New publication:
EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCHES GO GREEN:
FROM ECOTHEOLOGY TO ECOPRAXIS
Collective volume, edited by Nikolaos Asproulis
120 pp, 146 X 206 mm, softcover, ISBN 978-618-86453-2-5, 12 euro
A new book was just published by Volos Academy Publications. Its title is “Eastern Orthodox Churches Go Green: From Ecotheology to Ecopraxis” and its edited by Nikolaos Asproulis. It is the proceedings of the International online Conference “The good practices of the Orthodox Church addressing the climate crisis, in view of the UNFCCC COP26,” which took place in October 2021, in the framework of the research program “Green Parish and parallel activities” organized by the Volos Academy in cooperation with WWF Greece. The language of the book is English. It is the third book published by Volos Academy on the topic of the climate crisis and the environmental issues.
Beginning with the warm greetings of His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens, His Eminence Ignatius, Metropolitan of Demetrias, and the then Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, the book includes texts by authors from Greece (The Monastery of Chrysopigi in Chania, Rev. Amphilochios Miltos, Antonis Kalogerakis, Miltiadis Lazoglou), Romania (Ionut Biliuta, Cezar Marksteiner-Ungureanu), Bulgaria (Kostadin Nushev), Ukraine (Rev. Volodymyr Vakin), the British Isles (Elizabeth Theokritoff), and the United States (Rev. Nicolas Kazarian). It is a book worth reading, as it is the first to attempt to present a comprehensive, albeit limited, overview of important practices that occur in many Orthodox settings, and to serve as a useful “guide” for future reference.
As Nikolaos Asproulis, the editor of the book, mentions, “we are witnessing a human-caused climate crisis that is geographically imminent. This tragedy will have a global impact on our cities, villages, and residences. Many people today are becoming aware of the dire situation and demanding action. It is now commonly acknowledged that human unrelenting progress over the last century has imbued our actions with powers unequaled in human history. This power has had a particularly substantial impact on climate change and sea level rise, affecting the ecosystem within which humans exist.”
Nikolaos Asproulis, ThD, is the Deputy Director of Volos Academy for Theological Studies. He is also a lecturer at the Hellenic Open University (Patras, Greece). He has authored many articles on the history and theology of the Orthodox Church, theological methodology and hermeneutics, political theology, and eco-theology. His recent publications include: “ The Return of the Meaning: Orthodoxy meets history” (Akritas, 2021 – in Greek); “ The Orthodox Church addresses the Climate Crisis” (co-edited with Theodota Nantsou, WWF Greece & Volos Academy Publications, 2021); “ Priests of Creation: John Zizioulas on Discerning an Ecological Ethos” (co-edited with John Chryssavgis, T&T Clark, 2021); “ The Mystery of Christ and the Mystery of the Church: Georges Florovsky and John Zizioulas in Dialogue on Theological Methodology” (Volos Academy Publications/Sebastian Press, 2023 – in Greek).
The book is available online at Volos Academy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and soon will be available through bookstores too.
