Evangelical Research Articles

К ВОПРОСАМ О ДУХОВНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЕ В СЕВЕРОКИТАЙСКОЙ ПРОВИНЦИИ МАНЧЖУРИИ В НАЧАЛЕ XX в.

The paper touches on the processes of formation of the Russian population on the border territory of North-East China in the exclusion zone of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and reveals aspects of spiritual culture. The main emphasis is on creating a religiously tolerant environment for settlers in Manchuria, which was a common policy for the entire population of the Far Eastern Region. Particular attention is paid to Baptists, which took an active position in the Far East. Research is based on a wide range of sources, archival funds, personal archives, newspaper articles, research and general scientific literature. Some aspects of the work of Protestant missionaries are reflected only in confessional sources (in the books of V.I. Franchuk, Y.F. Sablin, G.P. Vince). Historical-systemic, comparative chronological, statistical and other methods made it possible to examine part of the spiritual culture in the designated area. The article examines aspects of the spread of evangelical doctrine at the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of the active work of Baptist churches and missionaries, the Far Eastern Union of Baptists (FEBL) was formed, which extended its activities to the border areas. Foreign missions provided personnel and financial support to fellow believers, this contributed to the spread of the gospel message in the 10s of the 20th century, but by the end of the 20s and 30s the situation had changed, and cooperation with foreign organizations was unfavorable. According to the author, the activities of the Manchu Baptist communities were closely connected with the Russian Far East, on the territory of which the governing body of the DVSB was located (initially in Blagoveshchensk, and then in Khabarovsk). The adherents of Evangelical Christian Baptists were mostly Russian-speaking, but work was also carried out with the Chinese population. In turn, the Far Eastern Union of Baptists, through the territory of Northern China, had the opportunity to more quickly and without control receive various types of assistance from European and American churches: funds and spiritual literature for the development of missionary activities.

Clinical presentation and outcomes of Mooren’s ulcer: a 2-year retrospective cohort study

Background: Mooren’s ulcer is a chronic, painful, unrelenting, peripheral ulcerative keratitis with atypical geographic presentation and distribution. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the clinical presentation and outcomes of patients with Mooren’s ulcer over a 2-year period at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Eye Hospital, Kano, Nigeria. Methods: The theatre records of 24 patients with Mooren’s ulcer were retrospectively reviewed, with a focus on those who had up to 2 years of follow-up. The surgical treatment followed a standard procedure of 3 ml of 2% xylocaine and 0.01% adrenaline were administered for peribulbar anaesthesia. The periorbital area was cleaned with 10% povidone iodine, draped, and a lid speculum was inserted to part the lids. The conjunctiva was excised 2 mm from the edge of the ulcer, and the area was lightly cauterized. This was followed by a combination of subconjunctival injection of 2 mg of dexamethasone and 20 mg of gentamycin and a drop of 0.3% of ciprofloxacin and 1% of atropine. Data were analyzed using a social science statistical package (IBM SPSS Inc. Chicago V 19.0) with 95% confidence. Results: The results revealed that Mooren’s ulcer was predominant in an age range of 11 and 30 years. A total number of 24 patients were seen in the two years of review, with an average age of 27.3±13.7 years. There were 19 male and 5 female patients, with a male-to-female ratio of 3.8:1. At presentation, patients had poor preoperative vision, with acuity values of less than 6/60–3/60 range. Postoperatively, 15 eyes had a borderline outcome (cannot see 6/18 but can see 6/60), 12 eyes had good vision (VA 6/18) and 4 eyes ended up with the same presenting vision (VA<6/60) after treatment. One patient had iris prolapse and three patients had evisceration. Conclusions: This study provided the clinical characteristics of patients with Mooren’s corneal ulcer. A comparison of preoperative and postoperative visual acuity showed that early presentation and intervention improved visual outcomes. Although most eyes maintained or improved vision, nearly half demonstrated a borderline result that fell short of the target vision threshold. The retrospective nature of this study limited its ability to review complete patient information. The small sample size also constrained the analysis due to the low incidence of Mooren’s ulcer. Further research is needed to better understand increased susceptibility in younger populations. This will help inform prevention and treatment efforts to address this public health challenge.

