A.G. Roeber’s Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution in America is an important addition to the Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought series by Fordham University Press. Written as a historical recount, the book follows the often-overlooked story of the Orthodox Church in the United States from the 1790s to the present. In this book, Roeber specifically explores the role of Orthodox Christians in the American rights movement of the 1960s, illuminating that there was, and remains, no uniform sentiment on rights of expression, religious liberty, and church property among American Orthodox.
The book gives a thorough description of Orthodox history in North America. Roeber contextualizes the Orthodox interaction with rights discourse by discussing the American Orthodox reaction to various conflicts and debates involving claims to individual and collective rights, both in the diaspora and in their homelands. Throughout this discussion, Roeber argues that the Orthodox usage of rights language is influenced mainly by their treatment as outsiders in American life by American Protestants, by various relationships between the State and the Orthodox Church, and by theological debates that occurred during the rights revolution. According to Roeber, the central question of rights occurs both within the Church, as a result of its ethno-linguistic diversity and disagreements about church property rights, and outside the Church, as a result of the realities of living in a pluralistic American society.
Roeber’s discussion of pluralism within the Orthodox Church is particularly strong. He acknowledges that it is impossible to “speak of a single Orthodox social justice tradition” because of the diversity within Orthodoxy, and he instead details the various perspectives that emerge from different ethno-linguistic strands (35). Roeber identifies pluralism within the Church as one of the main drivers of Orthodox engagement with rights because many bishops felt the need to establish Orthodox unity among the various ethnic groups. The concern that fragmentation among American Orthodox would dilute a coherent voice in America’s discussion on rights led them to have internal discussions on the Orthodox belief regarding religious liberty and individual rights (119-120). Roeber highlights that the unique experience of Orthodox in America, who had to grapple with belief differences among ethno-linguistic strands, was disanalogous to the Orthodox reality in their mother countries.
Notably, Roeber discusses the LGBTQ rights movement as an example of rights language that the American Orthodox Church had to grapple with (213-229). He draws on several Orthodox thinkers to demonstrate that on this issue, like most rights issues, there is no singular Orthodox stance. Roeber explains that the general consensus among American Orthodox is that same-sex relations are not theologically sound, but demonstrates that this stance is evolving due to changing attitudes among secular rights activists. Particularly American Orthodox clergy, in response to the campaign for same-sex rights and the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, shifted their conviction, with more Orthodox clergy now believing that sexual attraction is given rather than chosen (224). However, Roeber explains that the construal of this shift in the political sphere is still debated and that questions on reconciling traditional values to human rights claims largely remain unanswered among Orthodox.
One weakness in Roeber’s historical recount of Orthodoxy in America is that he largely focuses on Russian and, at times, Greek Orthodox traditions. While briefly mentioning Arab Orthodox Christians, he places significantly more importance on the Russian strand than any other, undermining the role and opinions of non-Russian Orthodox in the United States. The movements and events that he chooses to highlight mainly involve Russian Orthodox, at times even when the connection between an occurrence and its influence on the American Orthodox language on rights is unclear. Because of this attention to Russian Orthodox over Greek, Arab, or other Orthodox, the book is missing a discussion of the reaction to rights movements among Orthodox who did not, for much of their history, live under regimes or states that supported their religious doctrine.
Despite his focus on Russian Orthodox, Roeber importantly highlights Greek Orthodox interactions with Protestants as a catalyst for Orthodox discussions on rights in the United States, though in much less detail. His analysis of the Greek Orthodox reaction to harassment from the Ku Klux Klan, to cite one poignant example, gives insight into the Orthodox blending of religion and patriotism in an attempt to be accepted as authentically “American” (102-105). Through this discussion, Roeber rightly adds nuance to the story of Orthodox grappling with rights as a struggle between tradition, social acceptance, and the need for internal unity. Chapter 5 is the most useful in understanding the influence of the American Orthodox experience on their view of the 1960s rights revolution (146-172). It provides a deeper examination of Greek Orthodox in the United States and their interaction with other Orthodox strands, non-Orthodox Americans, and the legal system.
Because Roeber assumes a high level of previous knowledge of general Orthodox history, those unfamiliar with the tradition may have difficulty following his accounts. He frequently invokes Orthodox bishops, theologians, and leaders without explaining their significance or context. He also uses technical ecclesial vocabulary and cites critical meetings and councils without a description of the decisions made. Additionally, the book is organized by topic and often starkly jumps between the late 1800s, the late 1900s, and periods in between in a way that is hard to track. While readers who are familiar with the modern history of Orthodoxy may be able to understand the book, it would be difficult to follow for those who are less acquainted. Nonetheless, for those with requisite previous knowledge, Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution in America synthesizes the history of Orthodox Christians in North America and their engagement with religious liberty, property rights, and freedom of expression in a succinct and detailed way.
Tara Andrews received her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Virginia.
Tara Andrews
Date Of Review:
May 31, 2024
