ABSTRACT

In this chapter I will explore the relationship between religion and social problems from the perspective of religion as a solution. The role of Christian social service in addressing human needs is thus particularly relevant. Religious Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) focus on charity and philanthropy and are motivated by God and religious belief with a holistic focus on the spiritual, material, and physical well-being of individuals they wish to help (Berger 2003). In that sense they make material, community and spiritual claims in solving social problems (see Hjelm 2009). The focus of this chapter is on the Orthodox claim to solving social problems, namely on how Orthodox Christianity contributes to alleviating human need across the globe and on what the Christian Orthodox approach is in addressing social issues of poverty, injustice, and inequality through social action. After tracing the origins and historic development of Orthodox social theology and service, I will concentrate more specifi cally on how they have been translated into current action and implemented practically in the fi eld.