Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-197) and index.

Acknowledgments -- List of abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part 1 Culture : The meaning of culture -- Constantine and Christendom -- Part 2 Orthodoxy in the modern world : Heresy, ancient and modern -- Secularism -- Orthodoxy and American religion -- Part 3 Ecumenical theology : The agony of Orthodox ecclesiology -- The problem of Papal primacy -- Love that is divine and human -- Part 4 Theological ethics: on marriage and family : Marriage -- Parenthood -- Childhood -- Conclusion -- Course syllabi: further reading in Orthodox theology -- Index.

This is a book about the struggle of Orthodox Christianity to establish a clear identity and mission within modernity--Western modernity in particular. As such, it offers penetrating insight into the heart and soul of Orthodoxy. Yet it also lends unusual, unexpected insight into the struggle of all the churches to engage modernity with conviction and integrity. Written by one of the leading voices of contemporary Orthodox theology, The Orthodox Reality is a treasury of the Orthodox response to the challenges of Western culture in order to answer secularism, act ecumenically, and articulate an ethics of the family that is both faithful to tradition and relevant to our day. The author honestly addresses Orthodoxy's strengths and shortcomings as he introduces readers to Orthodoxy as a living presence in the modern world. -- From publisher's description.