Page 233 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

D E V E L O P M E N T S I N C O N T E M P O R A RY O R T H O D O X T H E O L O G Y
ern structures.
This older framework, often expressed in terms of “conser-
vative” versus “liberal” theology, prevents Orthodoxy from
responding creatively to contemporary challenges or articu-
lating its identity within modern Christianity.
Nevertheless, certain features of the new theology—both
methodological and thematic—can already be discerned.
Thus, contemporary Orthodox theology stands at a deci-
sive threshold. Having rediscovered its sources in the Fathers,
the liturgy, and the ascetic tradition, it now faces the task not
simply of returning to the past, but of living that tradition
creatively in the present. It is within this tension that figures
such as Dostoevsky emerge—giving existential expression to
the very questions and insights that would later shape the re-
newal of Orthodox theology in the twentieth century.
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