Christianity, Democracy, and the Shadow of Constantine

Edited by George E. Demacopoulos and Aristotle Papanikolaou

Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought

Published: 2016

ISBN: 9780823274208

Page Count: 304

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Description: The collapse of communism in eastern Europe has forced traditionally Eastern Orthodox countries to consider the relationship between Christianity and liberal democracy. Contributors examine the influence of Constantinianism in both the post-communist Orthodox world and in Western political theology. Constructive theological essays feature Catholic and Protestant theologians reflecting on the relationship between Christianity and democracy, as well as Orthodox theologians reflecting on their tradition’s relationship to liberal democracy. The essays explore prospects of a distinctively Christian politics in a post-communist, post-Constantinian age.
Reviews: Many of us in the field of political theology are poorer for the lack of conversation most of us experience between Eastern and Western political theologies. Even if we are open and sympathetic to one another—and historically that is a big ‘if’—the traditions are so distinct from one another that few can claim expertise in both, and so we continue to focus narrowly on our own traditions. This volume represents a welcome change to this pattern, opening a conversation between theologians across Eastern and Western traditions on the timely topics of church and state, democracy, and liberalism.---—Elizabeth Phillips, Tutor in Theology and Ethics, Westcott House, Cambridge

…by bringing together powerful thinkers from Eastern and Western Christian traditions, [this volume] greatly enriches the growing literature on political theology and shows the promise of such encounters. - Reading Religion

...deserve[s] wide attention from all theologians and scholars of religion who wish to understand how Orthodoxy is speaking to issues of politics today. - Journal of Church and State

The essays in this volume make good on the editors' hopes: they have demonstrated that Orthodoxy has fundamental contributions to make to contemporary political discourse. - Modern Theology

This is an encouraging collection which points towards the hope that the resources of the Orthodox tradition may contribute to political theology as they have in other areas, not only through greater confidence in restating the now-ubiquitous ideas of personhood, but in challenging and creative ways. - Journal of Anglican Studies

Drawing together political theologians, ethicists, and historical theologians, [this] volume creates an encounter between "East" and "West" that addresses some critical questions facing the whole of Christianity. - Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics

Christianity, Democracy, and the Shadow of Constantine... boasts contributions from prominent Western figures in political theology, such as Stanley Hauerwas, Eric Gregory and Luke Bretherton. The pieces from this Protestant cast, along with Catholics Mary Doak and J. Bryan Hehir, are all worthy contributions to political theology in their own right. - Studies in Christian Ethics

Many of us in the field of political theology are poorer for the lack of conversation most of us experience between Eastern and Western political theologies. Even if we are open and sympathetic to one another—and historically that is a big ‘if’—the traditions are so distinct from one another that few can claim expertise in both, and so we continue to focus narrowly on our own traditions. This volume represents a welcome change to this pattern, opening a conversation between theologians across Eastern and Western traditions on the timely topics of church and state, democracy, and liberalism. - —Elizabeth Phillips, Tutor in Theology and Ethics, Westcott House, Cambridge
Details: ISBN-13 9780823274208
Published: 2016-11-01
Contributors: Edited: George E. Demacopoulos
George E. Demacopoulos is Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies and Professor of Theology at Fordham University.
Edited: Aristotle Papanikolaou
Aristotle Papanikolaou is professor of theology, the Archbishop Demetrios Chair of Orthodox Theology and Culture, and the Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University.