all nations and to bring the world into the Kingdom of God, and suggests that the Church should view questions of domestic politics and international relations with this perspective in mind.

e. The author proposes that the Church should view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He suggests that the Church should recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns, exemplifying the Gospel as a way of communal and social life. The author also proposes specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen inter-Orthodox relations, addressing the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church.

While these specific proposals may not enjoy universal acceptance, they serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances. The author emphasizes the importance of the Church's mission to make disciples of all nations and to bring the world into the Kingdom of God, and suggests that the Church should view questions of domestic politics and international relations with this perspective in mind.

Weight: 254g
Dimension: 142 x 217 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781942699491