Church In Society Research Articles

Exploring the role of the church as a ‘reformation agency’ in enhancing a socially transformative agenda in South Africa

International political, social, economic and religious developments influence how local communities operate. The South African church society is influenced by such developments taking place globally and which clearly influence how local churches function. This article explores the role of the contemporary church as a ‘reformation agency’ in enhancing a socially transformative agenda in South Africa. A qualitative research approach – an interpretative phenomenology design – was employed to negotiate a shared understanding through conversation and intersubjective meaning-making with church ministers, with the primary focus being their subjective experience of the changing role of the church in enhancing a transformative agenda in a South African context. A purposive sampling (n = 6) consisted of local church leaders who participated in the face-to-face and telephonic semi-structured interviews to achieve the purpose of the study. The findings clearly show that deliberate and intentional actions by churches allow them to become a voice for the marginalised, to create spaces for searching for excellence and to increase the quality of servant leadership, all as vehicles for transforming church society. Furthermore, servant leadership is a social phenomenon, a philosophy-in-practice aimed at leading by example to achieve a common goal. To accomplish this, church ministers are required to spearhead the challenge as a prerequisite to creating ‘lived experienced’ opportunities for members as an inward-outward spiritual journey. Finally, church leaders believed that transformation is a secular dimension, but that it can also be aligned towards God’s redemption plan and enhancing a socially just transformation agenda. Ultimately, this study proposed several recommendations to allow the local church to be relevant in practicing and promoting stronger unity and reconciliation amongst all churches nationally and globally.

Conceptual considerations for studying churches’ engagement with urban fractures and vulnerabilities

This article provides an overview of conceptual considerations underpinning the design of a research project on religious innovation and competition amidst urban social change. The conceptual work developed out of the planning of the research methods, questions and questionnaires, and provides the background on which particular methodological choices and research foci were built. In six sections, the following will be discussed: the tension between a liberation theology commitment and ethnographic description of local congregations’ response to social change; the motivation for a particular understanding of ‘church’ used in identifying communities for the mapping process and focus groups; assumptions on the relation between church or theology and society; introduction to the key notions ‘urban fractures’ and ‘vulnerabilities’ used in the study; and our understanding of ‘innovation’.

The Future of Ministry and the Church

This article was developed from a presentation on ‘The Future of Ministry and The Church’ to the membership of the COMISS Network Forum at their meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, in January 2016. The article describes the declining role of the church in society and suggests ideas for the role of specialized clergy in revitalizing the church with hope for the future.

Spiritual issues of people living and dying with advanced heart failure in Kenya: a qualitative serial interview study

BackgroundExploring patients' spiritual issues is vital for informing holistic care. The spiritual concerns of patients living and dying with advanced heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa remains unknown. Our aim was...

Understandings of the Modern Theology for the Church and Secondary Societies in the Theology of Karl Barth: From the Perspective of Ontological Hierarchy

Understandings of the Modern Theology for the Church and Secondary Societies in the Theology of Karl Barth: From the Perspective of Ontological Hierarchy

Experience Europe! The Reception of the Leuenberger Agreement as Model and Constant Challenge

Abstract The Leuenberg Agreement (LA) is one of the most productive ecumenical documents ever seen. It initiated a church fellowship, the “Community of Protestant Churches in Europe” (CPCE). LA evoked an ongoing process of its’ own reception that can be seen in a variety of different expressions such as church communion, doctrinal conversations and public statements. However, this reception is still all too frequent limited to the European level of interaction between the member churches of CPCE. It remains one of the main challenges for the Community, a condition for “Verbindlichkeit” and the legitimated representation of its members to strengthen the awareness for the relevance of LA and CPCE in the single parishes.

