Innovation in the Orthodox Christian Tradition?

For a long time scholars have typically assumed Greek Orthodoxy to be a static religious tradition. Although this public perception continues, the immutability of the Greek Orthodox tradition has been questioned by scholars over the past few years. This book continues this line of reasoning, but brings it into the centre of contemporary discussion. Presenting case studies from different periods of history up to the present day, the authors trace different aspects in the development of innovation in Orthodox Christianity in the Greek-speaking world and among the Diaspora.

Trine Stauning Willert is Assistant Professor in Modern Greek studies at the University of Copenhagen. Her research has focused on national identity, religion and education in contemporary Greece and the cultural relationship between Greece and Europe in a historical and contemporary perspective. Lina Molokotos-Liederman is an independent scholar and researcher specializing in international issues of religion and education, migration, social welfare and humanitarian aid. Educated in Greece, France and the United States, she received her MS in Mass Communication from Boston University and her PhD in the sociology of religion from the Ã-cole Pratique des Hautes Ã-tudes (EPHE) in Paris.

Conceptual Overview; 1: How Can We Speak of Innovation in the Greek Orthodox Tradition? Towards a Typology of Innovation in Religion; 2: Orthodox Christianity, Change, Innovation; Encounters with Other Christian Denominations; 3: Double-Identity Churches on the Greek Islands under the Venetians; 4: Religious Innovation or Political Strategy? The Rapprochements of the Archbishop of Syros, Alexandros Lykourgos (1827-1875), towards the Anglican Church; Adaptations to Modernity; 5: Emancipation through Celibacy? The Sisterhoods of the Zoe Movement and their Role in the Development of 'Christian Feminism' in Greece 1938-1960; 6: The New Sound of the Spiritual Modern; Reform and Power Struggle in Religious Governance; 7: Holy Canons or General Regulations? The Ecumenical Patriarchate vis-à-vis the Challenge of Secularization in the Nineteenth Century; 8: An Innovative Local Orthodox Model of Governance? The Shrine of Evangelistria on the Island of Tinos; Change in Contemporary Socio-Political Contexts; 9: A New Role for Religion in Greece? Theologians Challenging the Ethno-Religious Understanding of Orthodoxy and Greekness; 10: From Mobilization to a Controlled Compromise; Beyond National Borders: The Greek Orthodox Diaspora; 11: Innovation within Greek Orthodox Theology in Australia: Archbishop Stylianos and the Mystique of Indigenous Australian Spirituality; 12: Continuities and Change in Greek American Orthodoxy