“OTHERING” OF EAST AND WEST: (ANTI)ECUMENICAL VIEWS OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
“OTHERING” OF EAST AND WEST: (ANTI)ECUMENICAL VIEWS OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Summary/Abstract: Contemporary religious traditions are challenged by the concepts of “modernity” and“otherness”; at the same time, they pose various challenges to the “modernity” itself and significantly contribute to the general process of ideological “othering”. This article will explore how present-day Serbian Orthodox Christianity perceives and deals with various categories of “others”. Whether in secular or religious terms, the “other” has always been a source of deep internal controversies for the Serbian Orthodoxy. The spectrum of alleged opponents has been broad and has referred to the nonorthodox world in general, including modern Western concepts of capitalism and globalization, other Balkan faiths, as well as the liberal trends within Serbian Orthodoxy itself. On the other hand, the ecumenical orientation romantically expressed in the idea of Serbian Orthodox Christianity’s playing the role of the “golden bridge” between East and West continues to be an integral and important part of the historical and theological background of Serbian Orthodoxy. The article will conclude by suggesting that Serbian Orthodox Christianity significantly contributes to the process of mutual ideological mirroring between “East” and “West” by making the incomprehensible Eastern-European “other” more renderable for the Western mind.

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