155:(1998). This book has found appeal far beyond exclusively academic audiences, and is now a popular resource among parents and teachers in primary education. In it, Guroian illuminates the complex ways in which fairy tales and fantasies educate the âmoral imaginationââroughly, the faculty by which human beings, even the young, reason from analogy about right and wrong. He examines a wide range of storiesâfrom "Pinocchio" and "The Little Mermaid" to "Charlotte's Web," "The Velveteen Rabbit," "The Wind in the Willows," and the "Chronicles of Narnia"âhe argues that these tales capture the meaning of morality through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, in which characters must make difficult choices between right and wrong, or heroes and villains contest the very fate of imaginary worlds. Guroian highlights the classical moral virtues such as faith, courage, and love.
82:(2010), Guroian argues for a significant shift in the theology of redemption currently prevalent in Christian churches. Though he does not dismiss all of the reigning models of redemption or atonement in Western theology, he nonetheless proposes that the ancient medicinal metaphor for salvation be foregrounded. This medicinal and "physicalist" metaphor, which, he writes, is still prominent in Eastern Christian theology, piety, and worship, envisions salvation as the healing and restoration to wholeness of our wounded and diseased human nature by, through, and in Jesus Christ. Guroian also contends that this vision of salvation as healing can contribute to a reappraisal of other central elements of Christian theology, such as love, human freedom, and divine grace.
135:
or Vigen
Guroian (himself an Armenian Christian)âall of these writers in their different ways seem to be to be saying that ethics is to be understood only in the context of the body of Christ. We are not talking about duties and rules, nor are we talking about the freedom of self-expression. When we
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Other non-Orthodox readers have also highlighted his writings as helpful introductions to
Orthodoxy, and have praised the way his articulation of Eastern Christianity may profitably illuminate certain standing problems in Western public discourse. Guroian's work on theological ethics is grounded in
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To some degree, such a statement is true of any
Christian tradition, but it is especially true of Orthodoxy, whose forms of expression and whose overarching themes are so seemingly foreign to Western Christians. But for those whose access to the world of Orthodoxy is limited to books, this new work
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Born in New
Rochelle, New York and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Guroian is the grandchild of Armenian immigrants who fled the genocide of Armenians in Turkey in the second decade of the last century, and in his early academic career devoted much attention to that catastrophic event. He
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Guroian taught at Loyola
University Maryland as Professor of Theology and Ethics from 1981 to 2008, when he returned to UVA as Professor of Religious Studies in Orthodox Christianity. For 2010-11 he received the University of Virginia Student Council Distinguished Teacher Award.
62:. Herberg, however, encouraged Guroian to rediscover the theological Armenian Orthodox patrimony, and Guroian's teaching, research, and writing since have placed him among the principal interpreters of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity in America.
119:, when commenting on Sergius Bulgakov's thought on divine wisdom and its relation to ethics, includes Guroian among a group of influential contemporary philosopher-theologians who have drawn attention to an ecclesial ethic:
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In his theological work, Guroian is known for his ability to compare the theology of the
Christian East to that of the West in an irenic and illuminating fashion, particularly in ethics, liturgy, and ecclesiology. In
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From 1978 to 1981, Guroian was
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at his alma mater, the University of Virginia, where he also held a post in the Center for Russian and East European Studies.
136:
talk about ethics we are talking about the realization of wisdomânot human prudence, but the self-sacrificing wisdom of God which is the heart of all reality, and the centre of all life.
123:âŚhose great thinkers who in the last 15 or so years have begun to shift Christian ethics towards a different, church-related model are moving in precisely this direction. Whether itâs
341:âCreation, Creativity, and Creatureliness,â given at the Study Day on the Wisdom of Finite Existence, St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality, Oxford, England, 23 April 2005.
19:(born 1948) is an Orthodox Christian theologian and professor who has written widely on ethics, politics, culture, literature, education, and gardening. He taught for many years at
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studied intellectual history and rhetoric at the
University of Virginia (1966-1970). After receiving his B.A. at UVA, he entered the army and belonged to
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Beyond his works in formal theology, Guroian has presented the lived experience of
Orthodox spirituality in two lyrical and personal books on gardening,
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Guroian has also written extensively on children's literature and the role it can play in the moral education of children. His most influential book is
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27:. In his retirement he continues to publish, lecture, and lead seminars in North America, Europe, and the Near East. He lives in Culpeper, Virginia.
