Razvan G Porumb | Cambridge Theological Federation (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Razvan G Porumb
The questions that underlined and motivated this research project have been: Why do members of th... more The questions that underlined and motivated this research project have been: Why do members of the Orthodox Church participate in the ecumenical movement, and how can they negotiate an involvement in ecumenical contexts, together with their non-Orthodox counterparts – considering that the Orthodox see their Church as the one and only true Church? The background of this exploration has been the context of hostility and prejudice, which some groups within the Orthodox Church have manifested towards ecumenical encounters, which has marred and obstructed a genuine dialogue between the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox Christian communities. This project is based on the analysis of sources from contemporary Orthodox and Western theological milieux. It has interpreted these sources with a view to determining how they interact and coalesce into visions that inform the relationship between Orthodoxy and ecumenism. The interpretative stage of the discussion reveals the necessity of delineating p...
St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2021
Journal of Adult Theological Education, 2015
In this article we examine some of the helpful and less helpful features of a particular MA modul... more In this article we examine some of the helpful and less helpful features
of a particular MA module in pastoral theology, taught in an ecumenical
context, and raise some issues about ecumenical theological education
and some issues about the nature of pastoral theology. Our experience
and reflections support the view that ecumenical encounter is vital, but it
is less helpful than it could be if it is not supported by explicit attention
to and reflection on how that ecumenical encounter is happening and
how we might all best learn from it. They further support the view
that the discipline of pastoral/practical theology will be attenuated and
unnecessarily exclusive if it does not pay attention to the fullest possible
range of historical context, subject matter, methodology and epistemology.
itinéraires, 2018
Dans sa cellule de prison morne et glaciale, Nicu Steinhardt, délicat écrivain et intellectuel Ro... more Dans sa cellule de prison morne et glaciale, Nicu Steinhardt, délicat écrivain et intellectuel Roumain, se penche sur sa vie, en particulier celle qu'il a menée avant que le régime communiste ne prenne le pouvoir dans son pays. Il se souvient de sa visite à Brasov, une splendide ville de montagne et ressent encore la paix intérieure dont il fit l'expérience alors. Il se remémore son désir soudain et irrépréhensible d'entrer dans une église, alors qu'il se trouve aux portes de l'immense et imposante « Eglise Noire», l'un des monuments célèbres de la ville. 'J'éprouve, dit-il, une curieuse impression de douceur, de familiarité avec ses énormes pierres; ce monument n'écrase pas les rues et les maisons; on le dirait, au contraire, doué d'un pouvoir protecteur.' 1
International Journal of Practical Theology, 2017
This study explores the Orthodox vision of theology as holistic, where liturgical and sacramental... more This study explores the Orthodox vision of theology as holistic, where liturgical and sacramental life on the one hand, and social action and commitment on the other hand are inextricably connected. Theology appears as an inseparable whole and therefore, all theology is implicitly practical/pastoral. The study approaches the Orthodox response to the western perspective of pastoral theology as engagement of the entire community of the Church. The concept of theosis is presented as “engine” and ultimate goal of Orthodox practical/pastoral theology. The study emphasises the fundamental importance of liturgical, eucharistic and sacramental life in the life of the Orthodox Church. It also addresses the concepts of withdrawn “inner life” and monasticism, which evidence the tension between the rejection of the world on the one hand and social “incarnational” involvement on the other.
Religions, 2017
This study explores the tension between the centripetal and centrifugal forces informing the acti... more This study explores the tension between the centripetal and centrifugal forces informing the activity of the Orthodox Church-both with regard to its interaction with the secular world and the wider ecumenical scene. The Church is called to look inwardly as an essential connection with its intimate sacramental life. This contraction must be followed organically by a movement of expansion-a continuing sacramental interaction with the secular local context and the wider Christian world. This cyclical movement (inward-outward) informs all Christian life in a mutually perpetuating rotation. Although the reaction to any engagement with the 'outer' dimensions is often one of rejection, it is nevertheless crucial as it brings fullness and fulfils the vocation and identity of the Orthodox Church.
