Evangelical Research Articles

Požehnání v biblické a prakticko-teologické perspektivě: Příspěvek k diskuzi o žehnání párů stejného pohlaví

The study examines the concept and practice of blessing in contemporary Christian churches and reflects on the possibilities of blessing same-sex couples. It emphasises the need to distinguish the blessing of a same-sex couple from the legal act of entering into a civil partnership. The purpose of the blessing is not to affirm or sanctify a particular life form but to bring a couple committed to an enduring relationship of love, respect and fidelity before God, promising his favour, grace and gifts. The study consists of three parts. First, it introduces the concept of blessing in the Old and New Testament. The second part discusses blessing from a contemporary practical theological perspective. It presents blessing as a gift and a task of the church community and as a key motif of casual services. It points to the specific linguistic form of blessing as opposed to prayer, wish and proclamation, presents blessing as an act of communication and reflects on the question of its content and effects. The third part deals with the question of who or what can be blessed and whether it is theologically legitimate to bless same-sex couples. It reflects on the possibility of blessing in the pastoral practice of the Roman Catholic Church, anchored in the declaration Fiducia supplicans, and in the liturgical practice of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. It concludes with a summary of the findings.

Christian Zionism and Its Impact on USA Politics

As we will see in this study, “Christian Zionism,” which was historically introduced about half a century before Jewish Zionism and inspired it, is not merely a concept consisting of two words. While the Jewish ideology of returning to Palestine had a Messianic and religious jargon in ancient and mediaeval times, contemporary Jewish Zionism has additional secular, nationalist, and socialist components to it. It is not possible to evaluate Christian Zionism independently of specific prophecies and, of course, religion. When we look at the history of Christianity, although we see extreme anti-Semitism and, within the framework of this enmity, severe oppression> and persecution of Jews, in recent years, significant Christian groups, especially American Evangelicals, have not only renounced the oppression and genocide of Jews but have decided to support Jews under all circumstances and even seem to be filled with sympathy for Jews. Can it be the reason that Christians, through their reading of the Old Testament from a different perspective in the post-Reformation period, have truly regretted their mistreatment of the Jews up to this point and have come to appreciate the Jews? Or else do economic and political interests now require such a theopolitics? Or is it because the Christian prophecy that the second coming of Jesus Christ will only be possible when today's Al-Aqsa Mosque is demolished, and the Temple of Solomon is rebuilt in its place has been drowned out by the Zionist Jewish prophecy that is so passionate about rebuilding the Temple that evangelical Christians in particular, and their puppet US administrations in particular, support the state of Israel under all circumstances - given the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza today? By seeking answers to these and similar questions in the current study, it will be presented to the reader's attention why the Western states, especially the United States, support and participate in this crime against humanity by Israel, which massacres dozens of innocent people every day.

Financial Socialization in Christian Premarital Counseling With Emerging Adults

Research on financial socialization among emerging adults has retrospectively examined what they have learned from their parents growing up. Building on this work, this article explores how these lessons are not static but can become reexamined through interpersonal relationships. It reports on findings from a qualitative study of four Christian premarital programs (two evangelical Protestants and two Catholics) and 70 interviews with participating couples and leaders of these and other programs. By contributing observational data on how the methods of socialization operate, it analyzes both explicit lessons on money and implicit models for how premarital counselors construct normative frameworks on how to interrogate emerging adult’s past and plan for their financial future. Specifically, it documents how financial advice was often relegated to supplemental materials due to leaders’ lack of confidence on money matters but also how the broader programming provided young couples with opportunities to identify and reflect on their family financial socialization. Implications for professionals interested in improving premarital and financial counseling are discussed.

"Frequent Self-Examination Is the Duty of All": Practical Religion, Moral Improvement, and Transatlantic Protestantism

Abstract: Practicing Protestants sought moral perfection through innovative means of self-development during the eighteen and early nineteenth centuries. The philosophical, cultural and religious changes that emerged from the Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment influenced transatlantic Protestantism. Evangelical religion and new sectarian groups appeared simultaneously and dialectically to the emergence of liberal thought, democratic politics and scientific advancement. The high-level musings of prominent philosophers of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe trickled down to common practitioners, who engaged in new patterns of religiosity. Through spiritual performances, habitual methods, and regimented schedules, Protestants customized their individual programs for moral progress and spiritual enlightenment. Pictorial and published works served as devices to evoke, maintain and advance their faith through reading, prayer, meditation, and diet. Recording their activities and assessing their successes and failures, the individual plans detailed here were part of a continuum of spirituality and rationality to perform piety on one's own terms and for the benefit of others. These Protestants combined Christian concepts with Enlightenment ideals to pursue autonomous, aspirational, and tailored approaches to self-discipline and spiritual insight.

