Defying Orthodoxy: Faith, Authority, and Identity under Russian and Soviet Rule, 1894-Present

FAIN: FB-54400-09

Page Herrlinger
Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME 04011-8447)

At the center of this project is the collective experience of the tens of thousands of devout Russian Orthodox believers who defied norms of faith, authority and identity by claiming their personal salvation through the teachings and prayers of the charismatic lay preacher Ioann Churikov (1861-1933). Consistently marginalized and at times persecuted for their unorthodox Orthodoxy, they provide an ideal case study through which to explore patterns of religious toleration and spiritual pluralism in Russia over the course of the 20th century. They are also a valuable resource for the study of Orthodox and socialist praxis, and for analyzing the relationship between Orthodox and socialist frameworks of meaning. To the extent that their history reveals previously unseen patterns of change and continuity between the Russian Orthodox and socialist past, it provides a deeper context against which to evaluate current debates over religious diversity and freedom of conscience.