Forerunner. Journal of the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist, 2017
This article engages briefly with the main theological themes of Nicolae Steinhardt's main work -... more This article engages briefly with the main theological themes of Nicolae Steinhardt's main work - 'The Diary of Happiness'. Steinhardt - later to become Father Nicolae at the Rohia Monastery in Western Romania - was born in 1912 to a Jewish father and a Romanian mother. He was imprisoned during the great communist purge of intellectuals and dissidents in the 50s. What makes his story different is that it is inextricably connected with the fact that he was baptised as a Christian while in prison, his narrative centring on his subsequent discovery and exploration of faith and on his personal relation with Christ.
Drafts by Razvan G Porumb
This paper attempts to propose a new paradigm to enable an Orthodox approach to the ecumenical en... more This paper attempts to propose a new paradigm to enable an Orthodox approach to the ecumenical encounter from a different, more productive angle. In order to begin to reframe attitudes towards ecumenism, I propose to bring together the Orthodox claim to be the 'one and only true Church' with the Orthodox consciousness that it needs to aspire towards catholicity. The paradigm proposes that Orthodox theology would move away from a paradigm of ‘passive conservatism’ to one of ‘active metanoia’ – a more transformational, humble and repentant approach. Such a paradigm would essentially envisage ecumenism as a continuous journey towards an ever-enlarging catholicity. This brings to the fore the common theological core of both Orthodoxy and ecumenism – the concept of ‘human consubstantiality’ derived from Trinitarian theology. This theological vision would enable the Orthodox to see themselves as 'consubstantial' fellow-travelers with all Christians who seek a transformed life in communion with God.
After immersing themselves in the ecumenical movement in the 20th century, the Orthodox immediate... more After immersing themselves in the ecumenical movement in the 20th century, the Orthodox immediately were faced with two challenges: A challenge from the anti-ecumenical groups within the Orthodox world, which saw any ecumenical involvement as dangerous and unnecessary. The second challenge came from Christian theologians belonging to other traditions, who couldn’t understand how the Orthodox could accommodate both a vision that they are the only Church, while also still seeking ecumenical or global Christian unity. However, a more recent third challenge has appeared which has brought into question the very implication that the Eastern Orthodox family of Churches already possess the type of organic unity which the ecumenical scene was supposed to emulate.
The questions that underlined and motivated this research project have been: Why do members of th... more The questions that underlined and motivated this research project have been: Why do members of the Orthodox Church participate in the ecumenical movement, and how can they negotiate an involvement in ecumenical contexts, together with their non-Orthodox counterparts – considering that the Orthodox see their Church as the one and only true Church? The background of this exploration has been the context of hostility and prejudice, which some groups within the Orthodox Church have manifested towards ecumenical encounters, which has marred and obstructed a genuine dialogue between the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox Christian communities. This project is based on the analysis of sources from contemporary Orthodox and Western theological milieux. It has interpreted these sources with a view to determining how they interact and coalesce into visions that inform the relationship between Orthodoxy and ecumenism. The interpretative stage of the discussion reveals the necessity of delineating p...
St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2021
Journal of Adult Theological Education, 2015
In this article we examine some of the helpful and less helpful features of a particular MA modul... more In this article we examine some of the helpful and less helpful features
of a particular MA module in pastoral theology, taught in an ecumenical
context, and raise some issues about ecumenical theological education
and some issues about the nature of pastoral theology. Our experience
and reflections support the view that ecumenical encounter is vital, but it
is less helpful than it could be if it is not supported by explicit attention
to and reflection on how that ecumenical encounter is happening and
how we might all best learn from it. They further support the view
that the discipline of pastoral/practical theology will be attenuated and
unnecessarily exclusive if it does not pay attention to the fullest possible
range of historical context, subject matter, methodology and epistemology.
