salt_vision

Salt
Salt is a scholarly, Orthodox journal of Cross-Cultural
Theology, Dialogue and Mission
• A journal promoting cross-cultural theology, assisting in overcoming
the shortsightedness of nationalism, ethnocentrism,
xenophobia
• A journal distinguishing between Tradition and traditions in a
continuation of the patristic spirit
• A journal breaking with complacency and an ‘establishment’
mind-set
• A journal willing to raise vital questions, increase self awareness
and study diversity
• A journal open to cultural and interfaith dialogue
• A journal open to human and environmental sciences, learning
from them
• A journal particularly interested in Theology of Religions, Cultural
Anthropology and in particular Christian Anthropology,
as well as Religious Studies
• A journal studying cultures and civilizations, discussing problems
of language and terminology, raising critical questions
about missionary praxis today, learning from historical experience,
addressing life-threatening environmental justice issues,
setting priorities
• A journal reflecting missionary reality, but also the Orthodox
way of doing Mission celebrating and witnessing to Christ in a
liturgical, diaconical and prophetic mode
• A journal promoting a qualitative presence of Orthodoxy
worldwide.
• A journal at the crossroad of religions and cultures
• A journal taking theology forward to address the needs of the
3rd Millennium
• A journal called SALT, such as Christians are supposed to be.

SALT, THE VISION | 2
Vision
THE WORLD OF THE 3 RD MILLENNIUM is
becoming ever smaller; the “ends
of the world” are no longer remote.
All peoples are our “neighbours,”
both in a theological, sociological
and ecological sense.
The triune God, the God of our
fathers, our God of infinite love, is
still working through the Holy
Spirit for the salvation and liberation
of the whole creation. We
humans and in particular people
of faith are labourers in the vineyard
of our Lord.
A NEW AWARENESS OF MISSION has
emerged gradually among the Orthodox
over the past two centuries,
and today
mission is a reality
of the Church
worldwide, shaping
its very identity
in the course of
history. Nevertheless,
scholarly reflection in the
area of mission is still largely neglected
by theological institutions,
or inadequately and poorly
served. Yet, steps have been taken
and Missiology is now taught
at Universities and other Institutions,
and has been sporadically
The Church
embraces the world
in different contexts
introduced at post-graduate level.
In the future, this will to some
extent address the question of the
adequacy, quality and expertise of
the teachers in the mission and/or
Missiology field.
STILL, FURTHER STEPS NEED TO BE TAKEN
to promote international cooperation
and sharing. Very important
structures have been established
at the ecumenical level, and wisdom
and expertise is being shared
worldwide, increasing and enriching
our experience in the field. Yet
among the Orthodox, it was only
recently that a Missiology Group
was established, under the aegis
of IOTA, where
Orthodox
scholars
can meet with
their peers. Collaboration
is of
the utmost necessity
when it
comes to larger projects that exceed
the capacity of individuals or
small groups of people. Besides, a
reflection on the practical and
daily achievements in the mission
field is vital in order to avoid grave
methodological mistakes and to
enrich and inspire.

THE CHURCH EMBRACES THE WORLD in
different contexts. As an act of
love, solidarity, justice and liberation,
it shares with all humanity
the salvific reality of the Resurrection
and the Kingdom of God, already
present and yet to come. If
we wish to embrace the world in
its richness and variety, we should
also work for a plurality of aspects
and viewpoints in our theological
scholarship. One has to understand
that mission
is not a one way
endeavour. Peoples
and cultures
welcomed into the
Church have their own valuable
background, and they should also
have the possibility to make their
voice heard, meet with the others,
increase in self-awareness and
enrich the Orthodox Church with
the gift of their civilisation, language,
art, customs and culture
which are their own particular
offering to Christ our God.
THERE ARE ALREADY MANY PERIODICALS
and even more websites promoting
mission, disseminating news
and requesting funds. This is all
very good, yet something that is
missing is reflection. In addition,
there are aspects of missionary
SALT, THE VISION | 3
There are aspects
of reality that never
come to light
reality that never come to light,
because to raise them would put a
less than optimistic construction
on a supposedly flourishing missionary
situation.
WE ARE A GROUP OF EXPERT SCHOLARS
in the fields of Missiology, Interfaith
Dialogue, Cultural Anthropology,
History and Religious
Studies. We wish to serve scholarly
research on mission and we
think an academic
journal on Orthodox
Mission is
greatly needed. It
should be letting
in the freshness and variety of
the world and bring together experts
in the field, as well as initiating
cross-cultural and crossdisciplinary
exchange in relation
to mission and dialogue. Keeping
in mind Mt 5:13 and reflecting the
desire for Christians to enhance
the ‘savour’ and beauty of the
world we cherish and live in, we
call it Salt: Crossroads of Religions
and Cultures.
THIS IS A PROJECT THAT TOOK SHAPE
during the Inaugural IOTA Conference
on Conciliarity, being felt as
a need by members of the Missiology
Group Steering Committee.

SALT, THE VISION | 4
THE IOTA MISSIOLOGY GROUP Vision
Statement includes a description
of a vision of mission that we
share:
“Responding to these [21 st Century]
challenges, Orthodox understanding
of the ‘economy of the
Holy Spirit’ has impacted interfaith
dialogue, while the concept
of the ‘liturgy after the liturgy’ has
challenged Christians to reflect on
how Eucharistic worship can be
lived out in the context of daily
life. The term ‘witness’ (martyria)
has contributed to an understanding
of Christian mission as dialogue
and reconciliation rather
than one-sided proselytism. Orthodox
theologians have contributed
to a renewed awareness of
mission as something vital to the
very nature of the Church as it
participates in the mission of the
Triune God, while their holistic
understanding of salvation has
challenged Christians to expand
the scope of their witness to engagement
with global economic,
social and environmental issues.
[…] This reflection on the missionary
dimension of the Orthodox
Church in the contemporary world
needs to take place alongside a
re-articulation of her missionary
heritage throughout history.
While an incarnational understanding
of the Church’s task has
frequently led to commitment to
use of local languages, indigenous
leadership and sensitive approaches
to local cultures, the
close identification of Orthodox
faith and national culture means
that missionary work in the context
of empire has at times involved
cultural imperialism and
violence. The rediscovery and critical
reassessment of both the
strengths and shortcomings of the
Orthodox Church’s missionary
history would both inform and
enrich contemporary missional
vision, vocation and practice, thus
promoting the renewal of the
Church.”
Structure
Salt is a biannual Journal in printed
and electronic form, published
by Maistros Publications, Athens,
Greece. Salt will also assist, facilitate
and encourage regional or
global meetings of experts in the
field of Missiology and related
areas of interest.
For more information see our
website: https://saltalas.com/.