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Why is the Russian Church supporting Putin in his war against Ukraine?
Why does the Patriarch of Moscow believe that history is on Russia’s side?
And what are the implications for Christianity and Christian culture in the West?
These are among the vital questions addressed in this timely book. Written by an internationally respected historian who is also an Orthodox believer, Holy Russia? Holy War? examines the way history and religion are being used to justify Putin’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Katherine Kelaidis shows how Russia’s understanding of its past continues to shape and direct the way it sees its future. This, she argues, is not only a problem for Ukraine. It is also a problem for all who value freedom, democracy, tolerance and the defence of human rights.
Reading this book will lead you to a clearer understanding of why the defence of Ukraine is also the defence of Western freedom and values. It will also help you to see how differing views of the past can radically affect what happens in the present, how religion can so easily become corrupted at the service of militant nationalism, and how we must guard against it, wherever it appears.
Contents:
PART ONE: Shadows of the past
PART TWO: Who is Patriarch Kirill and why is he dangerous?
PART THREE: This is not just a problem for Ukraine
PART FOUR: The war will end but the causes and consequences will remain, so what can be done?
CONCLUSION: Two modern Russian saints
Katherine Kelaidis is a writer and historian. She is the Director of Research and Content at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, and an associate fellow of the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, England. A senior correspondent for Religion Dispatches, she also serves on the editorial board of the Wheel an independent journal of Orthodox Christian thought. Her current work focuses on contemporary Orthodox Christian identity in geopolitics and the role of historical memory.
