Church Today Research Articles

Autoridad y espiritualidad en Simeón el Nuevo Teólogo: una nueva perspectiva de autoridad

Thanks to the historical processes of Christianity, the scandals, the lack of coherence, and the new leadership paradigms of authority has become blurred. Because of this, questions about the authority concept in the Church have emerged. For this reason, it is necessary to consider: How to rethink the Church’s authority and its exercise according to current problems? Owing, Simeon the New Theologian is used to rethinking the Church’s authority from his theology of the experience of God. Therefore, expose the main topics of his life and Theology. Then, present the relationship between authority and his theology. After that, propose some reflection on authority for the church today. Finally, the conclusion.

Women in Ministry: Re-Reading 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 in the 21st Century Context

<p class="abstracttextDILIGENTIA">First Corinthians 14:33-35 reveals one of the many controversies about the roles of women in ministry in the church today. Many scholars have given diverse interpretations of the verses. The verses have led many people, including many Christian denominations, to have some positions on women in ministry. The thrust of this article is to explore the correct interpretation of the verses based on some historical and biblical perspectives. The work adopted the historical and biblical exegesis method. Feminism theory was also considered in the work. The work concluded that 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 should not be interpreted literally. It must be interpreted within its context. It also concluded that women have their roles to play in the world and in the propagation of the gospel of Christ, regardless of attempts by men to relegate them to the background.</p>

From Love to Hate: The Catholic Church in Poland in the Public Opinion

Poland is a country that is still considered Catholic. Faced with a series of image problems of the Catholic Church, this opinion is being increasingly revised. People, especially young people, are increasingly turning away from this centuries-old institution in search of their moral principles. The percentage of Catholics in Poland is decreasing. The author of the study decided to find out: (1) What do Poles think of the Catholic Church today?; (2) How do they evaluate the various areas of activity of the Catholic Church in Poland?; (3) Is there a predominant opinion in Polish society about the necessity of separation of state and church?; (4) What political consequences does this have? These questions are answered through desk research analysis of reports by the Public Opinion Research Centre and statistical analysis of the author’s quantitative survey conducted after the 2023 parliamentary elections in Poland. The survey results indicate that various areas of activity of the Catholic Church in Poland are evaluated in different ways. The respondents are most critical of the Church’s influence on political authorities and the problem of solving the issue of paedophilia among the clergy. The results of the survey confirm that Law and Justice voters are the people who have the highest opinion of the Catholic Church in Poland and are closely associated with Christian values.

God’s acts in Lukan-Acts: God’s active involvement in the execution of the plan of salvation

Faced with the difficulty today of executing the church’s responsibility to be a witness to Jesus Christ in the world, I researched the way in which the Scriptures speak about the direct involvement of God in the implementation of his plan of salvation. In this research, I particularly focused on what is brought forward by Luke in his gospel and in the Book of Acts. Lukan-Acts has been examined for indications that point to the direct involvement of the triune God in the execution of his plan of salvation. I proceeded in a biblical-theological-exegetical manner, looking specifically at those indications that speak of the fulfilment of the Scriptures by God; of the continuing work of Jesus; of what Luke brings forth about the involvement of the Holy Spirit; and of what Luke wrote about the activities of angels, about words that were heard from heaven, and about the miracles that took place. In addition, specific words for witnessing and sending used by Luke, as well as the summary remarks he noted, particularly in the Book of Acts, were looked at. The aim of the article was to show how the triune God himself is fully involved in the execution of his plan of salvation. From studying the Lukan-Acts, it became clear that God himself is indeed the Actor in the execution of his plan of salvation – theologically referred to as the missio Dei. It became clear that God is still the Actor when he uses the service and engagement of people. He encouraged them to it in what Luke in his double-work brought forward, using people, guided by the Spirit, as instruments in the hand of Christ. In this, the work of Luke gained extra significance in that it encouraged its first readers, as well as the church today. Being involved in mission makes sense, because God is and will be directly involved in the execution of it.Contribution: This article was written to show the relevancy of the Book of Acts for the church in relation to its involvement in mission. This shows what is the foundation of all missionary efforts of the church, namely God’s own activity and direct involvement.

Kristologija u Evanđelju po Ivanu kao okidač za učeništvo

This article discusses the relationship between Christology and discipleship. It argues that Christology is the driving force, or trigger, behind becoming a disciple of Jesus and can also be used to revitalize existing disciples. The first part of the article examines the use of the term mathētēs, asking the question, “Who is directly or indirectly called a disciple of Jesus?” The second part explores concepts related to discipleship, which provides a basis for the third part of the article, which delves into why someone becomes a disciple of Jesus, i.e., questions of motivation. Since the topic is extensive, this section will only focus on the parts of the Gospel that contain explicit Christological titles and where the response to Jesus is positive. Since, in the Gospel of John, Christology is the means of initiating discipleship, the fourth part analyzes whether the main message of the gospel is centered on Christology or soteriology and how different messages impact discipleship. The article concludes that the Gospel of John emphasizes Christology as the center of its message rather than focusing on man’s fallen state and need for salvation. It also states that Christology triggers discipleship and plays a crucial role in motivating believers to commitment, zeal, sanctification, and sacrificial service within the Church today.