itinéraires, 2018
Dans sa cellule de prison morne et glaciale, Nicu Steinhardt, délicat écrivain et intellectuel Ro... more Dans sa cellule de prison morne et glaciale, Nicu Steinhardt, délicat écrivain et intellectuel Roumain, se penche sur sa vie, en particulier celle qu'il a menée avant que le régime communiste ne prenne le pouvoir dans son pays. Il se souvient de sa visite à Brasov, une splendide ville de montagne et ressent encore la paix intérieure dont il fit l'expérience alors. Il se remémore son désir soudain et irrépréhensible d'entrer dans une église, alors qu'il se trouve aux portes de l'immense et imposante « Eglise Noire», l'un des monuments célèbres de la ville. 'J'éprouve, dit-il, une curieuse impression de douceur, de familiarité avec ses énormes pierres; ce monument n'écrase pas les rues et les maisons; on le dirait, au contraire, doué d'un pouvoir protecteur.' 1
International Journal of Practical Theology, 2017
This study explores the Orthodox vision of theology as holistic, where liturgical and sacramental... more This study explores the Orthodox vision of theology as holistic, where liturgical and sacramental life on the one hand, and social action and commitment on the other hand are inextricably connected. Theology appears as an inseparable whole and therefore, all theology is implicitly practical/pastoral. The study approaches the Orthodox response to the western perspective of pastoral theology as engagement of the entire community of the Church. The concept of theosis is presented as “engine” and ultimate goal of Orthodox practical/pastoral theology. The study emphasises the fundamental importance of liturgical, eucharistic and sacramental life in the life of the Orthodox Church. It also addresses the concepts of withdrawn “inner life” and monasticism, which evidence the tension between the rejection of the world on the one hand and social “incarnational” involvement on the other.
Religions, 2017
This study explores the tension between the centripetal and centrifugal forces informing the acti... more This study explores the tension between the centripetal and centrifugal forces informing the activity of the Orthodox Church-both with regard to its interaction with the secular world and the wider ecumenical scene. The Church is called to look inwardly as an essential connection with its intimate sacramental life. This contraction must be followed organically by a movement of expansion-a continuing sacramental interaction with the secular local context and the wider Christian world. This cyclical movement (inward-outward) informs all Christian life in a mutually perpetuating rotation. Although the reaction to any engagement with the 'outer' dimensions is often one of rejection, it is nevertheless crucial as it brings fullness and fulfils the vocation and identity of the Orthodox Church.
Forerunner. Journal of the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist, 2017
This article engages briefly with the main theological themes of Nicolae Steinhardt's main work -... more This article engages briefly with the main theological themes of Nicolae Steinhardt's main work - 'The Diary of Happiness'. Steinhardt - later to become Father Nicolae at the Rohia Monastery in Western Romania - was born in 1912 to a Jewish father and a Romanian mother. He was imprisoned during the great communist purge of intellectuals and dissidents in the 50s. What makes his story different is that it is inextricably connected with the fact that he was baptised as a Christian while in prison, his narrative centring on his subsequent discovery and exploration of faith and on his personal relation with Christ.
This paper attempts to propose a new paradigm to enable an Orthodox approach to the ecumenical en... more This paper attempts to propose a new paradigm to enable an Orthodox approach to the ecumenical encounter from a different, more productive angle. In order to begin to reframe attitudes towards ecumenism, I propose to bring together the Orthodox claim to be the 'one and only true Church' with the Orthodox consciousness that it needs to aspire towards catholicity. The paradigm proposes that Orthodox theology would move away from a paradigm of ‘passive conservatism’ to one of ‘active metanoia’ – a more transformational, humble and repentant approach. Such a paradigm would essentially envisage ecumenism as a continuous journey towards an ever-enlarging catholicity. This brings to the fore the common theological core of both Orthodoxy and ecumenism – the concept of ‘human consubstantiality’ derived from Trinitarian theology. This theological vision would enable the Orthodox to see themselves as 'consubstantial' fellow-travelers with all Christians who seek a transformed life in communion with God.
After immersing themselves in the ecumenical movement in the 20th century, the Orthodox immediate... more After immersing themselves in the ecumenical movement in the 20th century, the Orthodox immediately were faced with two challenges: A challenge from the anti-ecumenical groups within the Orthodox world, which saw any ecumenical involvement as dangerous and unnecessary. The second challenge came from Christian theologians belonging to other traditions, who couldn’t understand how the Orthodox could accommodate both a vision that they are the only Church, while also still seeking ecumenical or global Christian unity. However, a more recent third challenge has appeared which has brought into question the very implication that the Eastern Orthodox family of Churches already possess the type of organic unity which the ecumenical scene was supposed to emulate.