Prayerful silence and creative response in twenty-first-century monasticism

Many of today's monks and nuns are active composers: some have entered their communities as highly trained musicians, while others find themselves drawn to musical expression after profession. But how does such a creative musical response relate to the monastic atmosphere of hesychia (prayerful silence), and does this response differ in secular experiences of a prayerful silence? This paper provides an ethnographic account of the relationship between hesychia and creative response among twenty-first-century monastic musicians in the Western tradition, comparing these responses with those from secular Christian composers and from composers in the Quaker tradition for whom silence is, as for monastics, an integral component of worship; the issues are then explored in the context of methodological constructs for discursive meditation and contemplative prayer, and of conceptual notions of silence. This paper argues that essential differences between monastic and secular experiences of silence are significant regulators of creative response to hesychia.     

Morality and tradition in postcommunist Orthodox lands: on the universality of human rights,with special reference to Romania

Crescent in a Red Sky: the Future of Islam in the Soviet Union by Amir Taheri. London: Hutchinson and Co. Ltd., 1989. 287 pp., £18.95.

Conscience and Captivity by Janice Broun, with a chapter on Poland by Grazyna Sikorska. Washington DC: Ethics and Public Policy Centre, 1988, Paperback, 376 pp.

38. Internationaler Kongress in Königstein. Christen in Osteuropa: ‘Perestrojka’ und Religion (38th international conference in Königstein. Christians in Eastern Europe: perestroika and religion) edited by Wolfgang Grycz. Konigstein: Albertus‐Magnus‐Kolleg/Haus der Begegnung e.V., 1988. Paperback, 178 pp.

Kirche und Glaube in Rumanien (Church and Faith in Romania) Munich: Kirche in Not, 1990. 136 pp.     

Orthodox Worship

Abstract

This article attempts to convey both the riches of the experience of Orthodox Christian worship and the wealth of materials used in the liturgical celebration. There will be a discussion of the setting, the temple, and the modes of participation in the worship experience. The place of the senses in the experience will be noted, along with a sampling of the texts used. The article also contains a full discussion of the many liturgical texts required. An annotated bibliography of books and list of websites, together with a select glossary, are included.     

The Orthodox Diaspora

This paper discusses the decisions of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in June 2016 that offered the Orthodox diaspora throughout the world the opportunity on many levels to act and develop activities to promote Orthodox witness, faith, and life. The issue of diaspora is very important for the church on account of the dynamic presence of the Orthodox faith and witness within large heterodox, non-Christian, and diversified multicultural populations. The diaspora, after the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church, has in front of it an open door that no one can shut. Hence the diaspora is always in a movement of outreach for the sowing of the seed of truth to those who are far away and to those who are near: always with the mighty assistance of the merciful and philanthropic God.     

Family Therapy in Romania

The article outlines the development of family therapy in Romania. Family therapy has a relatively brief history in this country, only beginning with the first training programs in the early to mid 1990s. However, as far as the number of professional associations is concerned, it is well represented on the map of psychotherapy approaches. There are several opportunities for training in family therapy. The accreditation of the training programs and the certification of the graduates of these programs is clearly regulated by law. From the legal point of view psychotherapy is considered a specialization of psychologists rather than an independent profession. The authors offer a brief overview of the history of family therapy in Romania, its present position in the health and social care system, the context of training, accreditation standards, the network of professional organizations and some of the possible future directions for family therapy. Finally, recently produced Romanian films are suggested as a medium for getting acquainted with the complex dilemmas faced by contemporary Romanian families.     

罗马尼亚的历史教育

通过记忆或预测与时间发生的种种关系 ,形成后共产主义空间据以重组、构建和确认自己的认同性的一个特殊的主轴。后共产主义社会处于一方面公开否弃共产主义的过去 ,另一方面又有着扎根于刚刚过去不久的历史的需要 (即使是出于叙述的原因 )这种矛盾之中 ,同时面临着名为过渡这一不远未来的困境 ,从而陷入了寻求认同性的进退维谷境地。这种两难境地的重压 ,可以通过一些“赔偿”法所获得的共识度来直接衡量 :诸如退还国有化的财产或者“清偿”之类的赔偿法 ,在其推行之初获得了某种认同 ,却显而易见也引发了另一些公开争论。这是对于这个社会…     

Orthodox Influences on Methodism

This article describes the influence of the Orthodox tradition on Methodism in the course of the development of the ecumenical movement. It relates the proposals made in the 1990s for an international dialogue between the traditions, proposals which have yet to be acted on. The article also describes a series of resonances between the two traditions that exist from earlier parallel developments, as well as emphases that have occurred independently but that can now be recognized as establishing commonalities that could be fruitful in later dialogue. Mention is made of commonality in the theological use of hymnody (Charles Wesley and St Symeon in particular) and of common emphases on trinitarian theology holiness/theosis, the divine image in human nature and on holistic mission.     

Mission and Reconciliation in the Orthodox Church

This article examines the Orthodox view on reconciliation as reflected in the famous patriarchal and synodical encyclicals early in the last century and in more recent official documents: the Messages of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches, the approved documents of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s official statements. These are looked at in reference to (i) the mission statement of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, Together towards Life, and (ii) the papal encyclicals Unitatis redintegratio and Ut unum sint. The article further examines the need for a common Christian witness and the reactions within the Orthodox world from a tiny but vocal anti-ecumenical minority. It underlines the importance of a Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities along with the existing Universal Declaration of Human Rights to address the ecological problem and inequities of the current world economic system, based on the interrelatedness of economy and ecology and the consolidation of the interfaith dialogue for a wider reconciliation. The article also underlines the highest priority of the theological dialogues at all levels and by all bodies of the Orthodox ecclesial reality as a necessary step to promote reconciliation. Finally, the article assesses (i) the dialogue aiming to achieve the visible unity of the church; (ii) dialogues generally focusing on Christian unity, or even unity with other faithful; (iii) dialogues aiming as much as possible at common Christian witness; and (iv) dialogues focusing on the church’s responsibility toward society and the integrity of creation.