Popular Music Videos and Reflecting (Ir)Religiously: What do Videos Such as ‘Sirens’ Have to say to the Church Today?

The singer Caroline Polachek has co-written a song with DJ Flume. The accompanying promotional video asks us to consider what transcendence may mean in a post-pandemic world. We theologically reflect on the song and video to consider what this may show about Western society’s understandings of transcendence, suffering and resurrection, where the dominate narrative has been the ‘turn to the self’. We also consider how the Church may respond to this poetically driven grass-root need for theological reflection where the most usual form of response is didactic and doctrinal in nature resulting in a disconnect in how the message is received.

Strategi Implementasi Teori Manajemen Gereja untuk Pertumbuhan Jemaat

Congregational growth and spiritual development of church members are the primary goals of every religious community. However, the challenges faced by the church today are not solely limited to spiritual aspects but also consider management aspects that support healthy and sustainable growth. This paper aims to investigate the implementation strategies of church management theory as an effort to advance congregation growth and enhance individual spiritual quality. The research method used is a descriptive qualitative approach, allowing researchers to delve into the complexity of social situations influencing church growth. By combining data from various sources, including books, scholarly articles, and academic journals, the author presents key principles of church management theory, such as shared leadership, humility, and resource management effectiveness. Furthermore, this paper discusses factors influencing congregational growth, including the significant role of prayer, discipleship, fellowship, and testimony in shaping enthusiastic and committed communities. By applying appropriate strategies supported by strong leadership, churches can achieve meaningful and spiritually significant growth, strengthening the foundation of faith and expanding their influence in society. Thus, this paper provides a comprehensive view of the importance of integrating management theory within the church context and offers practical guidance for churches to reinforce growth and spiritual development efforts.

Buta Mata dan Buta Hati: Strategi Pastoral Yesus Kristus Dalam Markus 8:22-26

Love is the foundation for theology but also for doing our duties and responsibilities as Christians. Love is also what moved Jesus to pass on the responsibility of shepherding to the apostles, then later became a mandate for the Church today. Thus, love will always be the main weapon in the Church's efforts to enact Pastoral Counseling. But the next question is, how will love be the answer to today's pastoral challenges? This question needs an answer because pastoral challenges have transformed into more complicated ones. The researcher determined a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach as the method to be used to explore the research problem. To analyze the text of Mark 8:22-26, the hermeneutic method of historical criticism is deemed suitable to exegete the text and then present new meanings in the context of the Church today. This research is expected to provide constructive results for the ministry of Pastoral Counseling in Churches, but also in terms of scientific development of Pastoral Counseling in Christian Theological Universities. In addition, the results of this research will also provide renewal strategies in Pastoral Counseling services for the Church so that these services run well and effectively.

Prosperity theology versus theology of sharing approach

Theologians are split into two groups: those who embrace prosperity theology and those who oppose it; both sides on scriptural grounds. Those criticising it embrace cessationism in its diversity, while its supporters are mainly found among Pentecostals and Charismatics, who are continuationists. Continuationists believe and teach that all gifts of the Spirit are still available to the church today, therefore should be practised by the church just as they were operative during the apostolic era. Therefore, it is clear that prosperity preachers are continuationists. They believe and practice healing and miracle gifts today. A review of the literature, biblical texts, historical teachings, and Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal (also referred to as charismatic and neo-charismatic) form the basis of this article. It addresses the positive features of prosperity teachers’ beliefs and methods as well as how they exploit the dreams, fears, and aspirations of people living in poverty. The theology of sharing, as articulated by Nicholas B.H. Bhengu, is proposed as a solution to creating parity between the rich and the poor.Contribution: This article seeks to balance opposing theological approaches with the prosperity gospel. It does this by introducing a theology of sharing as taught by Nicholas Bhengu based on the philosophy of Ubuntu, a way of life among African people. The challenge for theologians on both sides of the argument is finding a way to accommodate the other side’s contributions.

