The story of Orthodox Christianity’s relationship with the West plays a pivotal role in the construction of Orthodox identity.

That story took a decisive turn in the twentieth century. Suddenly, Orthodox thinkers, particularly those from the former Russian Empire, found themselves living in foreign lands and looking at Orthodoxy through the other end of the looking glass — the West. It was from there that Orthodox theologians were faced with the greatest challenge to their collective religious identity: What did it mean to be Eastern Orthodox outside of the East?