Isa DEPRET Compte rendu de l'ouvrage V. Makridis, V. Roudemetov (dir.), Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece, Ashgate, 2010 (original) (raw)

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The book "Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece" provides a nuanced analysis of the role of Orthodox Christianity in contemporary Greek society, culture, and politics, especially during the archbishopric of Christodoulos Paraskevaidis. Featuring contributions from multiple authors, it explores themes such as the relationship between Orthodoxy and ethnicity, the church's social and cultural impact, and the evolving nature of religious practice among Greeks, suggesting both adaptations to contemporary challenges and significant cultural divides within the church.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Uses of the Past in Contemporary Greece

The article examines the use of Orthodox Christianity in the debates over the cultural heritage of contemporary Greece. Since the birth of modern Greece, Orthodox Christianity has been used as one of the foundational cultural markers for the construction of Modern Greek national identity. This employment of religion is particularly evident in the case of history in its popularized format. In contemporary cultural politics, debates over the building of a mosque in Athens or the role of Orthodoxy in history textbooks offer particular illustrations of the public significance of Orthodox Christianity. This high profile role was particularly pronounced during the reign of the late Archbishop Christodoulos (1998–2008). The article suggests that the engagement and influence of the Church on public debates depends upon the nature of the affair: The Church enjoys more authority in ecclesiastical issues and is far less influential on issues of broader interest, such as geopolitical disputes.

"Orthodox Theological Currents in Modern Greece after 1974: Ongoing Tensions between Reform and Conservatism", Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 2015, 33 (2): 241-268.

2015

The demand for social change and ecclesiastical reform after the restoration of democracy in 1974 was addressed in the field of theology in at least two different ways. On the one hand, an activist, this-worldly, and socially oriented current responded positively to the calls for progressive and democratic reforms within society and Church (social equality, democracy, lay participation, and so on). On the other hand, the inward-oriented, mystical theological current emphasized the inner freedom of the human being and the interpersonal relationships formed within the Eucharistic community at the expense of social change. The different conceptual constellations of each theological current underscored two diametrically opposite positions for the ecclesiastical and social organization, which in the end reflect the perspectives and goals of different contingents of the ecclesiastical system.

Investigating fundamentalist trends in the Orthodox Church of Greece: Balancing between traditionalism and fundamentalism

Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik

The purpose of this article is to investigate trends and variations of fundamentalism in the Orthodox Church of Greece. In order to achieve this, the article analyses discourses and practices of the Orthodox Church of Greece since the restoration of democracy in 1974. The main argument is that the church, as an institution, produces public discourses and adopts practices with regard to modernity, more specifically on social, political, moral and scientific issues, using both modernity and tradition in order to strengthen its place in Greek society. The church, also, tries to establish an official response to the gradual marginalisation of religion both at the political and social levels, through moral dualism and strict behavioural requirements; perceiving sacred texts in an absolute and inerrant way; and creating sharp boundaries between Greek Orthodoxy and other religious communities, nonreligious groups and the West, leading this way to the establishment of an elect membership through superiority. The main outcome is that the Orthodox Church of Greece is primarily a traditionalist institution, but it also meets a great number of the fundamentalist characteristics responding this way to the privatisation and marginalisation of religion in Greek society.

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"On Saints, Prophets, Philanthropists, and Anticlericals: Orthodoxy, Gender, and the Crisis in Greece", in: Helena Kupari / Elina Vuola (eds.), Orthodox Christianity and Gender: Dynamics of Tradition, Culture and Lived Practice, London/New York: Routledge, 2020, pp. 171-189.