The Church is commonly spoken of as an institutional reality, but much less frequently recognized as a spiritual and heavenly reality called by God “to make disciples of all nations.” (Mt. 28:19) This modest work furthers the development of a structured and integrated Christian Orthodox political thought, whereby the Church is neither sidelined as having no relevance to this present life, nor dominated by temporal questions or popular movements at the expense of its eternal salvific mission.

 

The author  seeks to ground the mission of the Church in the present world both on an understanding of God as Trinity and in Her mission to baptize diverse cultures. To do this effectively the Church must recognize and adapt to local and contemporary political and social trends and patterns. It must exemplify the Gospel as a way of communal and social life, not allowing itself to be reduced to an impersonal ideology manifest within the sphere of either imagination, ideology, or a private individualistic existence.

 

Drawing upon this philosophy he offers proposals for how the Church could view questions of both domestic politics and international relations with a view to bringing the world into the Kingdom of God. He also suggests specific steps that could be taken to heal and strengthen  inter-Orthodox relations, addressing in particular the canonical challenges of the Orthodox diaspora and tensions between the Greek and Slavic components of the Church.Though these specific proposals will by no means enjoy universal acceptance,  they will serve as a springboard for further dialogue as the Orthodox world seeks to apply these principles  in all nations, no matter their current political circumstances.

 

Extracts from The Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church are also included as an appendix to aid in further reflection on the questions raised by this book.