Psychological Well-Being of female pastors: The Role of Self-Compassion and Social Support

This research is a quantitative study which aims to determine self-compassion and social support simultaneously as predictors of psychological well-being in female pastors at the Evangelical Christian Church in Timor (GMIT). Data collection used Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (RPWB), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and Revised Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (RMSPSS) which were distributed by sending questionnaires via Google form to the WhatsApp group and print outs were delivered directly to respondents. The respondents involved in this research were 105 female GMIT priests around Kupang City. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple linear regression techniques with the help of the SPSS 29 program. The results showed that the calculated F value (simultaneous) was 211.423 with p < 0.05, which means self-compassion and social support simultaneously as predictor of psychological well-being of GMIT female priests around Kupang City with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.806, meaning the contribution of the influence of self-compassion and social support to psychological well-being is 80.6%.

The Self-Confrontation of Prayer: The Christian Right in James Baldwin’s Later Essays

Abstract: This article examines an under-theorized topic in James Baldwin’s later writings: his critique of the white evangelical Christian Right from the late 1970s until his death in 1987. By closely reading a handful of his later essays, it argues that Baldwin’s analysis of the Christian Right reinvigorates his earlier prophetic critique grounded in the tradition of the American jeremiad, as he continues to deploy a religious vocabulary that advances the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. Ultimately, Baldwin’s critical analysis of the Christian Right is an unexpected and still underappreciated site of political hope.

From Campus Ministries to Enclaves of Korean American Evangelical Churches: A Feminist Analysis of Korean American Evangelical Male Clergy Leadership Formation

From Campus Ministries to Enclaves of Korean American Evangelical Churches: A Feminist Analysis of Korean American Evangelical Male Clergy Leadership Formation

The Shift In The Ecumenical Church Paradigm A Historical Study Of The Shift In The Ecumenical Paradigm In GMIM From 1934 To 2016

Global changes occur in all aspects of human life. The church as a community in the midst of society is also not spared from the impact of change due to changing times. The Evangelical Church in Minahasa is a church that grows and develops in the midst of Minahasa society which is also experiencing changes. Change gave birth to a new paradigm in the church. The problem is whether the change is a synthesis of the old and new paradigms or really gives birth to a new paradigm? Perhaps even a return to the old ecclesiological order adapted to the current context? GMIM has historically tried to answer its calling in the midst of a changing world. GMIM is the largest church in North Sulawesi that has influenced the development of the region. Ecumenism in the local church is strongly influenced by the ecclesiology set by the church. In this paper, the author uses a qualitative method and uses a historical research approach to dissect changes in the ecumenical paradigm from 1934-2016. The author compares ecumenical theories from several Indonesian and foreign figures and theories about paradigm shifts. The results show that there was a shift in GMIM ecumenical ecclesiology through the discussion of sessions, seminars, discussions among theological experts.

Infância, conselhos tutelares e agendas conservadoras: ativismo religioso para além das fronteiras da escola

This article analyzes the presence of religious individuals in guardianship councils and how occupying the debate on public policies for children and adolescents has become a space for producing legibility for certain individuals in politics. Thus, I intend to demonstrate that guardianship councils function as a kind of engagement technology, a place for exercising the most varied electoral pedagogies, serving as a space for training, testing, and learning for men and women who hold leadership positions in their faith communities – Evangelical churches or Catholic parishes –, without any political experience or experience as public servants.

“We just want to sing”: how a small London evangelical church responded to Covid-19

ABSTRACT This article documents the myriad ways in which a north London evangelical church responded to Covid-19 when it was decanted from its church building into cyberspace. By focusing on three aspects of Hovland’s framework of place-making—materiality, personhood, and transcendence (Hovland 2016), I analyse how church members viewed their experience of attending an online church. Apart from contributing to the literature on non-charismatic, non-Pentecostal evangelicalism, it suggests that the importance of singing together, as well as the silence and bodily stillness that sometimes ensue, in the everyday life of a church deserves further attention in a comparative anthropology of Christianity.

Learning from a gender transformative intervention among faith-leaders in Woliso, Ethiopia: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT Violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to be a pervasive issue globally, and in Ethiopia, that harms women and challenges progress towards a more gender-equal society. Many interrelated social, economic, and cultural factors impact VAWG. Religion is a complex factor that can contribute to and act as a preventative measure against VAWG. Thus, faith-leaders have been identified as key actors in VAWG prevention. This study examines Ethiopian Evangelical faith-leaders transformative knowledge change following a Channels of Hope for Gender training intervention. Focus group discussions were conducted with faith-leaders from five different Evangelical Church groups. The results show that the faith-leaders’ experience of the Channels of Hope training challenged their gender norms and allowed them to enact relationship and community-level changes. Additionally, they demonstrated efforts and interest in generating change at the level of the Church. However, barriers remained to fully addressing VAWG and implement gender transformative learning more widely. Thus, we conclude that the Channels for Hope training is useful in generating mindset changes and improving relationship-level interactions, but that it requires a longer implementation timeframe and further support from other structures and interventions to achieve sustainable change to prevent VAWG.

