Christian Church Research Articles

Persons with Disabilities in the Christian Church: A Scoping Review on the Impact of Expressions of Compassion and Justice on their Inclusion and Participation

Despite the recognition of societal inclusion as a human right, persons with disabilities face many barriers preventing their participation in mainstream Christian denominations. A scoping review was conducted to map the relevant literature to explore the Christian Church’s expressions of compassion and/or justice toward persons with disabilities, and how this impacts their inclusion and participation. The findings confirm the paucity of literature addressing this phenomenon, as well as the under-representation of persons with disabilities in research concerning their own interests. Four nested themes reflect the harmful effects of misplaced pity and insufficient justice toward persons with disabilities, revealing evidence of oppression, expressed through stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination – all perceived to hinder their meaningful participation in the body of Christ. Knowledge gaps concerning the lived experiences of persons with disabilities in this setting were identified and recommended for future research.

Psychological implications of man-made trauma and efficacy of “Teaching Recovery Techniques” on children and adolescents exposed to trauma

Trauma is a mental state of distress and pain resulting from memories of an unexpected, terrifying experience that threatens the survivor's sense of security, especially in children. The present research aimed to examine the Psychological Implications of man-made trauma and the efficacy of Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) to children and adolescents exposed to trauma.The Study comprises two parts. First, it aimed to find out the relationship between Child trauma (ChT) and Post-Traumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms (PSTD) in children and adolescents who were exposed to fire incidents and terrorist attacks. Non-probability Purposive sampling was used in which 80 participants (45 boys and 35 girls) aged 8—17 years were selected from Joseph Colony and Yohanabad Christian Community of Lahore, and the second aimed to assess the TRT on the children and adolescents exposed to terrorist attacks. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between ChT and PTSD in children and adolescents exposed to fire incidents and terrorist attacks. Significant differences were found between the two groups in PTSD symptoms experienced by the participants. Furthermore, participants exposed to terror attacks experienced more PTSD symptoms than fire attacks. Age and proximity to the traumatic incident were significant predictors of PTSD symptoms. The intervention was given in five sessions at the Sunday school of Christ Church Yohanabad Lahore, and the results were promising. It concludes that significant improvement in post-intervention reduces PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents. The study findings can be applied to other such man-made and natural traumas in the future.

Factors Affecting Acceptance of Caesarean Section among Childbearing Age Women in Ebute-Metta, Lagos Mainland Local Government in Lagos State, Nigeria

The research study was centered on investigating the factors affecting the acceptance of CS among childbearing age women in Ebute-Metta, Mainland Local Government of Lagos State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design and simple random sampling and purposive sampling technique was used to elicit information from 138 women attending Antenatal Clinic in Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta; State Health Centre, Ebute Metta; Primary Health Care Centre; St. Annes Infirmary for Women, Dawodu Lane, Ebute-Metta; Redeemed Christian Church of God Maternity Centre, Ebute Metta, out of which 129 was returned and dully filled. Data was analyzed using frequency tables, percentage, mean and Standard Deviation. Chi-Square statistical tool was used to test hypotheses. Result revealed that 94.6% of the respondents have high knowledge of CS as a method of delivery. 30.3% of the respondents agreed that CS is preferable to vaginal delivery as the pain in vaginal delivery is usually unpleasant, 55% agree that CS cost more than vaginal delivery. 49.7% of the respondents have experienced CS. Statistically, Knowledge of CS will significantly affect acceptance of CS among women of Childbearing age at X2= 65.163; df=22; p-value 0.000<0.05. Cultural belief will significantly affect acceptance of CS among women of Childbearing age at (X2= 88.271; df= 43; P-value 0.000<0.05. It was therefore concluded that Mothers should therefore be educated on the process involved in Caesarean Section delivery and the advantage, causes, importance of this method of delivery in saving the life of mother and baby. It was recommended that a well-organized and structured education / counselling session be organised during antenatal visit in order to help increase useful information about Caesarean section.

