Modern Orthodox Theology

In thinking back on my experience last month in Iasi at the inaugural conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association, the scriptural verse in the sub-title of a forthcoming book did come to mind. There have been many new developments within Orthodox theology in the last three decades, and some of them will be covered in Paul Ladouceur, Modern Orthodox Theology: Behold I Make All Things New (T&T Clark, 2019), 544pp.

About this collection the publisher tells us this:

Modern Orthodox theology represents a continuity of the Eastern Christian theological tradition stretching back to the early Church and especially to the Ancient Fathers of the Church. This volume considers the full range of modern Orthodox theology.

The first chapters of the book offer a chronological study of the development of modern Orthodox theology, beginning with a survey of Orthodox theology from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the early 19th century. Ladouceur then focuses on theology in imperial Russia, the Russian religious renaissance at the beginning of the 20th century, and the origins and nature of neopatristic theology, as well as the new theology in Greece, Romania and Serbia. Subsequent chapters examine specific major themes:

The restoration of patristic thought in Orthodox theology

God and Creation

Divine-humanity and the theology of the person

Ecclesiology and ecumenical theology

The 'Christification' of life

The 'Name-of-God' quarrel

Women in the Orthodox church

The volume concludes with assessments of major approaches of modern Orthodox theology and reflections on the current status and future of Orthodox theology.

The publisher also gives us this table of contents:

Table of contents
Foreword and Acknowledgments
1. Prolegomena to Modern Orthodox Theology
2. Theological Encounters with the West: Orthodox Theology from the Fifteenth Century to the Nineteenth Century
3. Theology in Imperial Russia
4. The Russian Religious Renaissance
5. The Origins and Nature of Neopatristic Theology
6. Theology Old and New in Greece
7. Theology in Romania
8. Tradition and the Restoration of Patristic Thought
9. God and Creation
10. Divine-Humanity, Personhood and Human Rights
11. The Church of Christ
12. Ecumenical Theology and Religious Diversity
13. The Christification of Life
14. Social and Political Theology
15. Onomatodoxy: The Name-of-God Conflict
16. The Ordination of Women
17. Light and Shadows in Modern Orthodox Theology
18. The Living Tradition of Orthodox Theology
19. Bibliography