In the Orthodox tradition, theology is a much-cherished reality; so much so that non-Orthodox Christians seem to praise the Orthodox Church for the fact that it has preserved the rich theological legacy of the past in its liturgy, spirituality and ethos. To be sure, there is such an aspect of Orthodoxy, but it very much tends to be centred around the past – precisely as a kind of treasure that no one should touch! From a different perspective, though, one should keep in mind that theology means and refers to several things, and not all of them conform to the image of Orthodoxy as the most theologically informed Christian tradition. Even more, one could say that it looks like the Orthodox Church represents – at least at certain levels – the most theologically impoverished Christian experience of our modern times.
Charismatic Theology
There are different types and degrees of Christian experience. Some are low and some are high; some are rare and some are common. When it comes to theology, in particular, the integrity of the phenomenon is quite unique and exceptional, since it is all about a charisma that signals the top moments in the life and historical trajectory of the Church. I am referring to a theology that is not taught at any university or college and does not repeat the discourse formulas of previous ages. I am talking about theology as the articulation of the experience of God into a new symbolic language that, on the one hand, augments the realisation of truth and, on the other, creates a further historical step towards the future Kingdom of God. And this theology no one expects everyone to acquire or most of the faithful to aspire for. Simply put, this theology is the exception and the exceptional within the Orthodox experience; the exception and the exceptional, though, that sets rules and regulations, and as such comes – and goes, I would dare say – as the Spirit of God wishes.
Theology as Tradition
Although charismatic theology is rare and comes and goes according to the manifestation of the wisdom energies of the Holy Spirit, there is a type of theology in the Orthodox Church that is much more widespread. This is theology as the traditional doctrine of Orthodoxy that has emerged as a ramification of the charismatic moments of theology. Many of the faithful, both clergy and laity, are familiar with it, evoke it on this or that occasion, study or read about it and, most of all, model their ecclesial consciousness according to it. Furthermore, departments of theology all over the world offer courses that allow their students to become theologians, experts in theology – most often than not without the illumination of the Holy Spirit – and as such to perpetuate ecclesiastical structures and administer Church life in light of a guide that has had a divine foundation – even though the latter is now lost in the mist of the past… Undoubtedly, we need this type of theology, but it cannot replace charismatic theology, although it does function in lieu of it, that is, due to the latter’s absence. It’s simply all about a different kind of service in the ecclesial economy of things.
Theology Culture
Beyond charismatic theology and theology as tradition there is a third type of theology. Actually, to be more precise, there ought to be a third type of theology, a type which I would like to refer to as a theology culture. When we think of charismatic theology, we normally think of great saintly theological figures of the past, namely, the so-called Fathers and Teachers of the Church. On the other hand, when we refer to theology as tradition, we refer to the leaders and teachers of our everyday Church life, as well as to the doctrinal formulations that we have inherited as identity and identification markers. But this type of theology has created a need which is not, sadly, satisfied – at least, not adequately enough. What is this need? How did it come to be and how can it possibly be satisfied? The need I am talking about is the need to be theologically informed; if not theologically competent to teach and lead others, at least knowledgeable enough to make personal decisions and choices that promote one’s ecclesial realisation.
And where did this need come from? This question is not an easy one to tackle, for the conditions in global Orthodoxy have been and still are very different from place to place. However, generally speaking, one could maintain that modernity – along with its concomitant enlightenment, promotion of education, human and civil rights, and consolidation of individuality and its autonomy – have postulated the need I am referring to as a situation that has taken over the psyche, so to speak, of the Orthodox faithful. The latter are not and cannot be satisfied any more with the role or the position they had in premodern times; they cannot go on being passive, silent, voiceless and without agency, a mere audience or a “flock” of “sheep”. The conditions have changed dramatically in the modern world and the Orthodox Church must address the issue of theological literacy, empowerment, active and critical participation of its members as soon as possible.
In some places Orthodoxy has managed to address the need for a theology culture, that is, an educational background strongly informed by theology allowing the faithful to be reflective, critical and actively responsible in ecclesial life. A prime example is, I think, Greece, although there is lots of Orthodox fundamentalism and a strong presence of traditionalism in the country as well. Perhaps it is due to the last two aspects of Orthodoxy in Greece that the Body of the Church has also found ways to facilitate a proper theology culture in order to achieve a certain counterbalance. The same is the case in some other European countries, but in general everywhere else global Orthodoxy suffers a lot: it still has theologically uneducated followers, followers who adhere to pseudo-tradition, legendary materials, a good amount of elderism, and most of all a caricature of obedience.
If we want to make a difference in modern human history; if we want to realise an eschatological image of the new world-to-come; if we want to prove that in Orthodoxy people are recreated as responsibly thinking and reflectively believing persons, then we certainly need to start facilitating the cultivation of a robust theological culture in our midst…
ABOUT | INSIGHTS INTO GLOBAL ORTHODOXY with Dr Vassilis Adrahtas
"Insights into Global Orthodoxy" is a fortnightly column that features opinion articles that on the one hand capture the pulse of global Orthodoxy from the perspective of local sensitivities, needs and/or limitations, and on the other hand delve into the local pragmatics and significance of Orthodoxy in light of global trends and prerogatives.
Dr Vassilis Adrahtas holds a PhD in Studies in Religion (USyd) and a PhD in the Sociology of Religion (Panteion, Athens). He has taught at several universities in Australia and overseas. Since 2015 he has been teaching ancient Greek Religion and Myth at the University of New South Wales and Islamic Studies at Western Sydney University. He has published ten books. He has extensive experience in the print media as editor-in-chief, and columnist, and for a while he worked as a radio producer. He lives in Sydney, Australia, his birthplace.
