Formation toward Encounter : Parish Catechesis, Internet Media, and the Dual Formation Problem

Sammanfattning

This study addresses the dual formation problem: the situation that arises when Orthodox Christian catechumens are simultaneously formed by parish-based catechesis and by internet media — two modes of formation that differ not only in content, but in their underlying logic, pedagogy, and implicit ecclesiology. Drawing on the missiological ecclesiology of Athanasios Papathanasiou, the study asks whether each mode of formation orients persons toward a community capable of genuine encounter — with Christ, with the community, and with the other. Parish catechesis is examined through Maria Harris’ account of the Church’s curriculum, and internet media formation through Sarah Riccardi-Swartz’ concept of techno-theologoumena and related scholarship in digital religion studies. The study identifies three structural tensions that arise when both modes operate on the same person simultaneously — competing authority structures, the tension between a placeless and a local Orthodoxy, and differing understandings of what formation is for — and argues that the dual formation problem is structural rather than only a matter of content.