The Body and Theology of Julian of Norwich

Unlike other mediaeval male theologians, Julian of Norwich reflects ‘feminine capacity’ in her theology by avoiding dichotomy of the body and soul and taking her body and Christ’s body as the locus of her theology. Because the human body is sexually ambiguous, which is inescapable reality, Julian sees that the body can be an important means to receive God’s revelation. In fact, she understands that the body and soul are God’s precious creatures. Her understanding of the human body is related to her physical sickness. She experiences God’s mystery and feels the Passion of Christ through her severe illness. By doing so, her body makes a bridge between herself and God. Furthermore, she explains that the incarnation of Jesus Christ appears in her physical sickness. Because the Christ’s Passion does not happen in His words, but in His body, without the emphasis on the body of Christ, His Passion becomes abstract. Because Christ’ spiritual suffering comes with His physical affliction, Christ came to this world as a real human being. Julian comprehends that the Church dogma stress the divinity of Jesus and Trinity, which does not the body and humanity of Christ. Instead, Julian confirms Christ’s humanity by emphasizing the birth of infant Jesus through Mary’s womb. By applying this female image of mercy to Jesus Christ, she places that God’s mercy takes care of God’s children through Christ. It is a unique view that Julian appreciates Jesus Christ in the perspective of motherhood because her theology focuses on the body of Christ. In this point, Christ’s plentiful bleeding during the crucifixion signifies women’s menstruation and it functions mother’s milk for an infant, which indicates Christ’s real suffering. Although Menstruation has been regarded as a taboo in the both church tradition and patriarchal society, women’s discharge of blood stands for creating life as human reproduction. In addition, in arguing when a mother gives birth to a baby, she bleeds, Julian claims that Christ becomes the head of the Church and the Church become the body of Christ through Christ’s bleeding. Therefore, her body and Christ’s are an important tool to demonstrate ‘feminine capacity’ in the male dominant society.

The Sociological Myth: A 1954 Controversy on Secularization Narratives

The term ‘sociology’ in 1950s theological discourse had connotations far beyond the field known as pastoral sociology. When in 1954 the Dutch theologian Henk Berkhof criticized “the sociological myth” that he saw permeating the churches in his country, at stake was not the legitimacy of pastoral sociology such as practiced by Wim Banning, among others, but the missionary priorities of churches in societies increasingly perceived as ‘modern’ and ‘secular.’ This article shows that, for Berkhof, ‘sociology’ was synonymous to a ‘quantitative’ mode of thinking that manifested itself most prominently in secularization narratives of a sort popularized by reform-oriented missionary theologians such as Hans Hoekendijk. A close reading of the debate following Berkhof’s attack on “the sociological myth” reveals that ‘sociology’ served as shorthand for sustained attention to the questions and concerns of “modern men,” which in turn presupposed a rather untraditional understanding of the relation between ‘church’ and ‘world’ as well as a historicist account of the relation between past and present.

Tomasza More’a koncepcja naprawy chrześcijańskiego społeczeństwa

The article concerns the concept of reform of the European society in the spirit of Christian humanism in terms of Thomas More and his involvement in the work of the royal court as the person directing the philosophy of Christ. In the same vein of thinking was Erasmus of Rotterdam. Both promoted the foundation of Christian humanism, whose aim was to improve in Europe, focusing on values. The reform referred to the Catholic Church and society. Thomas believed in reforming contemporary Europe, subject to acceptance by the people of humanistic education, to serve each other and to follow the philosophy of Christ. A significant impact on the shape of his reforms was undoubtedly Erasmus. In discussing Thomas appeared a dilemma whether a man wise and guided by God’s principles should follow the path public service. Without the Bible, the help of Christ and the Catholic Church society can’t be really good. The controversial practice appearing in “Utopia” such as communist society, the vision of marriage and divorce, religious beliefs and practices and attitude to the clergy were intended to arouse desire to reform individuals, and society. On the other hand pointing to serve each other was the emphasis on humanism and underlined the duty of wise men to serve his countrymen and sovereigns.

Service and Advocacy: Matters of Faith?

Service and Advocacy: Matters of Faith?