‘“Be baptized now, and baptize us also”: Reframing the narrative of Andrew D. Urshan’s encounter with Russian Pentecostals’

ABSTRACT This essay reframes the narrative of Oneness Pentecostal origins in Russia, presenting a decentred perspective on the encounter between the Petrograd community and their missionary, Andrew Urshan. Though unaware of the so-called ‘New Issue’ dividing Pentecostals in North America in the 1910s, these Pentecostals convinced Urshan to embrace the untraditional ‘Jesus name’ baptismal formula. This decentring approach creates a narrative of mutuality that recognizes the agency of a people considered recipients of mission. Beginning with a brief overview of Pentecostal origins in Russia, the focus narrows to the emergence of Oneness Pentecostalism in Petrograd. Urshan’s embrace of the Oneness doctrine of God and a general history of the Community of Evangelical Christians in the Apostolic Spirit, which resulted from Urshan’s ministry, will follow. Finally, the essay explores how the double appeal to ‘be baptized now, and baptize us also,’ spoken by a subaltern group, reframes the narrative of Oneness Pentecostal origins in Russia.

The Encounter of Christianity With The Old Religion of Minahasa

The purpose of this article is to carry out an in-depth analysis of the encounter between Christianity and the old Minahasa religion. The problems that arise related to the revival and re-existence of old Minahasa beliefs affect the faith of congregation members in Minahasa today. Christianity has been embraced by the Minahasa people since 1831 and has transformed Minahasa culture. The way to transform it is through the preaching of the Gospel and Christian religious education. The research method used to solve this problem is a qualitative research method with stages of collecting scientifically tested literature exploration such as books and journals, without ignoring field data. Through this discussion, the author offers a new perspective that the old Minahasan religion needs to be studied critically and constructively to highlight the local wisdom contained in it in order to enrich theological efforts within the Evangelical Christian Church in Minahasa. The author's thesis is that the manguni bird is a form of local Minahasa cultural wisdom, enriching the theological efforts of GMIM congregation members. The author then differentiated this thesis in depth with the following systematics: First, the religion of the Minahasa tribe, Second, the entry of Christianity in Minahasa, Third, the encounter of Christianity with the religion of the Minahasa tribe, Fourth, GMIM theology in its service. The end of this article is a conclusion which confirms that the goals have been achieved and problems have been answered.

Public justifications in differentiated symbolic spheres: Czech restitution of church property

ABSTRACT This article analyses the media statements by Czech church representatives on the restitution of church property. It traces the debate from the fall of communism in 1990 until 2019 via two centre-left and centre-right newspapers and the official periodicals of the two largest Czech churches, the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. At the theoretical and methodological level, I show the advantages of combining pragmatic and cultural sociology approaches, specifically Boltanski and Thévenot’s modes of justification and Alexander and Smith’s civil and non-civil spheres. This analytical approach allows for a better understanding of the dynamics of symbolic discursive dominance in public disputes. The churches’ efforts to achieve public credibility have primarily relied on emphasising efficiency, expertise and transparency. Surprisingly, these attributes, typical of the Czech civil sphere, were also prevalent arguments within intra-church discourses.

Women and Ordination in Ethiopia: In the Case of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus*

Since the inception of the Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus (EECMY), women have been part and parcel of the holistic ministry; however, their role has only been limited to providing social welfare activities for a long time. Meanwhile, a communist regime took power in the 1974 revolution and caused severe trials and persecution of evangelical churches, and prominent Mekane Yesus congregations opened for charismatic moves. Such upheavals loosened the stringent structures of the church, allowed women to serve freely and fearlessly, and showed their worthiness amid a brutal government crackdown. Subsequently, the issue of elevating women to ordination began to rise and took several years to realise. This article mainly discusses this historical process from the wider Lutheran tradition as well as in comparison with other Ethiopian mainline evangelical denominations; and how they resolved it constitutionally after intense and long debate by utilising key participant informants, bulletins, magazines, and research work.

