Orthodox Christianity and Economic Development: A Critical Overview

Abstract

Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has opened a debate that continues up to this day concerning the impact of religious beliefs on economic dispositions, attitudes and actions. His main thesis was subsequently tested in a variety of national, cultural and religious contexts including the Orthodox Christian. Weber himself, being familiar to some extent with the Russian Orthodox case, had occasionally expressed the view that this type of Christianity was too otherworldly-oriented to produce any significant economic ethic and to influence accordingly society and culture. This issue has been discussed subsequently in both Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries with diverging opinions and evaluations. In general, there was a widespread view that Orthodox Christianity is partly responsible for the overall underdevelopment of Eastern and South Eastern Europe, including in the economic realm. This debate resurfaced after several Orthodox countries from the former Eastern Bloc began a process of democratization, liberalization and transition to the free market economy. In this context, there were several critical voices pointing to a rather negative correlation between Orthodox Christianity and economic development. In turn, these critiques were met by various responses, mostly from the Orthodox world, referring to Orthodox cultural and religious specificities. The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical overview of this entire issue drawing on various periods of Orthodox history and examples from selected Orthodox cultures that illustrate the complexity and multidimensionality of the question and the need for more nuanced interpretations that defy unidirectional and stereotypical views.