Theme: Orthodoxy in a Pluralistic World
View full program with abstracts (pdf)
The OTSA Annual Meeting of 2021-22 was extraordinary in several ways. The continuation of the COVID pandemic led us to shift our Annual Meeting from in-person to a virtual only format. In addition, our interest in promoting dialogue among Orthodox scholars led us to shift the dates of the meeting from our original time in November 2021, to a time enabling greater participation: the dates of January 13-15, 2022. Our theme this year was “Orthodoxy in a Pluralistic World.” The conference began with our praying together the first half of the Akathist Service of Thanksgiving: Glory to God for All Things; two and a half days later, we concluded the conference by praying together the second half of this service.
We examined the theme of Orthodoxy and Pluralism from several directions. Our first several sessions circled around the ways Orthodoxy can theologically, liturgically, and in its practical service address social issues, in particular concerns about the environment, and the mental, physical and spiritual health of people in need. We then explored the fascinating interplay between theology and science—both the challenges science brings to theology, as well as the insight theology offers to science. In our evening sessions we shifted to the ways Orthodoxy engages the “other” in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, both generally and in the specific method of forum ecumenism pursued in Canada. Our second day saw us continue on this path with reflection on the Church and the kingdom(s), and discussions about the dialogue between the Orthodox and the Evangelicals, and between Orthodox and Pentecostals. We segued into two panels examining issues of growing concern affecting every parish: mixed marriages, and the increasing departure from the Church of young adults—the “dones.”
Friday afternoon we held our Annual Business meeting. Highlights from that meeting include our welcoming of ten new members, and our agreement to two new proposals: that we hold our next Annual Meeting in conjunction with the next IOTA Mega-conference in Volos, Greece, in January 2023; and that we award lifetime membership to members in good standing who are age seventy and above. Friday evening concluded with the Florovsky lecture, given by The Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions, entitled “‘Preserving the Fullness of Thy Church’: Fighting Fundamentalism, Defending Dialogue and Reclaiming Catholicity.” Fr. John took on a timely and challenging topic, which generated much interest. We are pleased that the lecture was well attended, with close to 300 registrants. You can access the video of the lecture here.
Paper presentations on Saturday looked at the impact of symbolism and language use, and then moved to consideration of Russia’s influence in two very different times and ways: the leadership of Bishop (later Patriarch) Tikhon over the developing Orthodox Church in America, and the current influence of the Russian Orthodox Church in geopolitics. Over the course of the conference, we provided opportunities for members to network, learn about research work and projects, and explore how to publish academic work. Members and guests participated from all over the United States, Canada, and even from overseas.