Pope Francis the Roman Catholic Church and citizen attitudes towards climate change in Latin America

Studies on the relationship between religious attitudes and attitudes towards climate change and other environmental issues have tended to focus on the United States. While there is good reason to expect such a relationship to exist, our understanding of it is limited first and foremost by the limited number of country-comparative studies. This study aims to reduce this gap by investigating how trust in the Church and evaluations of Pope Francis affect the views of Latin Americans on anthropogenic climate change. Our study is based on data from the 2017 Latinobarómetro with 13,472 respondents based in 18 Latin American countries. Our findings reveal that Roman Catholics are less likely to believe in manmade climate change as compared to evangelical Christians and respondents belonging to no or any other denomination. We obtain the same negative relationship between trust in the (Catholic) Church and belief in anthropogenic climate change. However, favourable assessments of Pope Francis have a positive effect, and this assessment also has a positive moderating effect on the impact of trust in the Church on the outcome variable. These findings have important implications for climate policies, as they suggest that the public demand for climate action might increase if the Roman Catholic Church in their regional dioceses, rather than mostly the Pope, were to take and communicate a more coherent, affirmative position on climate change.

Gospel Truth in Gender Diversity Debates in Dutch Evangelical Churches

Abstract The inclusion of women in leadership navigates between the issues of unity and what is considered biblical. Recent empirical research in two evangelical churches in the Netherlands indicates that addressing female leadership as a secondary topic relative to the centrality of the gospel facilitates local churches to meet both values. The classification secondary is clarified as well as challenged by the evangelical definition of salvation. This article argues that a broader understanding of what is seen as the heart of the gospel might be beneficial in the approach to contemporary topics like gender roles in the church.

Confirmation – a Space for Human and Divine Action. Traditional Ritual in the Process of Changes in Secular Czechia

Abstract Work with confirmands and the concept of confirmation have undergone a number of changes in recent decades. This study explores the changes that have taken place in the largest Protestant church in Czechia, the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. With the help of empirical research, it attempts to trace general trends and confronts them with the proposal of a new confirmation liturgy of the ECCB (2023), current theories of confirmation, and the results of European research on confirmation. It concludes by showing the difficulties inherent in trying to reduce confirmation to one core meaning, and recommends that a balance is sought between the subjective and objective as well as theological and anthropological dimensions. Confirmation is both an opportunity to accompany adolescents with intercession and blessing on the journey of faith that began with baptism, and a space where they can respond to it and assume their own religious responsibility.

“Pertinacity Is Fortitude”: Rethinking Conduct Books and Youthful Resistance

This article reassesses the conduct genre by questioning the critical association between conduct literature and conservative models of gendered domesticity. Challenging the assumption that progressive attitudes toward issues like women's equality and youthful conduct could not coexist with otherwise conservative political or religious beliefs, I analyze conduct books by Evangelical Christians such as Hannah More, Isaac and Ann Taylor, and Jane West. I intend to demonstrate that many conduct books by conservative Christians normalized and even validated behavior traits like “obstinacy,” “pertinacity,” and “resistance” during adolescence, and often explicitly condemned the very features of passive domesticity that critics typically identify with idealized, “proper” conduct of the period.

A atuação de forças centrípetas e centrífugas no discurso religioso sobre a pessoa com deficiência: reflexões a partir de Bakhtin e o Círculo

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the action of centripetal and centrifugal forces in utterances from the religious sphere, which reveal worldviews of the evangelical Christian segment regarding disability. For that, we selected a video available on YouTube, containing utterances by the hosts Tito Rocha and Leandro Quadros regarding disabilities, as well as the response of an internet user about the positioning of these individuals. The theoretical and methodological reflection is based on the dialogical orientation of language, considering dialogic relations, voices, and centripetal and centrifugal forces. Additionally, we drew upon studies on worldviews, the inclusion of people with disabilities, religious discourse, and Christian theology. The results reveal that the discourses of the hosts reflect and refract a Christian worldview that unifies the understanding of disability due to divine punishment caused by sin. While the internet user’s comment presents movements of centralization and dispersion of this Christian perspective.