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and home schooling. In recognition of this contribution, the CiRCE Institute conferred upon
Guroian the Russell Kirk Paideia Prize for 2019.
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His persuasive evocation of the enduring charm of these stories and similar arguments in other contexts have significantly influenced the
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by Vigen Guroian comes closer to enabling readers to feel the lifeblood of Eastern theology than any other book this reviewer has read.
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notes how he has often been told "that one cannot grasp Eastern Orthodoxy through reading books; one has to experience it." He goes on:
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Guroian's early interest in theological ethics and politics led him to write his doctoral dissertation at Drew University,
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Rallying the Really Human Things: The Moral Imagination in Politics, Literature, and Everyday Life
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where he had studied under the guiding hand of the Jewish theologian and social philosopher
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Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Childâs Moral Imagination
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Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Childâs Moral Imagination
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By Russell Kirk, edited by Vigen Guroian. W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.
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liturgy and a robust ecclesiology, a connection he has repeatedly emphasized from
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How Shall We Remember? Reflections on the Armenian Genocide and Church Faith
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Reserve units. In 1978, he received his Ph.D. in Theology and Culture at
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The Orthodox Reality: Culture, Theology, and Ethics in the Modern World.
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Permanent Senior Fellow of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.
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Senior Fellow of the Center on Law and Religion at Emory University.
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Lifeâs Living Toward Dying: A Theological and Medical-ethical Study
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Faith, Church, Mission: Essays for a Renewal in the Armenian Church
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University of Virginia Student Council Distinguished Teacher Award.
216:. Press of the Prelacy of the Armenian Church of America, 1995.
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Wilberforce Senior Fellow of the Prison Fellowship Ministries.
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Ethics after Christendom: Toward an Ecclesial Christian Ethic
454:"Novelist-Theologian to Speak at Upcoming 'Writers Read'"
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Russell Kirk Paideia Prize of the CiRCE Institute, 2019.
322:
Neel, Caleb (November 2021). "Review of Vigen Guroian,
23:, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in New York, and the
302:""The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key""
48:(1901-1977). Guroian married June Vranian in 1975.
250:Ancestral Shadows: An Anthology of Ghostly Tales.
80:The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodoxy Key
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274:The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key
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232:Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening
196:Salvatori Fellow of the Heritage Foundation.
222:. W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
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553:20th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
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105:Incarnate Love: Essays in Orthodox Ethics
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471:Woleben, Ashley (January 25, 2019).
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276:. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
270:. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006.
240:. University Notre Dame Press, 2002.
234:. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999.
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558:American people of Armenian descent
473:"#34: Interview with Vigen Guroian"
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384:"CiRCE Institute on Facebook Watch"
183:Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum.
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503:People from New Rochelle, New York
370:"The Classical Homeschool Podcast"
258:. Armenian Apostolic Church, 2005.
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568:People from Stamford, Connecticut
548:21st-century American theologians
543:20th-century American theologians
282:. Baker Publishing Company, 2018.
201:Intercollegiate Studies Institute
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228:. Oxford University Press, 1998.
199:Richard M. Weaver Fellow of the
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538:American Christian theologians
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300:Fairbairn, Donald (May 2011).
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573:University of Virginia alumni
513:Armenian Apostolic Christians
386:– via www.facebook.com.
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508:Eastern Orthodox theologians
186:Distinguished Fellow of the
160:Classical education movement
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73:Contributions and reception
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563:American Christian writers
21:Loyola University Maryland
246:. Wipf & Stock, 2004.
356:NPR's Talk of the Nation
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109:Ethics After Christendom
332:. 92, Issue 3: 288â289.
417:Kyle, Wood Nathaniel.
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25:University of Virginia
330:Evangelical Quarterly
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280:The Orthodox Reality
268:The Fragrance of God
146:The Fragrance of God
113:The Orthodox Reality
533:Fairy tale scholars
440:"Dr. Vigen Guroian"
372:. January 25, 2019.
358:. January 26, 1999.
142:Inheriting Paradise
518:American gardeners
460:. January 8, 2008.
264:. ISI Books, 2005.
188:John Jay Institute
125:Alasdair MacIntyre
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287:References
306:Themelios
458:EMU News
148:(2006).
115:(2019).
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