The concept of fundamentalism is mainly associated with Islam, but this worldview is inherent in any religious tradition, including Eastern Orthodoxy. Despite the widespread nature of this phenomenon within the Orthodox Church, there is currently a lack of in-depth research devoted to analysing the ‘theoretical grammar’ of Orthodox fundamentalism and finding ways to overcome it.
In his 2022 article ‘From Orthodoxy to “Orthodoxism”: Reflections on a Sad Regression,’ Greek theologian Haralambos Ventis analysed the phenomenon of Orthodox fundamentalism and identified four main characteristics: 1) so-called ‘patristic fundamentalism’; 2) uncritical acceptance of the Holy Tradition; 3) hostility towards the achievements of liberal democracy and open society; 4) anti-Westernism and a tendency to construct a negative self-identity. In his study, Ventis also proposed two religious and worldview dominants that can prevent the maturation of fundamentalist views among individual believers or Christian communities: apophaticism, which distinguishes between the fullness of reality as such and our ways of perceiving it, and eschatologism, which makes it impossible to idealise history and treat the past achievements of humanity as absolute.
In addition, the Greek scholar proposed an overview of two other important components of the fundamentalist worldview: 1) anti-intellectualism, which favours sentimental ‘spirituality’ while disregarding theology and viewing the tradition of rational thinking with suspicion, and 2) a dismissive attitude towards the physical materiality of human life, coupled with intolerance towards sexuality.
Rev. Dr. Andrii Shymanovych’s review of Haralambos Ventis’ article “From Orthodoxy to ‘Orthodoxism’” is available at this link: https://www.academic-initiative.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/16_Ventis_autoimmune_syndrome_of_tradition.pdf (in Ukrainian)
