Scholar Discusses Future of Orthodox Christianity in America
Father Harakas, a prolific author and priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, was the keynote speaker at Fordham’s Orthodoxy in
Father Harakas said St. Athanasius is a useful model for Orthodox Christians as they anticipate their future in this country because “his battles for the Orthodox faith, his acceptance of repeated exiles and his unrestrained resistance against opposing forces in high places earned him in history a description as Athanasius contra mundum, or ‘Athanasius against the world.'”
Also, Alexandria, the city in which St. Athanasius was born and raised, was, in the first few centuries of Christianity, “a pluralistic place, full of variety and within the Christianfold of a wide range of contrasting beliefs, especially about the person of Christ,” Father Harakas said.
“In that vital and pluralistic context so similar to our own, the life of St. Athanasius stands out as a model for the Orthodox Church to prepare for its future in the
Father Harakas said Orthodox Christians have “a message and a way of life” that they must present as “an alternative to the morally and spiritually down-spiraling contemporary American lifestyle.”
Christianity in the
“It should not be perceived as the essence of
In regards to whether Orthodoxy can be American, Father Harakas said:
“Being American is the acceptance of the fundamental principles of freedom in community as declared in our Constitution. We must believe that we are free to be Orthodox Christians and that we will be good Americans if we affirm our identity as Orthodox Christians, while acknowledging that others have the same right.”
“Neither secularism, nor capitalism, nor socialism, or any other ‘ism’ is an authentic component of what it means to be American,” Father Harakas added. “Freedom of belief, of worship, speech and political exercise are the only things that are authentically American.”
Father Harakas emphasized the importance of teaching youth about the faith, referring to St. Athanasius, who was brought early in life under the immediate supervision of the church in his native city of
“One of the important keys to the formation of a strong Orthodox identity in children is the full immersion in the liturgical worship,” Father Harakas said. “It is not everything, but if we do not immerse our children in the worship experience, unconsciously, semiconsciously and ultimately, consciously, there will be only a tepid future for Orthodox Christianity in
Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, said the University has great ambitions to be a center of Orthodox study, thought and debate.
“This evening we were really quite fortunate in Father Stanley [Harakas]’s address to us did precisely that,” Father McShane said. “It did not shy away from any of the difficulties that Orthodoxy in
About 300 people attended the event, held at the McGinley Center Ballroom at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the
In addition, Fordham announced at the event that it has received a $2 million gift to establish the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. The gift comes from the Jaharis Family Foundation, which provides grants to arts, cultural and religious institutions.
The Orthodoxy in America Lecture Series is designed to strengthen the ties that bind the Fordham and Orthodox communities and address the history, theology, spirituality and worship of the Orthodox tradition as it relates to contemporary American culture. Additional information about the lecture series is at www.fordham.edu/orthodoxy.
Fordham is the only university in the
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and
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