Efektivitas Penginjilan Digital sebagai Media dan Tantangan dalam Pemuridan Generasi Muda

AbstractDigitalization has had a significant impact on various aspects of life, including in the realm of business and religious practices. This research focuses on Christian evangelism in the digital era, where technology has become an integral tool for spreading religious teachings. Digitalization allows churches and religious organizations to leverage social media, websites, podcasts, and other online platforms to reach a wider audience, significantly younger generations increasingly connected to technology. This research uses literature analysis methods and phenomenon observation as the primary approach. The research results show that digital evangelism effectively reaches a broader audience but is also faced with challenges, such as the risk of spreading misinformation or religious extremism. The importance of ethical responsibility in using technology is highlighted, with the need for churches and spiritual leaders to develop discipleship strategies that are contextual and responsive to current developments.

Identity(ies) and Transnationalization of Brazilian Evangelical Churches in Portugal: Case study of World Cathedral of Hope and Victory in Christ Churches

Identity(ies) and Transnationalization of Brazilian Evangelical Churches in Portugal: Case study of World Cathedral of Hope and Victory in Christ Churches

Rękopisy z Biblioteki przy kościele ewangelicko-augsburskim Św. Trójcy w Kamiennej Górze na Śląsku (Landeshut in Schlesien) w zbiorach Biblioteki Uniwersyteckiej w Warszawie wraz z krótką historią dawnej Wallenberg-Fenderlinsche Bibliothek zu Landeshut

The paper discusses a collection of the former library of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession under the invocation of the Holy Trinity in Kamienna Góra in Silesia. The collection was moved to the University of Warsaw Library in 1949–1950. Manuscripts and its description advancement are the main topic of the publication. The article contains an outline of the history of the library in question. The characteristic of consecutive library statutes shines a light on changes in its functioning.

Citizenship of the Conservative Movements in Mexico and Defense of the Formation of the Family: The Case of Frente Nacional por la Familia

The presence of the conservatives in Mexico, and their main characters, is long-standing. In Mexican history, some of the conservative movements have been present in religious thinking, especially in Catholicism, e.g., the quick departure from socio-cultural and political Mexican spaces as a consequence of the evangelical Spanish process, whose roots come from the XVI century Of the population in contemporary Mexico (7.7% belong to Catholicism, 2.5% to Evangelical Christians and Protestants, and 2.5% to non-Christian groups, while 8.1% do not follow a religion. Catholicism has a significant presence and influence on different forms of belief and practice in daily life in Mexico. This paper aims to highlight the role of the conservative movement called Frente Nacional por la Familia. It presents its history as the heritage of other conservative movements in Mexico, the stages of its formation, and the agenda and intervention in public life. The methodological approach is qualitative, using multi-situated ethnography. The results allow us to visualize the construction of the public agenda with legislative strategies that have operated with relative success and national presence, obstructing the progress of the proposals of feminist groups and sexual diversity and the defense of a national and cultural project that has as one of the symbols the traditional family.

Epiphenomenal suasion: Jehovah's Witnesses and the politics of preaching against the state

AbstractThe individual is the conventional way religious change is figured when considering ‘conversion’. This essay argues this is rooted in the soteriological focus of Christian evangelism and shifts what are typically taken to be the objects of change to view them as agents of change. As an example of this, the essay compares two ethnographic examples of Jehovah's Witnesses’ evangelism: the ways that Witnesses preach with mobile literature carts; and the way three Witnesses ‘preached’ at an academic conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In order to make sense of these examples, it is necessary to unpack the theopolitical context underlying the common suasive strategy, and doing so is revealing in both instances of different objects and agents of evangelism, allowing for a comparison that explores how causality and agency are distributed in Witness preaching work. This leads to a consideration of the ways Witnesses’ public evangelism subtly preaches against the state as a process of ‘vindicating the name of God’.