Late-Ming Book Culture and the Fujian Christian Community: a Case Study of Lixiu yijian 勵修一鑑 (A Mirror to Encourage Self-cultivation)

Abstract This study demonstrates the importance of book culture in the building of a religious community and in the preservation and interpretation of local experiences, through the making of a book titled Lixiu yijian 勵修一鑑 (A mirror to encourage self-cultivation) around 1645. The main author, Li Jiugong 李久功, mobilized members of the Fujian Christian community to collaborate on this communal book project outside the Christian church. Both xylographic print culture and manuscript culture were involved in the process and in the final product of this project. Through genre affiliation, content categorization, and the addition of commentaries, Li and his associates transformed the diverse source materials into a cohesive guidebook for their fellow Christian readers. The book provided Chinese references or contexts to stories of Western origin. Meanwhile, it also portrayed a group image of devoted and resourceful local Chinese Christians among their Western peers, thus promoting Chinese Christians’ experience as an invaluable part of a universal religious system.

Characteristic features of Reformation in Hungary and the Formation of the Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) Church in Transylvania in the Second Half of the 16th Century

This article examines the peculiarities of the Reformation process in the Hungarian territories, followed by the formation of a Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) church in Transylvania in the 16th century. The study aims to identify the specific features and periodization of this process in the said area. The first feature is the complex ethnic composition of the population, which led to political and religious opposition and the strengthening of state power by certain ethnic groups that adopted Protestant religious doctrines. The second feature is related to the complex military-political situation in Central Europe in the 16th century: the disintegration of the Kingdom of Hungary, the annexation of parts of the disintegrated kingdom by the Ottoman Empire, which led to several major Austro-Turkish wars and constant border skirmishes. This resulted in the emergence of various vassal formations and the use of interfaith conflict as a means to achieve success in military-political confrontations. The third feature, closely related to the previous ones, is the strengthening of magnate clans, which, in the context of weak government and a challenging international situation, became independent political forces significantly influencing the religious processes in the country. These characteristics of Reformation in the Hungarian territories led, in the second half of the 16th century, to a substantial expansion of Protestantism supporters and an increase in the number of Protestant denominations. In the small, frontier, vassal state of the Eastern Hungarian kingdom under the Ottoman Empire, the widest religious freedom in Europe was granted. A few years later, a Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) Christian church was established, receiving equal rights with all other religious denominations. It continues to exist in Hungary and Romania. This study will be of interest to the researchers of history of Reformation and religion in general.

Persepsi Identitas Diri sebagai Anggota Gereja di Kalangan Orang Muda Katolik

The issue of identity as a member of the Church comes to the fore and is purified when placed within the framework of diversity and relationships with other ecclesiastical communities. Ecumenism is an effort to restore the unity of the Christian Church that emerges from the diversity of the Christian communities. In this case, identity as a member of a particular Church can actually grow and be enriched by these relationships. This article explores the self-perception of young Catholics as members of the Catholic Church amidst the diversity of the ecclesiastical communities. Using Paul Murray’s concept of Catholic learning, it observes how young people discover the uniqueness of their existence as members of the Catholic Church. Within this perspective, the Church instills an attitude of mutual respect and acceptance of the elements of truth within the Church itself and within other ecclesiastical communities. The author observes the ways of carrying out the Catholic learning by conducting an exploration of perceptions of self-identity among the Catholics, which aim to build an attitude of mutual respect, mutual acceptance, and mutual enrichment of each other. In this effort, the focus is directed towards young people who can be expected to witness as well as to learn from other ecclesiastical communities and that dialogue can be a means of purifying their identity.

