Doctrine Of Church Research Articles

Pope Francis' Breakthroughs In Church Law

As the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has made many changes in the life of the Catholic Church, including in Church Law. He is known as a revolutionary and progressive pope for changing various traditions in the Catholic Church. However some of his policies have generated controversy and been the subject of public debate within and outside the Church itself. Using a literature study, this paper highlights changes in marriage law, lay involvement, liturgy, Church unity, and Church sanctions. This study finds that the changes made by the Pope aim to strengthen the mission of the Church to present the merciful face of God, ensure that there is justice for all people in enjoying the grace of salvation, and increase the laity’s participation in Church life. Controversy and public debate that arose as a result of Pope Francis' policies were actually a consequence of his efforts to defend the Church's doctrine in the midst of increasingly strong world challenges demanding the upholding of human rights for everyone. This study concludes that the changes that occur are a part of history that the Church must face today.

“In God We Trust”—The Contribution of Christian Trade Unions in European Integration

Since World War II, the countries of Western Europe have gradually gone towards economic, social, and political integration. This was influenced by states, institutions, social partners, and churches. The Christian trade unions also contributed to that end. This contribution was the result of the interaction between the laborers’ religion and their desire to act collectively. Those unions followed the social doctrines of the Catholic Church and/or Protestant Churches while strongly disagreeing with socialist or communist unions. During the Interwar period, their members were subjected to the violent actions of the totalitarian governments in many European countries. Those governments eliminated Christian unions and, in some cases, persecuted their leaders. After the war, Christian unions embraced the “Peace Project”, advocating for European and global peace. They also cooperated with many political and social leaders during the formation of the EEC. Christian unions aimed at improving political systems in Western Europe, promoting freedom of religion, and defending the Communist threat. In this article, we describe the ways in which the Catholic and Protestant labor unions tried to promote political, economic, and social cooperation in Europe. To this end, we will examine their pertinent material and actions on the Old Continent. Finally, we will discuss the current challenges faced by the Christian unions and their stance towards neoliberal capitalism and globalization—these new developments in the long history of Christian Europe.

Understanding pain in modern society: insights from attitudes to pain in the Medieval Period.

Historical records provide knowledge about the way people lived in the past. Our perspective is that historical analyses of the Medieval Period provide insights to inform a fuller understanding of pain in the present era. In this article, we appraise critiques of the writings of people living with pain during the mid (high) to late Medieval Period (c. 1,000-1,500 AD) to gain insights into the nature, attitudes, lived experience, and sense-making of pain. In the Medieval Period, pain was understood in terms of Galen's four humours and the Church's doctrine of pain as a "divine gift", "punishment for sin" and/or "sacrificial offering". Many treatments for pain were precursors of those used in modern time and society considered pain to be a "shared experience". We argue that sharing personal stories of life is a fundamental human attribute to foster social cohesion, and that nowadays sharing personal stories about pain is difficult during biomedically-focussed time-constrained clinical consultations. Exploring pain through a medieval lens demonstrates the importance of sharing stories of living with pain that are flexible in meaning, so that people can connect with a sense of self and their social world. We advocate a role for community-centred approaches to support people in the creation and sharing of their personal pain stories. Contributions from non-biomedical disciplines, such as history and the arts, can inform a fuller understanding of pain and its prevention and management.

RELATIONS BETWEEN GEORGIA AND ROMAN CHURCH AFTER THE GREAT SCHISM

In the article mainly discuss lesser-known sources, therefore, the reader will see a more varied, interesting and unexpected information. First of all, I will discuss the Latin religious beliefs of the great teacher of the Georgian Church – George Mtatsmindeli because some researchers try to hide this. We will not talk much here about the well-known fact that George himself proclaimed the Church of Rome to be the most faithful defender of the apostolic doctrines before the Byzantine emperor. While the Greeks and Latins were arguing about the descent of the Holy Spirit, George translated into Georgian – “The Symbol of Athanasius”, where the Holy Spirit was considered to come from the Son, i.e. the Latin pneumatological formula was described – “The Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son”. If this doctrine of the Catholic Church was a heresy for George, obviously he would have. After all we can conclude the following: During the unity and strength of the Georgian state, when the Georgian Fathers translated many theological literatures, had numerous theological centers (the Maghalashvili Gospel inscription speaks of seven such schools in one diocese), the Georgian Church had its own position on the Church of Rome, but after the political and cultural fall, Influenced first by Greek and especially Russian anti-Catholic propaganda, Georgia rejected the historic choice of its best clergy of the Church – unity with the Catholic Church. At the beginning of its relations with Georgia, Russia started struggle with the Catholic missionaries in Georgia, the Russian ambassador – Zakharev, started anti-Catholic propaganda, and after the conquest of Georgia, Russia expelled the Catholic missionaries from Georgia, because Russia’s goal was and is the ecclesiastical isolation of Georgia.