The Formational Experiences of On-campus and Theological Distance Education Students

Theological distance education is frequently criticised on the grounds that it is not formationally equivalent to on-campus provision. This study presents the findings of primary research into the formational experiences of ten on-campus and ten distance education students studying the same undergraduate theology or ministry degree programme at Laidlaw College, a theological education provider in New Zealand. Analysis of interviews finds clear evidence of formational activity and transformative learning across both student groups. Distance respondents had stronger ecclesial connections than on-campus ones, and an equivalent transformative experience. Findings suggest that the context of church fellowship provides a suitable formational context for theological distance education.

The Landing of CMS Missionaries to an Ottoman Dominion: Missionary Education in Egypt (1825-1862)

No part of missionary effort appears to commend itself more universallyto approbation than the education of youth,And in no part of the world may more auspicious consequences be anticipated,from its due exercise, than in the Levant(From Mr. Hartley's letter, Miss. Reg., April, 1832, p. 175).All missionary societies share the common purpose of spreading Christianity or improving its existing standards. Opposition is expected when the objective is conversion; therefore schools and medical services precede the church. Hence the foremost aim of missionary education is to enable conversion. This is only possible if the Scriptures can be understood and preferably read. The central aim of all Protestant missionary education is Bible study. Local circumstances determine whether the pursuit of this policy is immediately possible, and if it is, how it is possible (Latourette, 1946, pp. 21-23). During the period under investigation (1825-1862), Egypt was a dominion of the Ottoman Empire, and attracted the attention and interest of all European states that had been displaying their military and commercial superiority for a long time. In the nineteenth century, Egypt was not only destitute of schools, but had also entered a rapid modernization process since the reign of Mehmet Ali Pasha. For example, the proceedings for sending Muslim students to Europe in order to be instructed in science, trade or arts, or for establishing modern schools with contemporary curricula and materials were incited by the then Pasha of Egypt, Mehmet Ali (1805-1848). He and his son, Ibrahim Pasha (r. 1848), both seemed to be inclined to extend religious liberty to their subjects, as well (Altundag, 1988; Heyworth-Dunne, 1939). Therefore, an extremely favourable environment was created for missionary activities in Egypt from the beginning of nineteenth century. From its findings, this research will attempt to put forth that the missionary schools opened by the Church Society (CMS) in fact reflected the encouragement of Egyptian rulers to those who wished to introduce European institutions. Moreover, during the course of the period under investigation, they tried to ameliorate the ignorance around them and inspire the desire for a better education and a fuller life in people.The main hypothesis of this research is the necessity that the permanent effects of the missionary activities, the results of which are still felt today, should be understood on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the process by which capitalism transformed into imperialism. For example, it should not be neglected that the activities of the Protestant societies were not only important for improving the political, economic and commercial interests of England in the region, but also for creating an awareness in Egypt that the most important issues for protecting national existence were raising the level of education and providing cultural development. Within this framework, no studies have so far focused on the educational activities of the English missionary societies in Egypt based on the original resources till date, which has resulted in a substantial lacuna (Aksu, 2008a; Arig, 1999; Aydin, 1996; Aykit, 2008; Buzpinar, 2003; Dalyan, 2012; Danacioglu, 1993; Davison, 1987; Deringil, 2002; Dincer, n.d.; Erdogan, 2008; Fortna, 2005; Gunduz, 2004; Gunduz & Aydin, 2002; Haboubi, 2010; Halidi & Ferruh, 1968; Haydaroglu, 1993; Keskinkilic, 2008; Kirsehirlioglu, 1963; Kocabasoglu, 1989; Mutlu, 2005; Oymak, 2012; Ozdalga, 2005; Polvan, 1952; Sevinc, 2007; Somel, 2010; Tozlu, 1991; Turan, 2011; Tumer & Kucuk, 1993; Vahapoglu, 1997). Although Jack Sislian's article titled Missionary Work in Egypt during the Nineteenth Century (1967, pp. 175-240) fills an important gap in this field; however, the fact that the author did not include the letters and reports written by the missionaries (which constitute the most important resource for the field) in his study resulted in many faults. …