Католическая Церковь: история современного институционального кризиса

This article is devoted the deepest since the Reformation of the 16th century crisis of the Catholic Church. The author connects its causes with tectonic shifts in the history of our civilization and the whole world in the last 200 years. It is the end of the Constantinian era in the history of Christianity And the cultural (in Western terminology, anthropological) crises and technological revolutions of the late 60s and mid-70s XX century led to a crisis of all institutionally organized Christianity. The crisis of the Catholic Church became part of this global crisis of church institutions. The actual Catholic reasons for it were: the preserve in the 20th and 21st centuries the post-Tridentine clerical model of the Church and the transformation of the Catholic Church by the middle of the 20th century from Western European to the world’s church. An additional source of the crisis was the crisis of two important and male oriented leadership institutions: the traditional family model and the celibate-based hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. As a result, over the past 50 years, the growth in the number of clergy and monascitism has practically ceased. Thus worsened the very possibility of the Church fulfilling its Mission. A paradoxical situation has developed in the Catholic Church today: the numerical increase of the baptized is accompanied by a mass exodus of believers. Awareness of the crisis is happening very slowly. Public discussion of church problems began only with the election of Pope Francis. The institutional nature of the crisis is illustrated in the article using the example of the “pedophile scandal.” It made it possible to identify the problem of spiritual and physical violence in the Church not only against children, but also against adults (seminarians, nuns, disabled people). The crisis has made it possible to draw attention to the presence of mental problems among young people entering seminaries and those ordained. The scandal virtually destroyed the moral authority of the clergy in Catholic countries. The author believes that the entire church hierarchy has been struck by paralysis: the inability to respond in time and effectively to problems and challenges. All this seriously complicates the way out of the crisis.

How to Speak in Tongues: A Historical–Contextual Reading of Paul’s Use of γλῶσσα/方言 in 1 Corinthians 12–14 from a Multilingual Diasporic Chinese Christian Church Context

From its inception, Chinese Christianity has involved speaking in “tongues”, across cultures, about the person and work of Jesus Christ. This article presents a contextual original-language exegesis of the Apostle Paul’s use of the word γλῶσσα (glōssa) or 方言 (fangyan) in 1 Corinthians 12–14 and seeks to understand this contested lexeme in light of the multilingual reality of both the “diasporic” Christian church in first-century Corinth and the diasporic Chinese Christian church today. It is argued that understanding Paul’s instructions regarding γλῶσσα/方言 within the context of a multilingual Christian worship culture strengthens the definition of γλῶσσα as languages used and understood among inhabitants of first-century Corinth. This reading, while not rejecting the possibility of an “angelic language” (tianshide huayu 天使的话语), may offer a more fruitful application for those who shape and participate in the multilingual worship culture of the diasporic Chinese Christian church today.

To Dwell Among

The Church today faces a shortage of financial resources and a dearth of vocations and active parishioners, and churches may also find themselves with vacant, unused property. Yet the call of the Church has not changed: we are still called to respond to the cry of the poor (New American Bible, 2010, Psalm 142:6), participate in the Incarnation, and stay with Christ as He suffers on the cross (New American Bible, 2010, Matthew 26:38). Saints, popes, and theologians echo this call, and sociological and behavioral science perspectives align with it. Together, these perspectives lay the groundwork for a model of ecclesial renewal, one in which laity live intentionally in or near local parishes, contributing to parochial resources and responding to the needs of the local neighborhood, thereby leading to transformation and renewal.

Restoring the Eschatological Identity of the Church through Word and Sacrament as the Basis for Establishing Church Spirituality

The teaching or doctrine related to Christian eschatology is often considered unimportant or at least less important for various reasons: it is located in the last part of systematic theology, speculative, irrelevant, and often causes polemics in its interpretation. These reasons have led to the lack or even neglect of eschatology being taught and lived out in the liturgy and the life of the church. Therefore, through a literature study, the authors propose how the church today can recover its identity as an eschatological community as envisioned in the Scriptures. In particular, the author shows how the church can see and execute the proclamation of the Word and administer the sacrament of Holy Communion or the Eucharist eschatologically. The authors’ conviction is that an eschatological perspective and praxis in the church is an appropriate and healthy way to rebuild the spirituality of believers today.

“Koinonia” in Reformed Theology

This presentation is an edited and revised version of the presentation given at the Ecumenical International Conference "Active Participation in Community", Pannonhalma Archabbey, 21 October 2022. The theme of the conference was synodality − accordingly, this paper aims to present the basic features of Reformed ecclesiology. It highlights the fact that adapting different forms of communion from a secular context is not a viable solution for the church, even though it remains a challenge for the church today in almost all countries. Instead, the ecclesiological and practical implications of koinonia must be considered. According to Reformed theology and Confessions of faith, the ministries, services and governance of the church derive from the koinonia with Christ and with one another. Participation in this communion requires a concrete form of ecclesial and social service; it is concretized by participation in the threefold office of Christ (royal, priestly and prophetic). Last but not least, sharing in the threefold office of Christ has an as yet unexploited ecumenical potential for the common witness of Christians.

