The Mindset of Greek Orthodox Christianity

A Zoom Presentation by the Very Reverend Stephen Soot

What is Orthodox Christianity? And how does it differ from Christian beliefs and practices that have come down through the intellectual tradition of western Europe?

Greek Orthodox priest Stephen Soot shows how the mindset, mentality, approach, thought process and worldview of Orthodox Christianity (known, in Greek, as the Orthodox phronema) differs significantly from other expressions of Christianity. The difference is deeper than theological content and extends to how theology is conceived, conceptualized, and approached.

Wednesday, June 15th
7-8:30pm on Zoom
Link will be made available prior to the event

Father Soot will discuss how the theological presumptions and use of theological analysis, argumentation and discussion, based on medieval models developed in western Europe, are completely foreign to the Orthodox mind, which is characterized rather by a unity of faith and a mission to preserve that faith across generations, cultures, and languages. Recognizing the limitations of human deductive reasoning, Orthodoxy embraces mystery, ambiguity, uncertainty, and paradox in coming to the knowledge of God.

Very Reverend Stephen Soot is archpriest and founding rector of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Corvallis, Oregon. Before his ordination in 1992, Father Soot worked as a development officer for healthcare and other nonprofit organizations. He holds a master of divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY and a bachelor of arts from Pomona College in Claremont, CA.