Pursuing the Long Shadow over the "Domestic Church": Toward a Global History of Abuse in Catholic Settings

Abstract: This article makes the case for a new phase of research on the abuse crisis and calls for a collaborative endeavor aiming at an interdisciplinary, historically contextualized account of the global history of abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church. This requires a redefinition of the scope of enquiry from the national to the global, and a refocusing of the analytical optic beyond a perpetrator-focused, pathologizing approach to clergy sexual abuse to situate sexual and spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church in its wider enabling ecosystem. We propose a scaled and spatial approach, focused on delineating understandings of the "domestic church" in a given context. This broader focus on interactions between the "three-legged stool" of the family-parish-school, particularly as contextualized in their ecclesial and socio-economic dynamics, extends the analysis beyond media-framed narratives and judicial approaches and allows for comparability across national settings. The article sets out the urgent need for a multi-disciplinary, mixed-method, and coordinated approach, given the many facets of the crisis (legal, political, cultural, financial, psychological, but also theological and spiritual), and the transnational dimensions of this epidemic within (and beyond) the Church that are yet to be fully discerned and historicized.

Psychological Type and the life of faith

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTITM) is widely used in Christian churches as an aid to deeper understanding of one’s own personality and that of one’s fellow believers. It is also presented as a guide to those practices that will be most helpful in developing a Christian’s spiritual life and discipleship. The article examines and critiques the latter notion, concluding that it is unwise to displace and ignore tried-and-tested classical spiritual disciplines on the grounds of incompatibility with one’s personality. Instead, knowing one’s Personality Type should help identify the spiritual disciplines that are attractive and congenial and also those equally important but less congenial disciplines, which may well require determined effort.

A duplication of marriages? An ethnographic account and assessment of the necessity for both traditional and Christian marriages for African Christians

This article is based on ethnographic research for a doctoral study that was conducted in 2016 among the Ndau people of Chimanimani, Zimbabwe. The article described and assessed the practice of some African Christian churches, especially missionary founded churches, to conduct ‘white church weddings’ after getting married customarily. The study employs a postcolonial approach as a theoretical lens. It argues for a hybridized form of Christian marriage that takes into cognizance the validity of African customary marriages in and for themselves, while at the same time appreciating the importance ascribed to ‘church weddings’ in especially missionary-founded churches. The study uses the case study of the Ndau people, but the phenomenon is widely practised among African Christians across the continent. In the article, doctoral thesis findings were related with Erlank’s (2014) work on marriages in South Africa. The article offered description, critique (postcolonial, gender, class), and suggested interventions. Critical phenomenology was utilized to assess the findings and to expose the power relations that exist in the hierarchical treatment of African customary marriages as of an inferior status compared to church weddings. The economic aspect of the duplication of marriages was also foregrounded. The article underscores the importance of ethnographic research on religion as a human phenomenon in Southern Africa and beyond, as well as a critical assessment of the phenomenon. It provided several possible interventions for African missionary-founded churches.

Media Sosial: Wadah Baru Evangelisasi

Nowadays, we have moved into the second oral era, enlivened by television and information technology. So the 'virtual world' grew which was supported by new tools with all the charming facilities. The changing reality of the world around us is a context that must be taken into account if we want to carry out faith preaching activities. The main problem of preaching in this era is not "what communication tools we should use" but "what kind of communication methods we need to use so that the message of faith is relevant to people living in the digital age." The Church recommends that pastors and people see positive opportunities from the media, while increasing awareness of the negative impacts of the media. It is not enough to simply use the media to spread authentic Christian messages and Church teachings. It is also necessary to integrate the Gospel message in the new culture created by modern communications. If the language of preaching which covers the entire appearance of the Church, its behavior, structure and attitudes is not updated, people today will not grasp the message conveyed by the Church. We must look for ways that can touch the sensibilities of modern society.

