Towards an Orthodox Understanding of Religious Freedom

Orthodox Christian churches face a great challenge in integrating into today’s world: religious pluralism. According to Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, “understanding what it means to be the Church of God in a pluralistic society” is “one of the greatest problems the Orthodox churches face in the modern world.” Clapsis asks, “[O]nce the churches affirm that the Church exists not only for its members but for the salvation of all, how does the Orthodox Church exercise its transformative role in a world where different religions, racial, ethnic, and cultural communities demand public recognition?”1 Furthermore, Archbishop Demetrios of America states, “The pluralistic world is not an obstacle to Orthodoxy; it is rather an opportunity. In a pluralistic global society, the Orthodox Church is challenged to match her incarnational Christology with an equally incarnational ecclesiology.”2 While such theologians and church officials have begun the process of discussing the issue of religious pluralism and how the Orthodox Church can coexist with other religions in a global community, much work is needed, especially from an Orthodox theological perspective. Professor Elizabeth Prodromou, who served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, notes the paucity of literature from an Orthodox perspective pertaining to religious pluralism and religious freedom.3 It is the purpose of this essay to add to the literature on religious pluralism by suggesting an Orthodox approach to religious freedom based on Orthodox Trinitarian theology as articulated by such thinkers as Metropolitan John Zizioulas and Professor Christos Yannaras. It is my contention that an Orthodox basis for religious freedom can be argued from the standpoint of Trinitarian theology, allowing for the coexistence of Orthodoxy in the modern global society.

Ecclesiology · Epistemology · Orthodoxy · Pluralism (philosophy) · Political science · Religious pluralism · Sociology · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies

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