Questioning the concept of ‘religious activism’ in Russian Orthodoxy from a theological perspective

ABSTRACT Most analyses of secularisation and desecularisation in Russia focus on the growing political role of institutionalised religion in the form of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), or on informal religious activism and the meaning of religiosity for the people. However, the faith-based activism of Orthodox believers in post-Soviet society is the most serious challenge for the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church. The heterogeneity of this activism questions the Church’s self-perception as a unified community balancing a hierarchical authority and a mission to affect worldly reality. Within Russian Orthodox clerical discourse, ‘activism’ has become an instrument to either appropriate activities as official ’Orthodox activism’ or to discredit dissent as ‘political activism’. The analytical frame of ‘religious activism’ thus impacts on the relationship between the hierarchy and the faithful, potentially strengthening the term’s pejorative implications. Based on official statements and media monitoring, this contribution makes a first attempt to analyse how believers, the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and theology negotiate the social role of the Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in the post-Soviet region, specifically in the Russian Federation and Belarus. Exploring the concept of ‘religious activism’ from a theological perspective, the contribution also highlights a necessary interdisciplinary dialogue between anthropology and theology.