Orthodox Church

Book review: the presence of Orthodox Churches in Western Europe – migration, settlement and innovation

By Religioscope, 23 March 2015

Although relatively little attention is paid to it, Orthodox Christian migration in the West matters. A recent book offers various insights on the current situation of Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, as well as related challenges, adjustments and innovations. It primarily focuses on Orthodox identities in new environments.

The book can be ordered through a bookshop or directly from the publishing house: http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409467540. When ordering online from the publishing house it may be worth searching the web for recent Ashgate discount codes (search Ashgate + “discount” or “coupon codes”), which may allow for significant discounts on official prices.

China: when will five-fold state-backed religious monopoly end?

By Magda Hornemann - Forum 18 News Service, 11 October 2013

The official monopoly over all religious activity by communities of the five state-backed religious headquarter bodies is gradually being eroded. The following report provides an overview of the current situation and developments.

United States: new book finds Eastern Orthodox converts embrace tradition and spiritual marketplace

By Richard Cimino, 19 February 2012

A new study of converts to Eastern Orthodox churches finds that the search for roots and traditional forms of worship and belief can coexist with the pluralism and choice of the spiritual marketplace.

Research: anthropologists rediscover an ancient religion—Eastern Christianity

By Richard Cimino, 21 August 2010

Anthropologists have recently discovered Christianity but they still have some difficulty in understanding the ancient Eastern Christian churches that exist apart from the West and its history of colonialism and individualism. A new book represents a challenge to the anthropology of religion, since it has often treated Christianity as embodying Western concepts and practices, such as individualism, in its relation to other cultures and religions.

Richard Cimino is the founder and editor of Religion Watch, a newsletter monitoring trends in contemporary religion. Since January 2008, Religion Watch is published by Religioscope Institute. Website: www.religionwatch.com.

Catholicism and Orthodoxy: a forgotten page of the history of uniatism in Albania

By Jean-François Mayer - Religioscope Institute, 4 January 2010

Uniatism remains a contentious issue in Catholic-Orthodox relations. A recent book by Albanian-born scholar Ines Angeli Murzaku brings to light the history of failed attempts to create a uniate movement in Albania.

Ines Angeli Murzaku, Returning Home to Rome: The Basilian Monks of Grottaferrata in Albania, Grottaferrata, Monastero Esarchico, 2009, xxii + 310 pp.

The book cannot easily be found in bookshops or through major online booksellers, but it can ordered from the following website (payment through Paypal, US $60, postage included for North America and Europe): www.lissus.org

USA: new study of Orthodox laity finds more unity than division

By Richard Cimino, 5 November 2008

The first nationally representative survey of laity in Eastern Orthdoox churches in the US finds a strong sense of religious identity among them as well as few major differences with clergy. Unlike many Protestant and Catholic churches, there were few sharp divisions over such issues as the ordination of women.

Russia: Putin’s faith raises questions

By Chloe Arnold - RFE/RL, 10 April 2007

Recent television images of Russian President Vladimir Putin have shown him lighting candles at the Vatican and praying on the edge of the Jordan River. The president has never disguised his Russian Orthodox beliefs, but are they becoming more conspicuous?

© 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Website: http://www.rferl.org/

Toward a rebirth of the Orthodox Church in China – Interview with Mitrophan Chin

By Religioscope, 23 October 2004

While the presence of Western Christian Churches in China is a well-known fact, many people are not aware that the Orthodox Church has also been present in that country for more than 300 years. It has never fully recovered from the turmoils of the “cultural revolution” of the 1960s and its antireligious policies. However, there are efforts from several sides to revive Orthodox life in China. Attempts to revive Orthodoxy in China also take place in virtual space. In this interview, the webmaster of Orthodox.cn, Mitrophan Chin, tells us more about the history, current situation and prospects for the Orthodox Church in China.

The interview was conducted online in October 2004. Mitrophan Chin was interviewed by Jean-François Mayer.

North Korea: will local Orthodox dare to regularly attend new church?

By Geraldine Fagan - Forum 18 News Service, 28 September 2004

Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, has two Protestant and one Catholic church, which are suspected of being “show churches” for display to foreigners, so it remains unclear whether any North Koreans will be able to or will dare to regularly attend an Orthodox church under construction. The building is funded by the North Korean state, and Forum 18 News Service has learnt that it is “65 per cent finished”. By the early 1900’s, about 10,000 Koreans had converted to Orthodoxy due to Russian missionaries in the now divided Korean peninsula.

Forum 18 News Service (F18News, Oslo, Norway) is a Christian initiative which is independent of any one church or religious group. F18News is objective, presenting news in a deliberately calm and balanced fashion, and presenting all sides of a situation. The overriding editorial objective of F18News is to as accurately as possible present the truth of a situation, both implicitly and explicitly.

Website: http://www.forum18.org/index.php

China: Orthodox Christians soon to be allowed priests?

By Geraldine Fagan - Forum 18 News Service, 28 September 2004

China’s estimated 3,000 scattered Orthodox Christians may soon be able to have their own priests once again. Since 2003, 15 Chinese Orthodox have been studying in Orthodox seminaries in Russia with the permission of China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs. “Now they are happy for Chinese to become priests,” an Orthodox source from Shanghai told Forum 18 News Service. But Hong Kong-based Russian Orthodox priest Fr Dionisy Pozdnyayev told Forum 18 it has yet to be decided whether these seminarians will be allowed to become priests in China when they complete their theological education.

Website: http://www.forum18.org/index.php

Book review: the presence of Orthodox Churches in Western Europe – migration, settlement and innovation

China: when will five-fold state-backed religious monopoly end?

United States: new book finds Eastern Orthodox converts embrace tradition and spiritual marketplace

Research: anthropologists rediscover an ancient religion—Eastern Christianity

Catholicism and Orthodoxy: a forgotten page of the history of uniatism in Albania

USA: new study of Orthodox laity finds more unity than division

Russia: Putin’s faith raises questions

Toward a rebirth of the Orthodox Church in China – Interview with Mitrophan Chin

North Korea: will local Orthodox dare to regularly attend new church?

China: Orthodox Christians soon to be allowed priests?

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