The bitter separation of Ukraine's Orthodox churches is a microcosm of its societal strife. From 1917 onward, church leaders failed to agree on the church's mission in the twentieth century. The core issues of dispute were establishing independence from the Russian church and adopting Ukrainian as the language of worship. Decades of polemical exchanges and public statements by leaders of the separated churches contributed to the formation of their distinct identities and sharpened the friction amongst their respective supporters. In The Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Nicholas Denysenko provides a balanced and comprehensive analysis of this history from the early twentieth century to the present. Based on extensive archival research, Denysenko's study examines the dynamics of church and state that complicate attempts to restore an authentic Ukrainian religious identity in the contemporary Orthodox churches. An enhanced understanding of these separate identities and how they were forged could prove to be an important tool for resolving contemporary religious differences and revising ecclesial policies. This important study will be of interest to historians of the church, specialists of former Soviet countries, and general readers interested in the history of the Orthodox Church.

About the Author
Nicholas Denysenko is Emil and Elfrieda Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University. A graduate of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (MDiv, 2000) and The Catholic University of America (PhD, 2008), Denysenko specializes in liturgical theology and Orthodox Christianity. His books include Theology and Form: Contemporary Orthodox Architecture in America and Theology. He is a deacon of the Orthodox Church in America since 2003.

Reviews
"Based on in-depth archival research, this study brings to light various neglected aspects of Ukrainian church history, casting into a sharp relief the connections between the issues of language, state independence, and church governance. The story that emerges is narrated with considerable nuance, elegance, and lucidity. Denysenko navigates the questions that bear upon present-day Ukrainian, Russian, and international state interests with remarkable restraint and balance of judgement." --Paul Gavrilyuk, University of St. Thomas "In Search of Unity clearly presents the history of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and abroad in the diaspora during the 20th century and the beginning of the 2Ist century. The author knows from inside the history of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which is very necessary to understand touchy issues such as disputes around the liturgical language or autocephaly; but he also has a critical and scientific approach. I don't know of equivalent research in English, Russian, French, or even in Ukrainian." --Antoine Arjakovsky, Coll ge des Bernardins



Book Information
ISBN 9780875807898
Author Nicholas E. Denysenko
Format Paperback
Page Count 316
Imprint Northern Illinois University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press