Christianity and democracy in the publicistic writings of Higumen Veniamin (Novik): text and context features

Abstract

This article focuses on the Christian-democratic discourse that emerged in post-Soviet Rus sia within the religious community and the human rights movement, including religious dissent. This discourse is exemplified by the work of Higumen Veniamin (Novik). His article “Democra cy as a Problem of Measure”, as well as other works, are considered a fragment of the discussion on the optimal path for Russia’s development in post-Soviet times. The author uses the rhetoric of “the third way”, which is free from the flaws of capitalism and socialism. He also draws on personalist ideas and the examples of successful European Christian democracies. The article highlights the features of the Christian-democratic model proposed by Hegumen Veniamin (Novik), the conditions that influenced the formation of his position and arguments, as well as the persistent narratives used by the author. Although Veniamin (Novik) did not receive sup port or approval, it did not prevent him from positioning his project as Orthodox. He viewed the lack of stable speech patterns necessary for implementing the Christian ideal into social practice as a challenge that could be addressed through the discussion and acceptance of the social con cept of Orthodoxy, broad interfaith dialogue, and the adoption of Catholic and Protestant social ideas.