№ 3 - 2011
Round Table of the Polis Journal
Russian Liberalism and Christian Values

The profound, metaphysical connection of Christian religiosity with political liberalism is long since evident for Euro-American political science. The Christian sources of the liberal teachings of John Lock in Britain, of his direct followers – “Father – founder’s” of the USA, of pastor Friedrich Naumann in Germany et al. – are well-explored. However, for the history of Russian political thought the theme of interrelation of the liberal tradition and the Christian values so far remains marginal. Participants of the “round table” believe that the feebleness of liberalism in Russia is preconditioned, in particular, by the lack of firm religious-philosophical foundations, by the feebleness of the presentation of liberalism in national tradition. The well-known Russian emigrant philosopher Fyodor Stepun’s thought of the necessity of “knitting together in Russia of her national-religious and liberal-democratic forces” up to now remains topical. The question is that instead of the opposition of the atheists-Westernizers, on the one hand, and the self-devoted Originalists-clericals – on the other, – opposition traditional in Russia – there should be created “a united party of freedom-defenders” both against nationalist clericalism and against revolutionary-nihilist atheism. Heritage of well-known Russian Christian liberals – of Ivan Aksakov, Vladimir Solovyov, Mikhail Stakhovich, Vasiliy Karaulov, Pyotr Struve has been widely discussed at the “round table”.