The Enterprise at the Service of Society in the 21st century

The Enterprise at the Service of Society in the 21st century

Walking My Path Together with W. W. Phelps

Walking My Path Together with W. W. Phelps

Apologist Arnobius, a Christian rhetorician from Sicca Veneria

The article is devoted to one of the most interesting Christian apologists of the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries from the Afri-can city of Sicca Veneria — Arnobius. Being a pagan and a teacher of rhetoric, he converted to Christianity after the Great Persecution of Diocletian and wrote an extensive work in defense of the Christian faith as confirmation of his new views, known as “Seven Books Against the Pagans”. This Christian apology is a unique example of an essay composed independently of the pre-ceding Christian tradition. Apparently, Arnobius did not have ac-cess to the texts of Sacred Scripture when he wrote it and could not fully rely on the works of preceding Christian authors. The apology is largely devoted to a systematic exposition of the cri-tique of classical paganism, which was characteristic not only of ecclesiastical but also philosophical works. The aim of this arti-cle is to reconstruct Arnobius' worldview, based on which one can judge what he taught as a teacher of rhetoric at the beginning of the 4th century. This allows us to recreate the picture of the educational environment in the Roman provincial town of that time. Arnobius actively uses the writings of Greek and Roman authors, which, as it seems, were his main teaching material. The article raises the question of the relationship between the rhetori-cal school and the Christian community in an ancient city. Tradi-tionally, Arnobius' acquaintance with Christianity is considered from the moment of his conversion to the new faith, but the anal-ysis of his apology suggests that the version of Christianity he proposed was not born by chance and was the product of deep creative search, which allows us to reassess the teaching of rheto-ric in provincial urban spaces. Moreover, it is evident that the conflict between Arnobius and the church initially went beyond the line of paganism-Christianity, and the apologist was closer to the Eastern idealistic model of church doctrine, which was not typical for Roman North Africa.

An Invitation to Interfaith Engagement

In 2001, “Mormons” (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were admonished to be friendly, helpful, protective, and supportive of members of other faiths, specifically Muslims. This article considers the ways in which this counsel has been heeded as well as the reasons why some may be struggling with them. The core contention of this article is that the ignorance of religious others, the complacency one has with their own beliefs, and the value of exclusivity hinder members of the Church in fulfilling the call to be friendly, helpful, protective, and supportive. Therefore, the author invites members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as others who are struggling with ignorance, complacency, and exclusivity in their traditions, to cultivate an interfaith ethic that will encourage the building of relationships with religious others. An interfaith ethic, the author proposes, is supported by Church doctrine and by the example of previous prophets, including Joseph Smith. By cultivating an interfaith ethic, members of The Church will build authentic friendships and increase their capacity for compassion in all relationships—in and out of The Church.

The discourse of war in the evangelical doctrine in the context of current russian aggression against Ukraine (protestant viewpoint)

The range of issues related to the origins of Christianity, the formation of its doctrine, and its existence in the early, pre-Conciliar period has always been of concern not only to Christian scholars, not only to those scholars who were in one or another way involved in these researches, but also to society as a whole. However, in Ukraine, and especially in academic circles, these issues are still not sufficiently studied. The article examines the reasons that led the official Church to change the key provisions of Christian doctrine, including ideological positions about "this world," narratives about war, and the commandments "thou shalt not kill" and "love your enemies." The author argues that the final rejection of the original evangelical pacifism occurred after the conquest of Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great, when the Church was transformed into an institution of secular power, changing its original status as the "Kingdom of God" to belonging to the "Kingdom of Caesar." Since the reign of Constantine, Christianity has essentially existed divided into two camps. – the first, to which belong all those who profess the church doctrine in its new, "conciliar" and different from the original form and who, in particular, has rejected Jesus' original idea of renunciation of earthly things and, accordingly, the pacifism and anti-militarism he proclaimed; the second camp are those who remained faithful to the apostolic tradition and who continued to practice Christianity according to the original New Testament standard. The latter camp today includes mostly Protestants, including in Ukraine. However, with the onset of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, their pacifist stance is changing. The solution of urgent socio-political issues and issues directly related to defense are increasingly leading Protestants in Ukraine to rethink their traditional pacifism, which may lead to a complete rejection of it in the future. The results obtained in the course of the study provide grounds to significantly adjust the current perceptions of Protestantism in Ukraine, in particular, its positive attitude to socio-political processes and active involvement in them.