Ein modernes Gotteshaus für Passugg-Araschgen. Der Bündner Architekt Andres Liesch und die Kirche in Passugg

This article examines the evangelical church in Passugg-Araschgen (1971/72), considered one of the main works of the Grisons architect Andres Liesch (1927-1990). As a leading figure in his generation within the canton of Graubünden, Liesch left an indelible mark on the Swiss architectural landscape. His portfolio, boasting over 37 schools, is distinguished by the adept utilisation of concrete and a meticulous spatial arrangement. The Passugg church, influenced by Liesch’s exposure to the expressive architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, represents an elegant fusion of complex geometries and sculptural spaces respectfully integrated into the surrounding landscape. The structure, characterised by a pavilion roof and the artful incorporation of topography, embodies Liesch’s philosophy that architecture “gains substance through a clear architectural message”. The financial and logistical support of National Councilor Paul Raschein, president of Passugger Heilquellen AG, was crucial in the realisation of the project. The Passugg church stands out as a unique example of sacred architecture designed by Liesch, combining geometric mastery and sculptural vision in a specific context, representing a significant contribution to the architectural modernisation of Graubünden.

Aufgabenbereiche der evangelischen Pfarrfrau einer siebenbürgisch-sächsischen Gemeinde im 20. Jahrhundert

The present article can be considered a contribution to the oral history and contains the description of the fields of duty that a protestant pastor’s wife had in a Transylvanian Saxon parish until the beginning of the 21st century. As an introduction there is a brief overview over the evolution of the parsonage as a religious institution beneath the church beginning with the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century in Germany. The author is a protestant pastor’s wife herself and recounts some of her experiences living in a village parish where the pastor and his wife were seen as the father and mother of the parish. Among the wife’s duties was the organizing of the women’s association in the village, baking gingerbread for all children at Christmas and Easter, teaching religion at school but also privately (the only possibility in communist Romania), being a good host to all arriving guests, whether invited or not, and many other activities. After the fall of communism through the revolution in December 1989, almost  Dr. Sunhild Galter, Lucian-Blaga-Universität Sibiu/Hermannstadt; E-Mail: sunhild.galter@ulbsibiu.ro. 128 Sunhild Galter 90% of the German speaking population of Romania, the so-called Transylvanian Saxons, left for Germany. This historical event meant the end of the parsonage as an institution within the parishes and the Evangelical church.

Making a Home, Keeping God Close

Abstract In Evangelical Christian communities, the responsibility for maintaining the home is taken up primarily by women (Bartkowski, 1999; Gallagher & Smith, 1999). The discursive construction of the home as a sacred space free from toxic influences emerged during the Cold War, when the global turmoil seemed to demand the delineation of a matriarchal safe space (Shively, 2017; Neumann, 2019; Anagnost 2013). More recently, restrictions concerning covid-19 have initiated a further shift from the public to the private sphere. Women who were accustomed to conducting housework while their husbands were at work have abruptly come to the foreground as life primarily took place at home. This article explores the intersection of daily activities with religious beliefs as reflected in the practice of blogging. Central to this study is the assumption that ordinary, daily activities provide a unique lens into the way people ‘in the pews’ live their lives.

Conversions of Jacob Hodges: Religion, Race, and Labor in Prison Reform Literature

Abstract: Born to a free Black family, Jack Hodges (ca. 1763–1842) was arrested for the murder of a white man in 1819 and served a term at New York's Auburn State Prison, the world-famous prototype of industrial prison discipline, where he experienced a life-altering Christian conversion. Also known as Jacob Hodges, he became one of the nineteenth century's most famous incarcerated African Americans, appearing in popular crime writing, children's books, reform society reports, and spiritual biographies. Today, however, Hodges is unacknowledged, even among scholars of race and prison studies. My interdisciplinary essay advances both historical and interpretive claims. I reconstruct Hodges's life in the crucible of evangelical Protestantism, racial assimilation, and industrial market capitalism, which worked together, I argue, to shape the ideology of the modern prison system. I also analyze the vivid fantasies about Hodges that circulated in reformist literature. Unlike the majority of captives, whose struggles left only faint traces in the archives, Hodges was neither the object of dehumanizing violence nor the subject of coldly rational surveillance; he was listened to, admired, and treated with sympathy. As a case study in evangelical reformism's sentimental, possessive style of love, the literature about Hodges poses special challenges and opportunities for abolitionist reading.