Creating a Conscience of
Peace and Justice

“The moral narratives that derived from the heritage of Apophthegmata Patrum, from the Philokalia, and from additional patristic sources, continued to play a crucial role in the creation of a conscience of peace and justice. To create and maintain such a conscience, one had to remember death. As such, various memento mori strategies were created and implemented through epic stories, songs and icons; all designed to function as a postevangelium prophecy. This postevangelium prophecy re-emphasized the existence of a pilgrimage that begins on the deathbed, and that leads to the particular trial before Christ where the sentencing takes place, determined by the acts committed in the waking–life. As Orthodox tradition teaches that one’s soul participates in a particular trial as well as the universal trial at the end of times, the interplay between the two trials often created a hiatus where one could intervene, such as through the prayer for the dead, and memorial services. The memorial service becomes an act of giving—the almsgiving—conducted for the double purpose of helping the departed bypass aerial toll–houses, and as a personal investment in the afterlife.” (fragment from Marian Gh. Simion “A Path to Immortality: Reflections on Pilgrimage from an Orthodox Perspective” p. 84 in Susan Durber and Fernando Enns, eds., Walking Together Theological Reflections on the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, Geneva: WCC Publications, 2018.

• 2017 President’s Report of Activity (2/3/18)
• Textbook on Research Methodology (9/16/17
• IPSEC Honorary President (9/15/17)
• IPSEC and Romanian Parliament Partnership (12/19/16)

IPSEC partnering for human rights conference titled,
“The Idea of National Unity, Freedom of Conscience,
and the Basic Principles of a Democratic Society”
@ Romanian Parliament, Bucharest

2018-2019 IPSEC Field Education Program
at Harvard Divinity School

The Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity, Inc. (IPSEC), is an Orthodox Christian agency site seeking to work with students interested in the relationship between religion, violence and peacebuilding, and in making a positive contribution to the world peace.

By exploring resources from Orthodox Christianity (Eastern and Oriental), IPSEC offers a dynamic learning environment where theory is combined with practice. IPSEC is a place where students can reflect on the connection between religion and political identity (religious nationalism, white nationalism, phyletism, Pan-Slavism, Pan-Orthodoxism, ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, etc.), and on the impact of selected religious symbols (iconography), which promote symbolic violence, demonization of adversaries and the justification of violence.

Depending on the student's interest, IPSEC may facilitate interaction with spiritual leaders and policymakers in a hands-on fashion, by engaging real life issues which affect the capacity for conflict transformation at the global level. IPSEC can also offer access to various “players” from international venues such as the United Nations, the Romanian Parliament, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, the Academy of Republic of Moldova, and others, in order to learn how religion affects national and international security.

IPSEC provides an opportunity for students in theological ministry to engage in up to 12 to 15 hours per week during the academic year (or 35 to 40 hours per week during the summer for approximately eight weeks), for a total of 350 to 400 hours per unit of supervised ministry experiences. Thus, one hour per week will consist of one-on-one theological supervision, travel time, on- or off-site preparation, participation in worship and various tasks. IPSEC is seeking to work with one or two graduate theology students - from the perspective of each art of ministry - on the following issues and areas:

a) Orthodox Church-State dynamics;
b) Orthodoxy vs race, gender, sexuality, and power distance;
c) nationalism, phyletism, and pan-Orthodoxy in Russia and Eastern Europe;
d) Orthodox Christianity in the Middle East, North Africa, and America;
e) Orthodoxy and Islam on the Silk Road, and;
f) meaning-making, restorative justice and conflict transformation.

Synchronous to the new art of ministry (Racial Justice & Healing Art of Ministry), during 2018-2019, IPSEC will introduce two related projects for contemporary ministry. One project focuses on investigating and cultivating strategies to address the growing presence of white nationalists, white supremacists, and the religious right among the Orthodox Christians in the United States and beyond. The second project focuses on the promises of Orthodox spirituality in the contemporary art of coaching and self-help industry. (more...)

• Full Text (download)
• Summary (download)
  

This user-friendly handbook - one of a series of Action Guides on religious peacebuilding - is written for those working to address violent conflicts in which religion plays a role and provides guidance on how to take the religious dimensions of conflict into consideration in peacebuilding.

IPSEC has established a fellowship program opened to any scholar interested in working with IPSEC in seeking alternative ways of creating peace through spiritual coaching and meaning-making.

For details and/or to apply please, contact Dr. Marian Gh. Simion at office@ipsec.education.

Russian Orthodox Church 'cuts ties' with Constantinople leader over Ukraine (Deutsche Welle)

Religion: why faith is becoming more and more popular (The Guardian)

Are Orthodox Christians Naturally Statists? – Analysis (Eurasia Review)

For more news about conflicts affecting Orthodox Christians around the world, click here!

WORDS OF SPIRITUAL BENEFIT