Explaining the Calendar: The Catholic Church and Family Planning in Poland, 1930–1957

AbstractThis article explores continuities and discontinuities in Polish Catholic discourses on family planning across a time span that tends to be divided in the historiography on Poland and political history in general. The period we analyse begins in 1930, with the pivotal encyclical Casti connubii defining church doctrine on contraception, and ends with the legalization of abortion in 1956, and a state-sponsored family planning campaign the following year. In order to reconstruct Catholic teachings on marriage and family planning we examine advice publications that received official church approval, paying particular attention to their gendered dimensions, the emphasis placed on marriage, and the ‘calendar’ method. Although our research includes three politically and socially distinct periods, we argue that the content of Catholic teachings on family planning in Poland was consistent throughout. We also show that, although there were some distinct national characteristics, the Polish Catholic discourse on family planning resembled to a great extent the developments in other countries, particularly in regard to visions of marriage and sexuality. As we delineate, by engaging in the discussion on family planning, Catholic authors acted as active constructors of modernity, construed in both periods in relation to science and nationalism.

Landasan Biblical tentang Peneguhan bagi Murid Kristus

The problem discussed in this article is closely related to the importance of establishing for new believers. Establish serves to convince his faith, as well as to remove all obstacles that hinder a person's decision to believe in the Lord Jesus, such as doubts or feeling unworthy before God. The goal is to establish himself in order to grow in his spirituality. The method used is the Bible study method. The results show that establishing of a new convert is a strategic step to solidify his decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ. In addition, edification has a close relationship with evangelism to prepare him to join the local congregation. It is also clear that establishing is not the same as “Sidi” (learn church doctrine or catechism). Because establishing is a place for reaffirmation of his faith before he was handed over to the church. Establishing has a strategic place in building the mature Body of Christ because it strengthens its faith and testimony.

RELATIONS BETWEEN GEORGIA AND ROMAN CHURCH AFTER THE GREAT SCHISM

In the article mainly discuss lesser-known sources, therefore, the reader will see a more varied, interesting and unexpected information. First of all, I will discuss the Latin religious beliefs of the great teacher of the Georgian Church – George Mtatsmindeli because some researchers try to hide this. We will not talk much here about the well-known fact that George himself proclaimed the Church of Rome to be the most faithful defender of the apostolic doctrines before the Byzantine emperor.While the Greeks and Latins were arguing about the descent of the Holy Spirit, George translated into Georgian – “The Symbol of Athanasius”, where the Holy Spirit was considered to come from the Son, i.e. the Latin pneumatological formula was described – “The Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son”. If this doctrine of the Catholic Church was a heresy for George, obviously he would have. After all we can conclude the following: During the unity and strength of the Georgian state, when the Georgian Fathers translated many theological literatures, had numerous theological centers (the Maghalashvili Gospel inscription speaks of seven such schools in one diocese), the Georgian Church had its own position on the Church of Rome, but after the political and cultural fall, Influenced first by Greek and especially Russian anti-Catholic propaganda, Georgia rejected the historic choice of its best clergy of the Church – unity with the Catholic Church. At the beginning of its relations with Georgia, Russia started struggle with the Catholic missionaries in Georgia, the Russian ambassador – Zakharev, started anti-Catholic propaganda, and after the conquest of Georgia, Russia expelled the Catholic missionaries from Georgia, because Russia’s goal was and is the ecclesiastical isolation of Georgia

François de Sales and the paradoxes of abjection

François de Sales is, next to Pascal, the early modern French religious author whose work has for centuries reached the widest audience. Whereas Pascal conceived many of his reflections and arguments in the Pensées for persons uncommitted to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church, de Sales aimed at a wide audience of faithful Roman Catholics. This difference of intended public (or interlocutor) explains much about the advice the two writers offer about how to think and what to think about. In his Introduction à la vie dévote, de Sales’s figurative language makes it seem that he is teaching a form of easy-going religiosity, similar to the dévotion aisée that Pascal mocks in the Provinciales. For today’s reader, the Introduction can seem a cloying confection, full of suavité. And yet, Salesian devotion promotes the radical vision of a deeply degraded humanity.

