ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the paradox when in one historical period, the nineteenth century, the Orthodox Church underwent modernization by binding itself to the Greek nation state through the establishment of the autocephalous Greek Church in 1833, Orthodox theologians propose a modernization of the Church through its detachment from the nation state and in particular from national ideology. It suggests that the positions reflect broader global trends in religious traditions, therefore indicating a religious culture that is detached from national frameworks. The chapter attempts to demonstrate that religious culture is in flux and that transformation processes have a global reach but also a local expression, even in a country like Greece where the religious culture has been particularly conservative and tradition-bound. It illustrates theological tendencies which may represent attempts at a de-nationalization of Orthodox Christianity. It also focuses on the recent anti-nationalistic and pro-multicultural discourses that have become visible in progressive theological and religious milieus in Greece over the past decade.
