Istodor, George (2018) The Mission of the Church in Relation to the Ecclesial and National Identity. Some Points of Refrence. International Journal of Orthodox Theology, 9 (1). ISSN 2190-0582
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Abstract
The unity of the Church should reflect the everlasting unity of the Holy Trinity. The ecclesial unity is an expression of God, One in His Being and in which the Three Divine hypostases, that subsist eternally. The ecclesial unity can serve as basis of the religious identity of a nation and of a human person. The religious identity is not exhausted only in belonging to a specific space or community, but is related to our communion with God, in a time overwhelmed by His eternity. The religious identity gives birth to the national one; if the first engages the individual in his dialogue and communion with God, the latter puts us in dialogue and communion with our heirs and ancestors. The nation or ancestry represents the concrete and profound reality in which the individual becomes a person with an identity, a person acquiring a theological dimension, that is to say, that the individual starts having a creed, a confession, and a well-articulated purpose. The religious identity is jeopardized by harmful phenomena such as degrading, desacralization or syncretism, while the national identity is affected and degenerated by globalization and the aggressive policy of promoting the legitimate rights of the nation. The mission of the Church on the religious identity must be based on the update of the catechetical dimension of the Church and, when it comes about the national identity, it must emphasize the anamnestic connection with our ancestors. The testimony and the Orthodoxy are the fundamental elements of the Orthodox mission, in front of ecclesial and national identity. The ecclesial identity is part of the individual's effort to get deified, and the national identity is the expression of the individual's accomplishment within his nation, on the economic plan with God.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Orthodox Mission, Religious Identity, National Identity, Orthodox Catechesis |
| Subjects: | B Mission theology/theory B Mission theology/theory > Identity issues D World Christianity and Central Eastern Europe > Europe G Christian traditions/Denominations > Eastern Orthodox |
| Divisions: | Central Europe Central Europe > Romania |
| Depositing User: | Speranca Tomin |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Sep 2021 09:37 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Dec 2021 09:39 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/2001 |
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