Position Of Church Research Articles

Church Conceptualization of Socialism in Russia of the Second Half of the 19th and the 20th Centuries

The article is a refl ection and review of the “The Orthodox Church and Socialism. The second half of the 19th–20th centuries» anthology, published by “Vladimir Dal” publishing house in 2023. The anthology consists of a large number of texts, the importance of which can’t be overestimated. The texts are arranged in chronological order and provided with succinct comments, thus representing a chronicle of church attitude to socialism evolution in the second half of the 19th and the 20th centuries: from perception it as an alien alternative to church spiritual values, to the half-way consent with the 20th century cultural life thesis of principally “social” orientation of Christianity in its ethics of love and mercy. The analytical component of the article allows us to focus on the anthology texts that are most important for understanding not only issue of the “Orthodox Church and socialism” itself, but also its evolution over the one and a half century of our state existence. The author of the article considers the anthology especially relevant these days then Russian society begins to think and concentrate of social justice. The variety of the views demonstrated by the authors of the anthology give us a good understanding of the socialism signifi cance in the past and in our time

Pravoslavna crkva u raljama aktuelnih globalnih geopolitičkih promena - kanonska i socio-politička analiza

This paper points to processes that have been going on for a century and aim to change the modern image of the Orthodox Church. One patriarchy, the first in honour, is trying to impose itself as the supreme interpreter of traditions and theological narratives, as well as to change the canonical structure and ecclesial identity of all other autocephalous Orthodox Churches. The prehistory of the devastating processes starts with the restoration of national and church self-consciousness in the 19th century in the Balkans, which led to the emergence of the brainchild of restoring the autocephalous status of church communities in the liberated territories. The procedures for church independence were not initially approved by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The leading patriarchate in honour, faced with the actual church situation on the Balkan Peninsula, confirmed the independence of the Athens Archdiocese and the Metropolitanate of Belgrade in the second half of the 19th century. However, the 20th century brought massive changes. The Balkan Wars, the Great War, the communist revolution in Russia, the disappearance of the Ottoman and Austrian empires, and the great tragedy of the Orthodox Greeks in Constantinople and Asia Minor led to changes in theological paradigms in the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which also initiated a change in its church position from Primus inter pares (The first among equals) to Primus sine paribus (The first without equals). This fact leads to the pretensions of this patriarchate to the entire Orthodox diaspora, as well as to the exclusive right to form criteria for granting autocephalous status to church communities that request it. However, the representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople very consistently continue to develop the theological assumptions of the new ecclesiological matrix, especially in the decades after the Second World War. Quite consciously and with the expected outcome, they are approaching the levers of power of the US political elite with the desire to strengthen their position in front of the repressive regime in Turkey. Soon, they began to use the established connections and increased political potential to impose their ecclesiological and canonical views on other Orthodox churches, especially since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. The resistance of the new ecclesiological narratives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which give it a priority place in relation to all other churches and in the processes of accomplishing canonical and spiritual authority, not just honour, to all reasoned theological and historical criticism from Orthodox theologians, canonists, and archbishops, points to the fact that the theological turnover of this Patriarchate is well and studiously prepared. It is apparent that this church expects essential benefits from it, but also that the shaped narratives have a reflective effect on anticipated political situations that have been preparing for decades under the guise of the pseudo-ideological supremacy of the West. Since it is under massive transformative pressure from the Western power centres, it's evident that the Orthodox Church is in great turmoil, with painful uncertainty about its resolution. The processes that are mentioned are part of global geopolitical change. Rational interpretation of reality suggests they are synchronized from the same centre of power and political decision-making, as well as mutually compatible and complementary. This fact tells us that the mutual relations of the Orthodox churches are in a crisis that seems to be designed and managed for the purpose of more comprehensive intervention in the self-consciousness of the Orthodox peoples and their ecclesial, national, ethical, and political identity.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the Crucible of War