Влияние государственно-конфессиональной политики на положение религиозных общин Алтая в первые годы советской власти

The article is devoted to the situation of religious communities in Altai in the context of state-confessional policy in the first years of Soviet power. The policy of the new Soviet state in relation to freedom of conscience was based on the ideology of the Bolshevik Party and the prevailing socio-political situation, although at the initial stage there was no total ban on religious worldview. At the same time a desire to undermine the financial independence of the Church led to the adoption of the series of state regulations. Thus, the decree “On Land” turned monastic and Church lands into a national heritage “The Decree on Civil Marriage, on Children and on Keeping the Books of Acts of State” recognized legitimate only civil marriages registered in the Department of Records of Marriages and Births in the city (district, uyezd or volost) administration. The decree “On Freedom of Conscience, Church and Religious Societies” deprived religious organizations of the right on property and subjected them to the General provisions on private societies and unions. Gradually, suppression of religion under the impact of atheistic propaganda involved different segments of the population including young people. Active anti- religious work resulted in many demonstration trials over religion and the clergy. The campaign of opening, seizure and liquidation of Holy relics led to the defeat of many churches and theft of Church property. It was often accompanied by clashes of parishioners and representatives of government agencies. Widespread nationalization, including religious sites, led to the need to rent state buildings for the faithful to worship. This situation significantly affected the ability to maintain the Church staff and finally undermined the economic independence of religious associations.DOI 10.14258/izvasu(2016)4-07

Peter Brunner on the Church as God’s Communion

Peter Brunner, one of the most distinctive and most ecumenical theologians of the twentieth century, understood his theology as a theology for the church. The purpose of the church is to be what it already is, namely, God’s communion, communion with God himself. The peculiarity of the communion that God wants with the human beings consists in the individuality of the relationship. This implies freedom. The history of the relationship between God and humanity has a real meaning. The completion is a consequence of living history. To live out the communion, God gave the means of grace. They represent Christ on the cross and anticipate the eschatological marriage feast. Christ chose, commissioned, and authorized with a charisma (spiritual gift) for the ministry apostles and members of his body by ordination to represent him proclaiming with their mouths the sacred word and administering the sacraments according to his command. Brunner did understand his confessional commitment as “efforts for unifying truth” and also was open to ways in which the other denominations focus on aspects which are underdeveloped in his tradition. The common struggle for the truth and the church fellowship corresponds, according to Brunner, to the unity of the hidden church in Christ.

INTERRELATION OF STATE POWER AND ORTHODOX CLERGY IN THE PERIOD 1917- 1920 (ON TERRITORY OF THE MODERN BELGOROD AREA)

The article discusses the position of the Orthodox clergy in the territory of Belgorod in 1917-1920, when in the new socio-political and economic situation, the Soviet authorities monitor the activities of the clergy, has limited his rights when liquidated prerevolutionary privilege for the clergy, and church lands transferred to public use than undermined the economic foundation of the church and the deteriorating financial situation of the priests. Also the article highlights recessionary trends in the life of priesthood arose when the Soviet power implemented decrees «On Freedom of Worship, church and religious societies» (1918), "On the separation of church and state and school from church" (1918 ), «Enactment of establishment of communities» (1919) as well as in the period of expropriation of church valuables in 1922. The analysis of this issue showed that the Soviet government restricted rights of priesthood, its civil rights and weakened the economic base of the Russian orthodox church and its priesthood financial status. But despite of everything, the orthodox priesthood sought a compromise in creating a new model of relationships between and government and the church after 1917.

