The World Council of Churches has just
announced the publication of a new series of books, "Doxa and Praxis: Exploring Orthodox Theology."
The first two publications will be released later this summer. The first is by the well-known Orthodox theologian Metropolitan Kallistos Ware and is titled
Orthodox Theology in the Twenty-First Century. The second book is by the series editor, Pantelis Kalaitzidis,
Orthodoxy and Political Theology.
The WCC has also recently published several books of interest to Eastern Christians, including the edited collection of essays,
Just Peace: Orthodox Perspectives (WCC Publications, 2012).
About this book the publisher tells us:
Despite their largely pacifist origins, Christianity and Christian
traditions can claim only limited success in their efforts to conciliate
conflict, avoid violence, and stop war. The eminent contributors to
this deeply reflective book believe it is time to look to the East, to
the very different perspectives among Orthodox Christians, on issues of
war and the justice that must undergird peace. From Europe and Russia,
as well as the Middle East and Asia, two dozen Orthodox theologians and
church people cast the classic dilemmas of war and peace, military
service, just war, and religious nationalism into a deeper theological
framework. The book examines: the historical characterizations of
Orthodoxy in a variety of settings and nations (Greece, Oriental
Christianity, Bulgaria, Armenia, Western Europe, etc.); dilemmas of
nationalism for the churches; the Russian Orthodox Church and the
military; the invasion of Iraq; globalization; fundamentalism;
interreligious tensions; the ecclesial vocation of peacemaking.
Also just released in January of this year is another edited collection,
Building Bridges: Between the Orthodox and Evangelical Traditions (WCC Publications, 2012), 268pp.
About this book the publisher tells us:
In recent decades, Evangelicals and Orthodox Christians have encountered
each other more widely than ever before. Relationships have often been
difficult and dogged by misunderstanding. How can two Christian
traditions, which seem so different, begin to understand each other and
find common ground? Is it possible for Orthodox and Evangelical
Christians to move from competition to co-operation and develop
relationships marked by mutual respect? What are the key theological
issues between them which need to be faced? And what might these two
traditions be able to offer together to the whole church? Building
Bridges presents papers, reports, and reflections from a remarkable
series of seminars, bringing together representatives of these streams
of Christianity. Held at Bossey, Switzerland, between 2000 and 2006, the
seminars built on earlier consultations and brought together
theologians and church leaders from a wide range of Evangelical and
Orthodox churches. The topics explored include the nature of salvation,
the role and place of Holy Scripture, the nature and purpose of the
church, and what it means to be human. Building Bridges will be a
stimulus to further dialogue between two traditions of considerable
theological and demographic significance.
Finally, released last November is a third collection of essays,
Many Women Were Also There: the Participation of Orthodox Women in the Ecumenical Movement (WCC Press, 2011), 244pp. About this book the
publisher tells us:
In this book, the distinctive voices of Orthodox Christian women wrestle
with the realities of their lives and contexts - but also of their
faith - within the long and ambiguous legacy of the Christian tradition
for women. Keenly aware of the insights and shortcomings of Orthodox
Christianity, they reflect the historical, theological, and practical
aspects of women's experience. Drawing especially from North America,
Europe, and Greece, the book includes noted theologians and biblical
scholars, as well as women in ministry, counseling, political science,
and public service. Together they envision a future in which Christian
life delivers on the promise of those early days when "many women were
with him."