The article examines the main transformations in Ukrainian Orthodoxy over the past few years, with a special focus on the position of Orthodox Churches in Ukraine after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Tracing the course of events in the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine over the last year of the war, the author shows how the war accelerated the irreversible process of separation of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from the Russian Orthodox Church and their withdrawal from Moscow's influence. Taking into account the moods in the Churches, Ukrainian society and the involvement of the state in this process, she considers possible scenarios for the development of events in the near future, assesses their probability and tries to project the most likely one. Pointing out the advantages and disadvantages, dangers and outcomes of each of these scenarios, the author concludes that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, if it does not radically change its course and continues to maintain ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, is destined to gradual decline in Ukraine, while the Orthodox Church of Ukraine under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical patriarchate has a great chance of growing and eventually obtaining recognition of its autocephaly in the Orthodox world.

History of the development of theological schools in Russia at the beginning of the XVIII century (projects of theological schools and the influence of scholasticism)

The article analyzes the history of the development of spiritual education in Russia at the beginning of the XVIII century. The opening of theological schools belonged to the era of Peter the Great and was important for the training of personnel for church positions. And if Ancient Russia had only elementary schooling, consisting in reading and writing, then in the second half of the XVII century Kievan scientists appeared in Moscow, who had a scholastic influence on the training of future priests. The opening of theological schools in Russia is traditionally associated with the name of Peter I, his ideas of planting European enlightenment and the influence of Kiev scientists who Latinized the learning process. Peter I's attempt to rebuild the system of spiritual education did not succeed immediately, but by the 30s of the XVIII century, a full Latin course was introduced in theological schools on the model of the Kiev Academy. Under the patronage of Peter I, a common goal was formed – to raise the level of religious and moral development of the clergy. It was from the time of Peter the Great in the second half of the XVII century that scientists from Kiev appeared. The era of Peter I assumed steep reforms and innovations, which were directly followed by the spirit of the Kiev Collegium, and its students brought a completely new, modern ideal of education.

II. Vatikan Konsili: Katolik Kilisesinin İslam’a Bakışı ve Müslümanlarla İlişkisi

This paper deals with the Catholic Church’s perspective on Islam and ıts relationship with Muslims in the light of the Second Vatican Council documents. It is very important because the Second Vatican Council and ıts decisions to understand the Catholic and Muslim relations today. Although the Church discussed Catholic-Muslims relations 60 years ago, but since the Vatican II is the last general council, it based all decisions and implementations regarding Islam and relations with Muslims on this Council. Morever, ıt is the general council refering to Muslims for the first time. It is the council that officially begins Catholic-Muslim relations and determines how to will be these relations. Nostra Aetate, the declaration on the Church's relationship with non-Christian religions, is the council document most concerning to Muslims. In this document, espacially the Church's approaches to Islam and its relation with Muslims.The phrase "in our time" in the first paragraph of the document justifies the Church's attitude towards Islam and its closeness with Muslims. Today, more than half of the world's eight billion population consists of Christians (mostly Catholic) and Muslims. And nowadays, just as this document (N.A.1) states, humanity is getting closer to each other, and the bonds between different people are getting stronger due to travels, migrations, media, and technological developments. At the same time, Catholic-Muslim encounters increases rapidly on some platforms in which information and ideas are exchanged such as social media. Thusly, the Church determined the ways of how to dialogue and collobaration with Muslims in order to live together in Nostra Aetate. This paper aimed to reveal the Second Vatican Council's teaching on Islam and the Catholic-Muslim relationship. As well, the Catholic-Muslims relations analyized from Catholic Church’s perspective. It's refered to the other council documents such as Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes, Ad Gentes, including Nostra Aetate. The following main sources studying is: Austin Flannery's the book in which he gathered the documents of the council, Vatican Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations; Catholicism Engaging Other Faiths Vatican II and its Impact” edited by Vladimir Latinovic; Gavin D’Costa’s Vatican II, Catholic Doctrines on Jews and Muslims; S. J. Gerald O’Collins’s The Second Vatican Council on Other Religions. Thus, this paper, provided in a historical method, replied to the question of how important the decisions of Vatican Council II is understanding contemporary Catholic-Muslim relations. And than, It presented the Church that recognizes non-Christian religions within the inclusivist paradigm, ıts positive speech and conciliation attitude towards Islam and Muslims. Finally, It illuminated to the style of dialogue based on mutual understanding and collaboration that the Church initiated with Islam and Muslims.

