International Conference
“Thessalia” Conference Centre, Melissatika, Volos, Greece
October 19-22, 2023
Links for attending online:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
In the present-day pluralistic and global context, crucial questions like the following ones emerge: Should Orthodox Christianity today be characterised as “conservative”? Does the pre-modern background of Orthodoxy, such as its particular emphasis on the tradition as a binding, normative past, constitute an obstacle to its renewal? Is Byzantium often regarded today from an idealised and romanticised perspective, which is sometimes linked to the desire for some form of its “revival”? Does all this mean that Orthodoxy is unable to evolve and that it cannot respond to modern challenges? Do these features also apply to the overall relationship of Orthodoxy with modernity?
However, these potential difficulties do not seem to render Orthodoxy a priori and by definition incompatible with modernity. The Orthodox Church may sometimes give the impression of having an anti-modern stance, especially in Russia and the ex-communist countries, but the whole issue needs a broader consideration, contextualisation, and analysis. The phenomenon of Orthodox theological migration to the West in the 20th century, the multifaceted collaborations of the Orthodox Churches with numerous secular actors and institutions of the modern world, as well as the global role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (e.g., regarding environmental issues) prove that a more creative encounter of Orthodoxy with modernity is possible. Beyond this, the various developments of the last decades in the post-modern context, which have relativised earlier absolute and normative narratives of modernity, opened unexpected new possibilities for the importance of Orthodoxy today and increased its attractiveness internationally. At the same time, the emergence of a new generation of Orthodox thinkers and scholars, either in the historical Orthodox cradles or—and especially—internationally, offers many possibilities for the future presence and action of Orthodoxy in a globalised and competitive environment.
The planned international conference “Orthodox Christianity Between Pre-Modern Commitments, Modern Challenges, and Post-Modern Relevance” intends to address these issues, in directions that can be summarised as follows:
1) The pre-modern roots, commitments and dependences of Orthodoxy, their lingering impact on today’s conditions, and the possibilities for their reform based on modern developments;
2) The numerous challenges of modernity, the related difficulties and problems for Orthodoxy, as well as the efforts for a more creative correlation between Orthodoxy and modernity;
3) The various multifaceted changes in the post-modern context, their significance for Orthodoxy, and the emerging new trends in the current globalised environment;
4) The comparison between Orthodox and Western Christianity in the above context, their common elements and their differences, as well as the possibilities for their more productive mutual correlation.
The conference is organised by the Chair of Religious Studies (Orthodox Christianity) of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Erfurt (Germany), and the Volos Academy for Theological Studies (Greece). It will take place in the “Thessalia” Conference Centre, Melissatika, Volos, Greece, between October 19 and 22, 2023. It is open to the public. The working language will be English (no translation provided), and it will be also webcasted live through Zoom. The list of participants as well as the programme of the conference will be announced soon.