Mentoring During First Incumbency: A Case Study Exploring the Role of Retired Clergy

Articles in the section ‘Learning from experience and reflecting on ministry’ draw on insights of experienced practitioners focusing on well-defined issues of relevance to rural church and rural society. In this article Canon Tony Neal reflects on the role that retired clergy may play in mentoring new incumbents. Drawing on his personal experience in the Diocese of Truro, he sets his case study within the context of two reports published by the Church of England in 2006 and concentrates on three themes: reflecting on the nature of mentoring, mentoring through reflection, and mentoring by example. This case study points to agenda for future research.

‘Satis est — Necesse est’

The task of the current paper is to compare two important, ecclesiological documents to each other, namely, the document The Church of Jesus Christ (cjc, 1994) of the Leuenberg Church Fellowship to the Faith and Order document The Church: Towards a Common Vision (ctcv, 2012). The first one, cjc, outlines an ecclesiology of one, specific confessional church family and church fellowship, in a geographical area. ctcv, on the other hand, reflects the global situation, and seeks to express convergence between churches living in very different societies and cultural spheres. By comparing the two documents, this paper explores themes such as church as a community of Saints, the Leuenberg methodology of unity, legitimate diversity, apostolic succession and requirements for unity. The paper argues that the Leuenberg model of ‘reconciled diversity’ could be understood as a step and a practical tool on the way to the full, visible unity, which, according to ctcv, is the ultimate goal of the ecumenical movement.

Guidelines to Faith: Instructional Literature for Russian Orthodox Clergy and Laity in the Late Eighteenth Century

In an effort to improve the work of the clergy and the religious understanding of the laity, Orthodox leaders in late eighteenth‐century Russia began to publish practical manuals on the practices of the church and the path to living a Christian life and achieving salvation. Such works formed pathways from higher theological discourse to the practical modes of pastoral work and lay instruction–to promoting “enlightenment” in the day‐to‐day work of the church. Fitting within the new scholarly attention on religious Enlightenment, this article describes the most important of these instructional works, as well as some of the religious works produced by private publishers after 1783, in order to understand the tone, themes, and structure of these “guidelines to faith,” seeing within them the beginning of a more modern, normative foundation for the practices and teachings of the church. The works described are not well‐known among Russian scholars, but they collectively constitute an important stage in the development of Russian Orthodoxy and in the dissemination of clearly stated explanations of its teachings and the role of the church in society as a whole. They represent an increased promotion of religious professionalism for the lower clergy and of religious and moral sensitivity on the part of the laity. They are, essentially, highly representative of the era of Enlightenment, trying to shape and mold the religious community into a more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and reflective entity.

From Restrictive to Prescriptive? Prospects for China’s Church Engaging with the Civil Society

China’s civil society has expanded recently, providing space for new players, although it remains small and controlled by the Communist Party. The mainland Chinese church is taking its place in the civil society, although it is unlikely that it will enjoy Western-style freedoms even in the medium term. Singapore is an Asian democracy where relations between church and civil society are different again; the country has long been culturally and religiously pluralist, and was never part of ‘Christendom’. Also, Singapore’s government is more socially interventionist than its Western counterparts. I describe the West, Singapore and China as permissive, prescriptive and restrictive, respectively, and conclude that Singapore’s prescriptive approach to church and civil society may be a model for China.

Cuando el opio se rebela: La Confraternidad Cristiana de Iglesias (Evangélicas) en su crítica a la dictadura militar y su proyecto de sociedad (1981-1989)

This article is an analysis of the Confraternidad Cristiana de Iglesias (Christian Fellowship of Churches), which was founded in 1981 as an evangelical and Pentecostal religious minority active and liberationist, which deprivatize in entering the public world and protest against the political, social and economic; fight for democracy, and assumes a political stance peaceful and non-violent, against the dictatorship. This is an analysis of four public statements made between 1984-1988 that were published in the Magazine Evangelio y Sociedad. The purpose of this article is to discuss and refute previous research on the Chilean evangelical movement conceived as ideological-religious supporters of the military dictatorship.