Позиция католической церкви вице-королевства Перу по отношению к индейским погребальным обрядам

The article analyzes the Church's position on the funeral rites that were practiced by the Peruvian Indigenous in the early colonial period. First, the author presents a brief description of the Andean funeral rite, most of the elements of which (the presence of extensive accompanying gifts, burial with subsequent access to the body for ritual purposes, etc.) directly contradicted the Christian doctrine and practice. The author distinguishes between two types of sources — reflecting the theoretical position and revealing its practical implementation. The theoretical provisions are reflected primarily in the materials of the first three Lima church councils, which were convened in 1551-52, 1567-68 and 1582-88. The practical implementation of these provisions is most clearly traced by the materials of the processes for the extirpation of idolatry among the Indigenous people, the peak of which fell on the XVII century. Most of these documents originate from the Archdiocese of Lima. The analysis of these sources shows that the following practices caused the greatest condemnation on the part of the Church: burials of the deceased outside church cemeteries and burials together with accompanying gifts (drinks, food, clothes, etc.). In addition, it can be stated that there are no significant discrepancies between the theory and practice in relation of the Church to Indigenous funeral rites, with the exception of that the burning of ancestral mummies, which has become a common practice, was not prescribed by the documentation of the Lima councils. In conclusion, the author concludes that the efforts of the Church to eradicate traditional rituals were partially successful, and some elements of the traditional Andean funeral rite were replaced by Christian ones.

The Reactions of Orthodox Churches to Russia’s Aggression towards Ukraine in the Light of the Postsecular Approach to IR Studies

Russia’s war against Ukraine, in which the aggressor has been making use of religion, including theological rhetoric, to achieve its aims, has sparked reactions from Orthodox Churches all over the world. This has led to a revitalisation of social teaching, including discussions on war and peace within the Orthodox tradition. This may well become a further impetus for more in-depth research on religion and international relations, and possibly for more reappraisals of the secular identity of IR studies. An analysis of the attitudes of Orthodox Churches towards this war indicated that the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church, which considers itself the most important centre of Orthodox culture and civilisation, is waning. The reaction of other local churches showed that it is difficult to recognise the Russian Orthodox Church as such an authority. These revaluations may have a significant impact on Russia’s place in the new international order, although much depends on the final outcome of the war it has started. We explain the different reactions of the churches, and we refer to the social teaching(s) on war of the Russian Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate according to their official synodal documents. In this teaching, we can see two different approaches—Russian and Constantinopolitan. In the world of the Orthodox tradition, the former, whose practical expression was the atrocities committed during the ongoing war, seems to be rejected in favour of the latter, Constantinople. Finally, there is the question of how the reaction of the Orthodox Churches (analysed below), which have clashed with secularism in a different manner than the Western Churches, might contribute to the development of a postsecular awareness and, consequently, a postsecular identity for IR studies.

Церковная реформа Екатерины II: социально-правовой и статистический анализ (на примере Владимирской губернии)

The article examines the position of church and monastery structures as a result of the church reform of Catherine II. F meaningful statistical analysis is carried out using the regulatory framework and archival materials. The conclusion is made about the influence of the process of secularization on the church and monastery system.

MIGRAN DAN MIGRASI: BEBERAPA PEMAHAMAN DALAM PERSPEKTIF BIBLIS

One in every fifty human beings has crossed borders as migrants.All indications are that the numbers of migrants and other uprooted peoples will continue to increase.Most migration today takes plece as a result of compelling circumstances.As is now widely recognized,the rising hostility towards mnigrants workers and other foreigners in so many societies,obviously exacerbated by the traumas ofrecession and unemployments, appears to be an ominous and malignat cancer spreading accorss aour societies.Therefore, authentic Christian faith must be lived in a world in which millions people have no home and are making demands on the countries to which they immigrate or are deported. What is the Church's attitude towards these people? How should people of the Church respond to the urgent needs of these human beings? Fr.Joe Masan Toron is empowering us to have the biblical perspectives to cope with migration and migrants workers in our society.

