Paul Ladouceur, Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College, Faculty of Divinity, University of Toronto, Toronto,ON M5S 1H8, Canada; 123thabor@gmail.com
Facult é de théologie et de sciences religieuses, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaAcademic Editor: John JillionsReceived: 4 January 2017; Accepted: 2 April 2017; Published: 27 April 2017
Facult é de théologie et de sciences religieuses, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaAcademic Editor: John JillionsReceived: 4 January 2017; Accepted: 2 April 2017; Published: 27 April 2017
Abstract:
This essay explores different approaches to non-Christian religions in Orthodox thought, from the early Fathers to the present day. Among modern Orthodox theologians, Georges Khodr and Anastasios Yannoulatos inherit an inclusivist or tolerant attitude to religious diversity from Justin Martyr and other early Fathers, while Seraphim Rose represents an exclusivist or intolerant position, characteristic of Tertullian. Philip Sherrard’s thinking on non-Christian religions can be describedas religious pluralism , while that of Lev Gillet is close to comparative theology . Despite the absence of formal Orthodox declarations concerning religious diversity, Orthodox thought on the subject since World War II converges around the notions of inclusivism and comparative theology, considering that non-Christian religions are mysteriously “included” in the missions of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the world and that their adherents can achieve salvation as understood in Christianity.
Keywords:
religious diversity; Christianity; non-Christian religions; Orthodoxy; Justin Martyr;
Georges Khodr; Anastasios Yannoulatos; exclusivism; inclusivism; religious pluralism
This essay explores different approaches to non-Christian religions in Orthodox thought, from the early Fathers to the present day. Among modern Orthodox theologians, Georges Khodr and Anastasios Yannoulatos inherit an inclusivist or tolerant attitude to religious diversity from Justin Martyr and other early Fathers, while Seraphim Rose represents an exclusivist or intolerant position, characteristic of Tertullian. Philip Sherrard’s thinking on non-Christian religions can be describedas religious pluralism , while that of Lev Gillet is close to comparative theology . Despite the absence of formal Orthodox declarations concerning religious diversity, Orthodox thought on the subject since World War II converges around the notions of inclusivism and comparative theology, considering that non-Christian religions are mysteriously “included” in the missions of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the world and that their adherents can achieve salvation as understood in Christianity.
Keywords:
religious diversity; Christianity; non-Christian religions; Orthodoxy; Justin Martyr;
Georges Khodr; Anastasios Yannoulatos; exclusivism; inclusivism; religious pluralism
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