An Increasingly (In)visible Religion? The Italian Case

Scholars have for some years hypothesized a “new visibility” of religion, so that a relevant role in the publicization of religion is played by the media. However, while the public visibility of religion in the media has recently become a topic of great interest at the international level, in Italy, the literature on this topic is quite scarce. It is of particular interest in Italy due to the central role played by the Catholic Church, which, despite the changed socio-political context and the transformations of the media system, does not seem to have lost its capacity to intervene publicly. Therefore, this study intends to fill this gap through a longitudinal analysis of the coverage of the Catholic Church in the main Italian print newspapers in the last 17 years (2005–2021). In total, 202,788 articles were collected and analysed using a content analysis. Results show that, in Italy, we cannot speak of a greater visibility of religion, in particular of the Catholic Church today in print press than in the past, nor of a uniformity with respect to the way in which is spoken about it in terms of issues and religious actors.

Church and State: The Promise of Reformed Theology for the Church Today

This article surveys the ways in which Reformed theology (particularly the Westminster Standards and subsequent generations of Scottish and American Presbyterians) has articulated the relationship between the church and civil government. It addresses two fruits of this line of reflection that are especially pertinent to the contemporary church. The first is that this doctrine makes provision for the divinely guaranteed religious liberty of all human beings, even in the face of a civil government’s attempts to abridge or usurp that authority. The second is that this doctrine provides clear guidance to the church concerning the ways in which the church, in its organized capacity, may and may not engage in matters that concern both the church and the state. KEYWORDS: Church, state, civil magistrate, religious liberty, Westminster Assembly, Scottish Presbyterian, American Presbyterian, PC (USA)

A Listening Church on the Synodal Pathway: Discernment and Decision-Making in Communion

AbstractPope Francis's has described his vision for a synodal Church, not simply as a once off programme of renewal, but as God's desire for the Church of the third millennium. As such, it aims to concretise the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, making the Church today more manifestly one of communion, participation, and mission. It differs from previous synods and Councils in history in that it more directly invites and involves all the baptised in a direct process of listening and discernment to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This paper aims to understand from a theological perspective how listening will work in a synodal Church, by exploring firstly what we mean by the ecclesiology of communion from the Council. Such an ecclesiology, manifesting the equal dignity of the faithful in Christ, will ground listening at the level of participation in God as well as acknowledging the gift of infallibility given to the whole Church. It means calling on the Holy Spirit to help discern how and where, the apostolic deposit of faith has been received by members of the body. It also explores what we mean by listening to the sensus fidei of the whole body and how the authority of laity and hierarchy operate both in united but distinct ways within a synodal process grounded in communion ecclesiology. Overall, such listening is to be done carefully for the sake of the Church's mission as the sacrament of salvation to the world.

Religious Liberty and Atheism: The Case of Richard Dawkins

Through the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church asserts the import of religious liberty for every individual and believes that one is entitled to live out one’s faith. Thus, through Dignitatis Humanae, the Church has revealed her intention to create inter-religion dialogues and to encourage respect for the positive values of different religions. This raises a question as to whether such dialogues and respect as voiced in Dignitatis Humanae are applicable when it comes to the issue of atheism, a pressing issue faced by the Church today. This article explores the engagement of such document with atheism. Since atheism covers various views coming from a number of authors, this current article focuses only on the atheism as promoted by Richard Dawkins. Building his atheism upon science, Dawkins’ views are worthy of our attention in today’s world, which is characterised by unending scientific revolutions.

Bimbingan Lanjutan dalam Pertumbuhan Gereja pada Masa Kini

Abstract: The problems of the church today must be carefully considered in order to think carefully about what must be done to achieve a church growth in accordance with God's will. In fact today the church is not growing because so many people were lost after they accepted Jesus. A general description of continued guidance that results in church growth that is happening today is that the problem is the existence of a weakness and negligence of the church, namely the lack of steady implementation of further guidance services which results in church growth being less stable in quality. Key words: A Church gwoth in accordance with God’s will.

The relevance of Early Church history in the implementation of the great commission in the present era and implications for Christian education in Indonesia

The history of the early church illustrates to the church today the spirit and courage of the early church and the apostles in carrying out the Great Commission. The purpose of this study is to discover the spirit and courage of the early church in carrying out the Great Commission and to invite the church today to carry out this task for the growth of the church. The method used in this research is the qualitative method. The result of this study is that the early church was more conspicuous in carrying out the Great Commission even though it faced heavy challenges but remained brave and resolute. Whereas the church today is still lacking in carrying out the Great Commission there are still many tribes who have not heard the gospel.