PITTSBURGH SEMINARY PROFESSOR RELEASES BOOK ABOUT PAVEL FLORENSKY
The Rev. Dr. John P. Burgess, James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has published a volume in The Catholic University of America Press’s “Why Read” series, titled Why Read Pavel Florensky? The book reexamines Florensky, one of the most notable philosophers of Russia’s Silver Age, as a theologian drawing from his personal religious experience as an Orthodox priest.
Florensky, who died in Stalin’s gulag in 1937, has been widely unknown in Western Protestant and Catholic circles, and his writings were long suppressed after his death. Dr. Burgess brings forth the relevance of Florensky’s writings for our present time, highlighting Florensky’s conviction that the practice of religion underpins and supports human culture. He was profoundly sensitive to nature’s beauty, and his characterization of Christianity a way to see God’s glory and presence in creation is a timely gift for the church today. Why Read Pavel Florensky? serves as an accessible entry point into Florensky’s life and thought for a broad array of Christian readers.
Dr. Burgess is a three-time Fulbright fellow (Russia, 2011; Russia, 2018-2019; Romania, 2025-2026), a former Luce Fellow in Theology (2011-2012) and a former research fellow at the Center of Theological Inquiry (2014-2015). He is the author of several books, including Encounters with Orthodoxy: How Protestant Churches Can Reform Themselves Again (WJK, 2013), A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Tradition (IVP Academic, 2019), and Holy Rus’: The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia (Yale, 2017) and is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the American Theological Society. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Dr. Burgess has served his denomination as a member of the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations, with the Re-forming Ministry Initiative (Office of Theology and Worship), and as a faculty mentor for the Company of New Pastors. He has ministered to several congregations on a part-time basis and served as chaplain at Doane College. He holds a B.A. from Colorado College, an M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Christian theology from the University of Chicago.