ПОРІВНЯННЯ СТАВЛЕННЯ ДО ВІЙНИ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ПРАВОСЛАВНОЇ ЦЕРКВИ ТА ПРАВОСЛАВНОЇ ЦЕРКВИ УКРАЇНИ

The article offers an analysis of the anti-war rhetoric of the primates of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The examples popular in the media of the negative perception of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and, accordingly, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in their attitude to the war are questioned. Verification of such receptions is carried out by analyzing the most important provisions of the social doctrines of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We are talking about the "Basic Social Concept of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" and "For the Life of the World. On the way to the social ethos of the Orthodox Church". It also reveals the features of the attitude of the primates of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The issue of motivation of those appeals of the leaders of the Churches, in which the features of their attitude to the current Russian-Ukrainian war are revealed, is clarified in detail. Examples of the actions of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine are given, which are considered in the perspective of radicalization of the official positions of both Churches. It is generalized about the similarity of the official positions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in their attitude to the war as to evil and violence. However, based on the analysis of the anti-war rhetoric of the primates of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, it is argued that it is problematic perception of war by them as absurd.

Variation of Proper Names in Nikola Znamensky by Fyodor Reshetnikov

The paper explores the variety of onomastic strategies in the short story Nikola Znamensky by Fyodor Reshetnikov, a follower of the ethnographic movement in the Russian literature of 1860s. It is typical for his works to omit the use of first names in the titles (Glumovs, Aunt Oparikh, Gossip Mironikh, Ilyich, Maxya, Yashka) whilst they play an important role in the stories. For example, the Doctor’s story begins with the first name and so it ends. The name suggests that the protagonist (albeit not openly) opposes himself to the official church position. Apart from that, the character himself claims that the name predicts his fate. Having lost the spiritual title, he also refuses the name. Within the text, only ten characters are named, and the naming strategies used in each case are different. The distinguishing factor is the variability of the name forms. This article aims to understand whether this variation affects the way the nature of the character is represented in the story. The analysis shows that the story features six context-driven forms of the name of the story’s main character, Nikola Znamensky. Religious teachers address Nikola by using the full form of the name. The narrator also refers to him as Nikolai. The character himself (and his fellows) tend to use both the full and the “folk” forms of the name (Nikola, Mikola, Mikula). The members of the family use the hypocoristic forms. The names of other characters (from the family circle: brother, sons) are also subject to change: the full form is typical for the speech of the narrator, the derivative diminutive -ka appears in the speech of the priest. The protagonist’s namesake son also has a separate derivative name reference (Nikolai — Kolka) which emphasizes the special role of the title character. The name’s variability thus reflects the main character’s embedding into various social networks and, more importantly, into the “folk” paradigm linking it to the figure of Saint Nicholas. The author concludes that Reshetnikov uses name variability as a characteristic means that adds to the types portrayed in the story.

ДЕЛО "КОНТРРЕВОЛЮЦИОННОЙ ГРУППИРОВКИ ЦЕРКОВНИКОВ Г. ЕГОРЬЕВСКА" 1935 Г. КАК ПРИМЕР ПРЕСЛЕДОВАНИЯ ОРГАНАМИ НКВД ДВИЖЕНИЯ "НЕПОМИНАЮЩИХ" В ПРАВОСЛАВНОЙ РОССИЙСКОЙ ЦЕРКВИ (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ГА РФ, ГА СО И ЦГА Г. МОСКВЫ)

