Proselytism and Orthodoxy in Russia

by Witte, John, Jr.; Bourdeaux, Michael

• ISBN13: 9781606086728
• ISBN10: 1606086723
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-05-01
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub

Summary

Few of the struggles Russia has undergone since the fall of Communism have been fiercer than that being fought between the long-repressed Russian Orthodox Church and a host of groups seeking to evangelize the Russian people. This volume assesses the legitimacy of the Orthodox attempt to reclaim the spiritual and moral heart of the Russian people and to retain their adherence in a new, pluralistic world where many Christians and followers of other traditions seek the right to establish themselves. Proselytism and Orthodoxy in Russia also brings together the latest scholarship on the new Russian laws regarding religion as well as suggesting guidelines for foreign missionaries in Russia. Book jacket.

Author Biography

John Witte Jr, JD (Harvard) is the Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and Ethics and Director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University. A specialist in legal history, jurisprudence, and church-state relations, he is author or editor of eleven books and numerous professional articles. Michael Bourdeaux, PhD (Lambeth), is founder and Director, Emeritus, of Keston Institute, Oxford, and Canon Emeritus of the Church of England. A specialist in Russian history and religion, and a long-time advocate for religious freedom in Communist lands, he has published seven books and numerous articles, and is a recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Religious Perspectives
The Russian Orthodox Church and Foreign Christianity The Legacy of the Past	p. 31
Orthodox Christianity and the Russian Transformation	p. 51
Gospel and Culture	p. 66
Interreligious Relations in Russia after 1917	p. 77
Russian Catholicism: Relic or Reality?	p. 93
Proselytizing and the Muslim Umma of Russia Historical Heritage or Ethno-national Threat?	p. 108
Relations between Russian Orthodoxy and Judaism	p. 141
Seventh-day Adventists	p. 151
Sects and New Religious Movements in Post-Soviet Russia	p. 163
The Quality of Mercy A Once-only Opportunity	p. 185
Protestant Missionaries in the Former Soviet Union	p. 197
Legal Perspectives
Reflections on Church and State in Russian History	p. 227
The Law of the Russian Federation on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations from a Human Rights Perspective	p. 239
Freedom of Religion in Russia An Amicus Brief for the Defendant	p. 265
Federal and Provincial Religious Freedom Laws in Russia A Struggle for and against Federalism and the Rule of Law	p. 284
Signposts for a New Way
Guidelines for American Missionaries in Russia	p. 323
Guidelines for Foreign Missionaries in the Former Soviet Union	p. 331
Contributors	p. 341
Index	p. 343
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