Contexts of Altar Flowers

Flowers are placed on the altar in many Christian churches. However, while many other items on the altar have given rise to a vast body of theological research, this is not the case with altar flowers. In this article the author makes a constructive contribution to the theology of altar flowers and looks at the contexts in which altar flowers are imagined and how these can help to illustrate theological elements. Two initial contexts for altar flowers are assumed: the liturgical and the extra-liturgical, suggesting that altar flowers hold particular meanings both for those who know the Christian story, and equally for those who do not. It is suggested that a role which seems merely decorative is not that after all, as deeper Christian meanings can be offered in both contexts. Moreover, altar flowers as objects of nature have the capacity to speak to new groups of people on urgent contemporary themes. Finally, it is suggested that altar flowers may also bridge a divide between the secular and sacred. Apart from contributing to the construction of a theology of altar flowers, a deeper understanding of the intersections of aesthetics, faith and reason is sought.

Making Knowledge in the Local Settings: Vernacular Education and Cantonese Elementary Textbooks

A growing number of Protestant missionaries engaged in vernacular education in the late nineteenth century. To meet the demands of the new era, Christian church education faced challenges not only in its curriculum design but also in the way it presented new knowledge. Previous studies have focused on church education at the tertiary level while overlooking the elementary level. This article discusses vernacular church education and vernacular textbooks at the elementary level in the late Qing, with specific reference to Youxue baoshen yaoyan 幼學保身要言 (The Human Body for Children). It argues that the demand for spreading new knowledge urged Protestant missionaries to compile vernacular textbooks and present Western knowledge in the local settings. Vernacular church education should be regarded as the precursor of indigenous education proposed by the late Qing Court. The local dialect, Cantonese in this case, bridged the linguistic gap between new terms and children’s cognition and became an effective means of presenting new knowledge. Vernacular textbooks had an unparalleled significance in the cultural sphere of dialect writing, since the language of textbooks could drastically influence the writing and reading habits of the young generation and further influence people’s attitudes towards dialects and dialect literature.

Uneasy Encounters: Christian Churches in Greater China, written by Rychetská, Magdaléna

Uneasy Encounters: Christian Churches in Greater China, written by Rychetská, Magdaléna

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.

Looking within: an international course on race and theology to support student learning of racism

This qualitative research study explores the impact of in-depth exploration of race in theology on student learning in a voluntary reading group at a Protestant university in Tanzania and students enrolled in a theology course at a Catholic college in the United States. The unique course featured students gathering at their own institutions and together online to explore the construct, history, and operation of race in Christian theology. Researchers interviewed 20 student participants and gathered sample assignments for analysis. Using critical race theory and critical pedagogy as theoretical lenses, the results indicate that while students were readily able to identify examples of systemic racism and the impacts of structural racism in the Christian church, white students in the US were unable to identify the impact of racism on their own racial identities. Implications for research and practice highlight the need for more collaborative research projects with researchers of colour as well as opportunities throughout the higher education experience for students to engage in the continuous process of understanding the role of systemic oppression in society.

The Image of the Married Woman in Portuguese, Spanish and Russian Proverbs in the Light of Medieval Christian Ethics

Purpose. To examine the portrayal of women in matrimonial contexts through an analysis of 437 proverbs originating from Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian traditions. This study aims to explore how these sayings mirror the cultural, societal, and religious beliefs surrounding women's roles in the institution of marriage.Results. The study found that the image of women in marriage within these proverbs is consistent across the cultures studied. It highlighted that while the Christian Church promotes chastity, it also endorses marriage to combat sexual promiscuity. Similarities were identified between Southern European and Russian proverbs regarding the spiritual foundation of Christian marriage, the nature of spousal relationships, and the expected qualities of a wife and mother.Conclusion. Proverbs serve as a cultural repository, mirroring traditions and values shaped by historical and literary influences. The proverbs perpetuate the religious and moral ideals of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, particularly the patriarchal view of marriage. This view enforces a hierarchy within marriage, with the wife subordinated to the husband, who is seen as her spiritual guide and the determinant of roles and responsibilities in the family and the broader society.

