Product Description

Includes index and appendices.

In 1794, the first Orthodox missionary monks arrived at Kodiak to fond what they believed would be an indigenous Orthodox Church in the New World. They recognized as integral to their mission the defense of Native people who were being abused, exploited and enslaved by an unjust regime. The mission understood its function in cosmic terms: to sanctify, here and now, this land, these people, and bring them to the unity-in-love which is the goal of authentic Christian mission.

The history of the Alaskan Church confirms the eternal and indestructible character of the Church's vision, integrating into her worship the cosmic, scriptural and eschatological dimension of faith. Among the Native Americans in Alaska, Orthodoxy has become an integral part of an authentically American culture. Consequently it is appropriate that an Orthodox theology of mission should originate from the Alaskan context. If an American Orthodox missiology is to emerge, its formulation should serve not only the Church in America but contribute to the clarification of Orthodox theology for the universal Church as well.

Archpriest Michael J. Oleska, Alaskan Orthodox missionary for nearly three decades, completed his doctoral work in Church History and Patristics at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Presov, Slovakia, in 1988. Upon completing a year of research and teaching at Moscow's St Patriarch Tikhon Theological Institute, he was elected Dean of St Herman's Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1996. He is also the editor of Alaskan Missionary Spirituality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1048837 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 252 pages

Customer Reviews

An excellent book: readable and factual.
Michael Oleksa has done a marvelous job of giving the reader a sense both of the committment of the Orthodox missionaries and the wondrously deep spirituality of Native Alaskans. We see the classical struggles of the Church against the "world" and the people for the Church in *Orthodox Alaska.* I highly recommend it to anyone seriously considering the missionary field, or even those looking for an example of missionaries and the people they serve getting Christianity right!

Unalaska and the Conflicts of the Colony
Although a little dry in places, Orthodox Alaska does a good job of illustrating the conflicts that arose between Russian Orthodox missionaries and the Russian corporations established to mine the wealth of Unalaska. It was especially interesting to see how involved the missionaries were in advocating for the native peoples of the colonies and how the considered such advocacy and important part of their faith.

super book
HIghly recommended for those who are interested in Alaska history, Russian Orthodoxy, Russian America