The article deals with the case of the “counter-revolutionary group of churchmen, consisting of the monks, nuns and former people of the town of Yegoryevsk”, that began in April 1935. Among the defendants in the case were the monastics, the representatives of the white clergy from the temples in the town of Yegoryevsk and the surrounding area, as well as the laypeople who took an active church position. The formal charges brought against the members of the “counterrevolutionary group” were reduced to anti-Soviet agitation aimed at disrupting the events organized by the Soviet government, directed to spreading false rumors about its imminent downfall and to organizing a secret church. However, the archival documents indicate that the main purpose of the initiated case was an attack on the believers who did not accept the 1927 Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod (Stragorodsky), the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, and who formed the groups of the True Orthodox Church and the non-commemorators. In the mid-1930s. those groups were mostly filled by the priests and clergymen returning from exile who were forced to settle outside the 100-kilometer zone from Moscow, in the towns such as Yegoryevsk, Pokrov, Alexandrov, etc. The material is based on the documents from the collections of the State Archives of the Russian Federation, the State Archives of the Smolensk Region and the Central State Archives of the Moscow Region

Legal standing of churches and religious communities in the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians and the kingdom of Yugoslavia

This paper shows how the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia legally regulated the position and organisation of religious communities, which after unification found themselves in a joint and multi-confessional state. Although the concept of complete separation of churches and religious communities from the state was not implemented in the Constitutions of 1921 and 1931, religious communities were very influential in social life and politics, and after several unsuccessful draft laws on religions and interreligious relations, specific laws that regulated the legal position of many churches and religious communities that were represented in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were adopted. In addition, negotiations with the Holy See were carried out in order to conclude a concordat that would determine the status of the Catholic Church in the Yugoslav state in detail. From the adopted constitutions and the entire religious legislation on individual religions and their communities in the common state, it can be concluded that the principle of the state church was abandoned, as well as that religious communities enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy in regulating their own organisation and internal affairs. Nevertheless, the election of supreme church leaders and dignitaries depended on the king and the government, so the state still exerted a great deal of influence over the church organisation and structure.

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

More on Georgian Orthodox Church Attitude Toward Entrepreneurship: A Response to Paul Crego […

This is a reply to Paul Crego's "Response to Leons Gabriels Tavians' "Between Oriental Orthodoxy and European Modernity: Georgian Orthodox Church, Market Economy, and Social Message" , discussing the religious history and development of the country of Georgia.

The Shakespeare Sermon (1879-1900): Shakespeare the Poet and Shakespeare the Dramatist

ABSTRACT This article focuses on how the Shakespeare sermons delivered from 1879 to 1900 in Holy Trinity Church (Stratford-upon-Avon) participated in the nineteenth-century debates on whether Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be read or put on stage. It contends that these sermons gradually show a theatrical turn in the interpretation of Shakespeare’s production as they present them not only as “sacred poetic texts” to be read alongside the Bible, but as “sacred incarnational dramas”, interpreted in the light of the Romantic notion of “Shakespeare creative sympathy” and written to be watched and performed on stage. The sermonic focus on the public staging of Shakespeare’s plays is closely related to a significant theatrical turn in the history, first, of the Shakespeare’s birthday festival with the opening of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1879 and, second, of English preaching, which became more socially involved due to the rise of liberal Broad Church positions.