Markedness Effects in the Semiotactics of the Hieratic Markers of the Stone Tablets in the Christian Sacrosphere

The present article inscribes itself in the realm of the investigation of visual hieratic textuality. In the article, I use semiotactics as the methodology developed on the basis of contemporary phonology (in particular, (mor)phonotactics, e. g. Dressler and Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2006 inter alia) to examine salient asymmetries as markedness phenomena operating on a hieratic marker active both in the Judaic denomination and in Christianity ‒ the Stone Tablets. In particular, I focus on the semiotactic reflection of the markedness effects related to the presence of the analysed marker in Catholic churches. I establish several implicational cooccurrence restrictions and arrive at establishing several primes in the nano-structure of a hieratic sign. The basis for the analysis is the digital documentation of the representation of the Stone Tablets in Christian churches which I collected in various European countries in the years 2010‒2022. The supplementary illustrative materials are available here in the form of a recorded presentation.

The Power of Preaching and Deliberative Dialogue to Catalyze Congregational Social Action: A Case Study from “The Purple Zone”

This article explores different ways that preachers and congregations have used the sermon-dialogue-sermon process to address social issues in their churches and engage their local community. I begin with a brief review of the homiletic theory behind the emergence of dialogical preaching, including the ways I have integrated this theory into my own method of the sermon-dialogue-sermon (SDS) process. I then explain the work I have performed training preachers and congregations in the SDS method. This article then focuses on the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moon, a pastor in Kentucky who undertook the SDS process with her congregation, North Middletown Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in Middletown, Kentucky. Their work allows for a longitudinal case study of the ways in which the SDS process can assist a congregation in engaging and strengthening democratic practices through deliberation and community outreach. The article concludes with a reflection on the implications of this process for a congregation’s engagement with social issues as well as recommendations for further research and analysis.

Pencatatan Perkawinan Campuran Beda Agama Berdasarkan Hukum Kanonik dan Hukum Positif

The focus of this research examines the registration of mixed religious marriages based on canon law and positive law. The topic of study is related to the legal instruments governing mixed religious marriages, the implementation of mixed religious marriages based on Church law and positive law. The aim of this study is to serve as a guideline for government agencies that have firm authority regarding marriage and everything related to marriage. Researchers used descriptive qualitative methods and critical reading of texts, namely: (1) Canon Law 1124-1129; (2) Law Number 1 of 1974 article 2 paragraph (1) in conjunction with article 66; (3) Law Number 23 of 2006. The results and findings in this research are that interfaith marriages can be obtained and registered with the Civil Registry Officer and obtain a Deed and Excerpt from the Marriage Certificate, requiring first a decision from the court as regulated in article 35 Law no. 23 of 2006. Meanwhile, marriages issued by the Catholic Church do not receive enough Marriage Certificate Excerpts from the Population and Civil Registration Service. The conclusion from this research is that the implementation of a Mixed Mexta Religio marriage must first obtain a license from the Church authorities, because the marriage is a prohibited marriage. It is seen as a prohibition because there are many elements of similarity and togetherness between the Christian and Catholic Churches. Meanwhile, Marriage Disparity Cultus is seen as an obstacle to marriage (impedimentum disparity cultus) and to confirm this marriage a dispensation is needed.

Abi Jaber Dj., Kudriavtsev A. V. Russian and Arabic Dictionary of Christian and Biblical Vocabulary — :Moscow قاموس روسي – عربي للمصطلحات المسیحیة والكتابیة B. S. G.-Press, 2020

The Russian-Arabic Dictionary of Christian and Biblical vocabulary (over 2200 words and expressions) contains words related to the Christian religion and practice (worship, church vestments, hierarchy, sacraments), as well as theological terms. It also includes the names of Church holidays, the titles of the Books of the Old and New Testaments, a list of personal names of Saints and a list of biblical place names. The Appendix provides the reader with a list of Christian churches and the texts of the main Orthodox prayers in Church Slavonic (in modern Russian transcription) and Arabic. Page references to the publication under review in the text of the review are given in parentheses.