Educational and Charitable Activities of Baptist Christians: On the Example of the Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church of the Nativity,' in Zhytomyr

Educational and Charitable Activities of Baptist Christians: On the Example of the Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church of the Nativity,' in Zhytomyr

The Emergence and Discussion of Holistic Mission - Explore Changing Views among Evangelical Protestants around Lausanne Movement on the Relationship between Evangelism and Social Concern (1966-2010) -

The Emergence and Discussion of Holistic Mission - Explore Changing Views among Evangelical Protestants around Lausanne Movement on the Relationship between Evangelism and Social Concern (1966-2010) -

How Long, O Lord? Fairbairn’s Object Relations Theory and the Practice of Lament

The biblical practice of lament has been largely neglected in many modern evangelical Christian contexts in the United States, despite increasing calls to reclaim this spiritual practice. This loss of lament is not without cost, and various negative impacts on individuals and communities have been suggested in the literature. The present article argues that lament cannot be reclaimed by commending its practice only, but psychological obstacles to lament must also be identified and addressed. Toward this end, a view is advanced that lament may be understood as an emotionally dynamic relational act, and that Fairbairn’s object relations theory—including his notion of the moral defense—illuminates dynamics that make lament difficult for some people to engage in fully and authentically, if at all. Practical implications for navigating these dynamics and facilitating greater engagement with lament are discussed to aid the work of those involved in mental health and soul care.

The American Peace Movement’s Use of Religious Influence and “The Pulpit” as a Public Relations Strategy in the Early 1800s

In response to calls for more public relations historical research in sectors outside business and before the 20th century, this research examines the communication efforts of American peace societies from the early to mid-1800s. It finds that peace societies demonstrated strategic intent, honored human agency, and employed full-time public relations practitioners. In addition, this research documents a nondenominational reform movement applying the strategic communication systems developed by American evangelical Christianity. Moreover, it pushes back the boundaries of the earliest known use of a religious public relations strategy by a social reform movement by 65 years.

Implementation of ISAK No. 35 on the presentation of financial statements of non-profit-oriented entities (Study at GMIM Bukit Hermon Malalayang)

ISAK No. 35 can be used as a reference in preparing non-profit-oriented financial reporting. One non-profit oriented entity is a church, in this case, the Evangelical Christian Church in Minahasa (or often called GMIM). This study was carried out at GMIM Bukit Hermon Malalayang which is located in Malalayang District, Manado City. This study aims to examine the preparation of church financial reports based on ISAK No. 35 at GMIM Bukit Hermon Malalayang. The study method used is a qualitative approach based on case studies. The results show that the presentation of GMIM Bukit Hermon Malalayang's financial reports has not implemented ISAK No. 35 concerning the presentation of financial statements of non-profit-oriented entities. However, financial reporting is simply based on the GMIM Synod Treasury Supervision and Management Service Guidelines. During the 2023 period, financial reporting has been adjusted to ISAK No. 35 which consists of a comprehensive income report, change in net assets report, financial position report, cash flow report and notes to financial reports.

Situation and Projections in cyberspace of the Neoconservative Evangelical Churches in the pandemic period

Situation and Projections in cyberspace of the Neoconservative Evangelical Churches in the pandemic period

Villain to Antihero

Identity and reality are socially constructed and maintained by both the individual and society. A primary way this occurs is through a process where people adjust their behaviors to meet the expectations of those around them and fit into an assigned place in life. People are not the sole creators of their destinies or their identities. Instead, their choices and how they develop identity are accomplished through social structures, interactions with others, and language used. Whenever people experience an event that damages their identity—like a history of substance abuse—they have difficulty redeeming themself and restoring their reality primarily because society is reluctant to let the person move past the injured or addicted identity. The author utilizes autoethnography and the idea of the antihero to show the social process where a spoiled identity can be reinterpreted into a new one. The article relies on dramaturgical analysis and the concept of social construction of reality, world-building, and world-maintaining. The author explores how his struggle with alcohol and subsequent religious conversion to Evangelical Christianity helped him establish a new identity, interpret previous mistakes, and build supportive connections. This study is significant because it emphasizes the sociological aspects of identity creation and restoration instead of individual ones.

Keeping the Tensions. The Path to an Open, Inviting, Communicative, and Responsible Practice of Baptism in a Secular Society

Abstract The study deals with the difficulties and challenges being faced by the practice of baptism in contemporary secular society. Based on empirical research on the practice of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, the author argues for an open, inviting, communicative, and responsible practice of baptism that does not erase present tensions but deals with them creatively and situationally. The Church should take seriously the basic inclusive impulse of the Gospel while being aware of its baptismal responsibility, which consists primarily in the subsequent pastoral care of the baptised. The results of the study may inspire those who are involved in the pastoral ministry in similar contexts.

Book Review: The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon

Book Review: <i>The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church</i> by Sarah McCammon