Orthodox Christianity facing the challenges of fluidity of identity

Matić, Zlatko (author)

The aim of this paper is to examine the issue of Christian identity, i.e. the identity of the Church in modern pluralistic society which is described using the terms of “fluidity,” “liquidity” and overcoming of all stable categorical definitions of individuals or social structures. The author describes this world as a positive stimulus for the Church which is obliged to re-examine some inherited theological assumptions of the strong (ontologized) identity and attempt to understand its position in the world where only uncertainty is certain, only insecurity is secure and only the state of continuous change is unchangeable. In this manner, the modern socio-political and religiological situation in the world would significantly contribute to overcoming certain ecclesiological limitations of modern theological thought (nationalist predispositions, the problem of the ecclesial identity of others, etc.).

• Language: English
• Keywords: identity of the Church, globalism, pluralism, fluid identities
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication date: 06.08.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 149-159
• Numbering: Letn. 85, [št.] 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175383
• UDC: 271.222(564.3)-675
• ISSN on article: 0006-5722
• DOI: 10.34291/BV2025/01/Matic
• COBISS.SI-ID: 245405443
• Publication date in RUL: 24.10.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovni vestnik
• Shortened title: Bogosl. vestn.
• Publisher: Bogoslovna akademija, Bogoslovna akademija, Teološka fakulteta v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 0006-5722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8745472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Soočanje pravoslavja z izzivi fluidnosti identitete

Abstract

Namen prispevka je proučiti vprašanje krščanske identitete, tj. identitete Cerkve v sodobni pluralistični družbi, ki se opisuje z izrazi ‚fluidnost‘, ‚nestalnost‘ in presega vse stabilne kategorične opredelitve posameznikov ali družbenih struktur. Avtor tako stanje razume kot pozitivno spodbudo za Cerkev, ki je poklicana k ponovnemu pretresu nekaterih podedovanih teoloških predpostavk o močni (ontologizirani) identiteti ter k iskanju razumevanja svojega položaja v svetu, kjer je edina gotovost negotovost, edina varnost nevarnost in edina prava nespremenljivost stalna spremenljivost. Tako lahko sodobne družbeno-politične in religiološke razmere bistveno prispevajo k preseganju določenih eklezioloških omejitev sodobne teološke misli (npr. nacionalističnih predispozicij, vprašanja cerkvene identitete drugih itd.).

• Keywords: identiteta Cerkve, globalizem, pluralizem, fluidne identitete