Harold B. Lee and Mormonism's Black Priesthood and Temple Ban

Harold B. Lee and Mormonism's Black Priesthood and Temple Ban

Understanding the Difference Between Antisemitism and Anti-Judaism

Understanding the Difference Between Antisemitism and Anti-Judaism Marianne Moyaert (bio) In his article, John Pawlikowski begins by discussing the Church's ambivalent position vis-à-vis the history of antisemitism. On the one hand, Pope John Paul II explicitly condemned antisemitism as a sin, a condemnation, which Pawlikowski notes, "represents the strongest theological statement against this pernicious disease." He also makes explicit what steps have been taken, especially since the Second Vatican Council, by both ecclesial authorities and theological scholars to remove anti-Jewish legacies from their theology. On the other hand, there are reasons to doubt whether the Church has taken responsibility for its implication in the history of antisemitism. The Church has tended towards arguing "that antisemitism came only from fringe elements in the Church who were muscled by wayward preachers and teachers." Such an argument denies the pervasive and systemic problem of antisemitism and disavows the view that it is deeply embedded in the Catholic tradition. The document We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah (1998), which Pawlikowski also mentions, is exemplary in this regard. While this document makes clear the necessity of thoroughgoing scholarly research to better understand the mechanisms that finally led to the Shoah and emphasizes that Christians have to confront the injustices of [End Page 373] the past to open up a new future (memoria futuri), the document also shifts responsibility away from the Church and its theological traditions to those Christians who failed to live according to what "might have been expected from Christ's followers."1 Rather than recognizing antisemitism as a form of systemic racialization legitimized and institutionalized by Catholic tradition and its authorities, the document tends to reduce the problem of antisemitism to the personal failure of some.2 To make matters worse, the document immediately contrasts the few rotten apples to the many initiatives taken by ecclesial authorities to halt the suffering of the Jews under the Nazis. In addition, We Remember emphasizes that National Socialism was in fact a modern, anti-Christian, pagan racist regime, which ought to be clearly distinguished from Christian anti-Judaism. By way of conclusion, the document acknowledges that "erroneous and unjust interpretations of the New Testament regarding the Jewish people" contributed to "feelings of hostility towards this people," but points out that such interpretations have been "totally and definitively rejected by the Second Vatican Council." Understood in this way, the problem of Christian anti-Judaism belongs to the past and has been dealt with appropriately within the Church; the problem of racist antisemitism is inimical to Christian tradition and its theological vision about the unity of the human race, and has been condemned in the strongest words. In contrast to We Remember, Pawlikowski explicitly states that "thus far the roots of antisemitism in the Catholic Church have [not] been fully erased from Catholic consciousness." To this day, Pawlikowski asserts, there is a problem of latent or dormant antisemitism, which can become the ground for new more explicit expressions of hatred, such as the attacks on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. To uproot antisemitism from Catholic tradition, Pawlikowski suggests a research program focused on biblical exegesis and the Patristic tradition, as well as on the failure of the Church to acknowledge how its anti-Jewish traditions provided fertile ground for the Shoah. Finally, he also urges us to revisit the issue of the Church's evangelizing mandate in relation to the Jewish people. [End Page 374] I am a Catholic comparative theologian working after Nostra Aetate and I find myself in full agreement with Pawlikowski. The history of Christian antisemitism covers almost 2,000 years and we only started to grapple with it in the aftermath of the Shoah. Far from it being merely a surface issue, antisemitic discourse has seeped deeply into the core of (European) Christian culture. Antisemitic patterns of thinking were imprinted on the Christian imagination through liturgy, prayer, and sermons, but also through art, illuminated manuscripts, theatre, music, as well as legislation. Even when one is dedicated to moving beyond antisemitism, it remains difficult to step outside of this framework. As David Nirenberg states, "The peril of fantasizing our freedom from the past is great": when we...

Náboženství a církve v politickém životě České republiky po roce 1989

The aim of this study is to analyse the position of churches and the influence of religion in the public and political life of the Czech Republic after 1989. Attention is also focused on the relationship between churches and political parties, the calls of churches to participate in elections and whether they called for the support of specific political parties. The study also looks at the recruitment of political leaders from the church’s hierarchy and major Christian issues in the public agenda, media and politics. The study is linked to additional sources and literature.

Fragmented Voices with Guilt and Apologies: Interrogating Narratives on Ordination of Women in Nagaland Churches

The category ‘women’ is one of the majority members in the Nagaland churches of Northeast India. Institutionalization of associations and churches according to denominations has contributed to the bureaucratization of churches, arranging the church positions in vertical hierarchy. Today, churches in Nagaland struggle with complex gender hierarchies. Women are underrepresented in church leadership in Nagaland. Historically, Naga Women theologians have been absent in the process of licencing and ordination. This article attempts to explore both the structural dynamics and local practices in the process of gendered licencing and ordination. The study assesses two associations and churches within those two associations under Nagaland Baptist Church Council. Narrative from the two associations brings out the tacit but visible practices of differentiated licencing requirements between men and women theologians in Nagaland churches. The almost exclusive ‘Reverend’ title reserved for men in Nagaland demonstrably explains the near absence of ordained women in most of the Nagaland churches.