Continuing Revelation: Essays on Doctrine

Continuing Revelation: Essays on Doctrine

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

The Message of the Beatitudes in End-of-Life Care for Catholics.

An enthusiastic approach to understand Catholic theology and the relativity it has in modern-day healthcare will immediately recognize a connection between the Beatitudes (Matthew 5.) as preached by Jesus Christ and their applications through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The latter represents Church doctrine on human dignity and the common good in society. The Beatitudes are a core message of faith and the map to help us return to the presence of our creator, securing our alignment with His purpose for our life. The Beatitudes inspired the saints, who put them into action through the graces they convey. Additionally, the Beatitudes' guidance prepares the faithful followers of Christ to enter eternal joy, "where there is no more pain nor sorrow but eternal life" (Revelation 21:4.). Claiming a multicultural and multinational history of two millennia allows Catholics to connect with time and space that is not only transcendent but well understood intergenerationally in our human experience. With this concept in mind, clinical providers are encouraged to connect with the theological and spiritual Catholic themes in this chapter. Additionally, a correlation to the human experience of universal emotions will be of great benefit in this integrated approach.

Transformation of the Traditional Religiosity of the Ukrainian Peasantry (1920s – 1930s): Conceptualization of Research Problem

The purpose of the research paper is to highlight the set of circumstances and factors that caused the transformation of the peasantry traditional religiosity and to emphasize the interdependence of the processes in the event-contextual and mental-conscious spheres/dimensions.
 Scientific novelty: Despite the rather thorough scientific analysis of the issue, the dominance of the positivist approach is observed in historiography; therefore, the conceptualization of the problem makes it possible to understand the non-fragmentary factual multiplicity of certain plots, which evinced in one way or another the transformations of religiosity in the social and cultural space of the 1920s – 1930s, but it allows to clarify and generalize the reasons, nature, dynamics, and essential characteristics of the processes related to the transformation of religiosity under the new social and cultural conditions of the communist-atheist power.
 Conclusions. There is a certain dependency between the architectonics of human existence and the worldview benchmarks of a certain era. Therefore, not only anti-religious and anti-church propaganda (as a means of ideological influence), but also the socio-economic and political development of society (industrialization, collectivization, cultural revolution, renewal of everyday life, etc.) destroyed the former stable world of customs and rituals. Therefore, it is obviously worth talking not about the transformation of religiosity, but about complex transformations.
 The nature of the religiosity transformational processes depended on many factors. In the context of the eroding of old church doctrines, the revision of fixed moral and ethical norms, the onset of atheism, in the eyes of Christians, the stable world was degrading, losing sanctified traditions and moral standards. Religious integrity and the durability of religious culture were lost. In search of compensation for the emerging worldview uncertainty, anxiety, dissatisfaction, etc., the individual looked for new benchmarks, values, ideals, and ways of organizing life in society through the transformation of stable forms and ways of life. In the confrontation of two worldview cultural models, society, having undergone complex transformations, slowly adapted to the conditions established by the communist regime and its worldview instructions.

Arianism and Pelagianism: Two Great Heresies of the Fourth and Fifth Centuries

At a time in Western civilization when differing religious theologies were at odds with each another, opposing schools of thought attempted to reformulate and rationalize some of the most fundamental teachings at the heart of early Christianity. As the founders of these schools were branded as radicals and heretics for defying the orthodoxy and authority of the Roman Empire and at the same time, of the Roman Catholic Church, these teachers were soon ostracized and harshly punished for their flawed and erroneous beliefs. Focusing on the fourth and fifth centuries of the Common Era specifically, this paper will introduce two great heresies that belonged to those historical periods namely, Arianism and Pelagianism, and the highly influential, yet controversial thinkers behind them. Formulated by the Cyrenaic (modern-day Libya) presbyter, Arius (256-336 CE) and the British monk and theologian, Pelagius (390-418 CE), these two religious figures whose nonconformist theological positions are still being debated today, dared in their own defiant ways to challenge the firmly established rules and doctrines of Crown and Church.

The Search for Medieval Music in Africa and Germany, 1891–1961: Scholars, Singers, Missionaries, by Anna Maria Busse Berger

<i>The Search for Medieval Music in Africa and Germany, 1891–1961: Scholars, Singers, Missionaries</i>, by Anna Maria Busse Berger

Quoted at the Pulpit: Male Rhetoric and Female Authority in Fifty Years of General Conference

Quoted at the Pulpit: Male Rhetoric and Female Authority in Fifty Years of General Conference