Webinar: Exclusion & Embrace: A Brief Survey of the History of Orthodox Christian Relations with Other Religions and What it Means for Modern Ecumenism and Pluralism

Speaker: Fr. Andrew Kearns

Description: Join Fr. Andrew Kearns on a brief tour of Church History, Hagiography, and Theology, with a specific eye to how ancient and modern wisdom speaks to the Church’s place in a pluralistic society. Explore ancient theological arguments about the place of others within the Kingdom of God; conflicting stories of saints waged ideological war against outside religions or ‘reached across’ religious boundaries in bonds of fellowship; and the central but conflicted legacy of Orthodox relations to Ecumenism. We will conclude with a discussion of what this may mean for the place of Orthodox Christians within Pluralistic organizations and movements today.

Speaker: Fr. Andrew G. C. Kearns Fr. Andrew is a Greek Orthodox Priest and US Navy Chaplain. Specializing in Pastoral Care & Counseling, he is a doctoral student in the Vanderbilt Divinity School’s Integrative Chaplaincy program. his two previous theses were entitled “Towards a Theological Praxis of Peace-building: Finding an Orthodox Perspective on Broadening the Approach to Societal Conflict Resolution” and “Weeping within the Tragic Mystery with Hope and Love of God: An Orthodox Christian Call for a Re-evaluation of the Pastoral Care of Pregnancy Loss.” Working daily in a pluralistic setting, Fr. Andrew integrates with teams of secular helping professionals and religious ministry experts of various faiths to meet the spiritual and religious needs of Marines and Sailors. An experienced trainer, he works with these integrative teams to lead workshops on Suicide First Aid, Personal Growth, Spiritual Enrichment, Marriage Enrichment, Intimate Relationships, Communications, & Religious Education.

Hosting Organizations:
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Denver (OLLI at DU)