Protestant Churches Research Articles

Interest of Youth of the Batak Karo Protestant Church (GBKP) Cikarang in Using Regional Language Communication

This study examines the interest of the youth of the Batak Karo Protestant Church (GBKP) Cikarang in the use of regional language communication. There is a phenomenon of the lack of interest of GBKP youth in using regional languages ??in communicating. Regional languages ??play an important role in describing cultural identity. Along with the shifting developments in the era of globalization, the interest in using regional languages ??will gradually be replaced by contemporary languages ??that change the way of communication between fellow GBKP Cikarang youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the interest of GBKP youth in using Karo language in the era of globalization. The research method used Qualitative research. The location of the research was at the GBKP Cikarang Church, West Java. Data collection techniques used interviews, observation, and documentation. This study used the Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory to determine the factors influencing the use of regional languages. The results of the study showed that: (1) the interest of GBKP youth in using Karo language in Cikarang experienced a real decline, this finding also revealed that interest was not completely lost, because GBKP youth were more pressured by an irregular or changing environment. (2) factors that influence the use of Karo language in communicating the role of family, environment and the era of globalization and the demands of the times. The use of Karo language among GBKP youth in Cikarang, West Java, has experienced a significant decline. Although there are variations in the understanding and use of Karo language depending on family background, place of residence and social interaction, in general the interest of GBKP youth in using their mother tongue has declined.

Նիկիայի Բ Տիեզերաժողովի (787 թ․) կանոնները. Միջնադարյան հայերեն թարգմանությունը՝ հունարեն բնագրի հետ զուգորդմամբ

The Second Council of Nicaea, which was held in 787 and recognized by the Orthodox Churches that followed the Byzantine tradition and the Western Church (the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches separated from it) as the Seventh "Ecumenical Council", is of great significance to the history of the church, not only in terms of the study of the dispute over the treatment of images but also from the point of view of the study of issues of canon law and church administration. The 22 canons promulgated by the Council were strictly administrative and prescriptive in nature compared to the canons of previously held Councils. Most likely, this was connected with the desire to restore the ecclesiastical order shaken by the disputes over the images and after them. Therefore, the respective study of the canons of the Second Council of Nicaea seems important, first of all, from the point of view of canon law. This study aims to publish an Armenian translation of the canons of the Council of Nicaea of 787, most probably made in the 13th–14th centuries, along with the Greek original. Such research is relevant not only as a disclosure of the previously unpublished original Armenian text of the canons, but also in the context of clarifying various canonical-legal and administrative concepts of the church and the study of church Councils.

Genre and Style Metamorphoses of German Choral Cantata of 18th-19th Centuries

The purpose of the work is to reveal the genre-stylistic and spiritual-content instructions of the German choral cantata and the peculiarities of its existence in the musical-historical tradition of the 18th-19th centuries. The methodology of the work has a complex nature and is based on a combination of the principles of interdisciplinary, historical-typological, hermeneutic, art history and genre-stylistic research methods. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that, for the first time, it offers a generalisation of the poetic-intonational specificity of the German spiritual cantata of the 18th-19th centuries and its genre-stylistic metamorphoses in the specified period. Conclusions. The genre specificity of the German spiritual cantata is determined by its contact with the liturgical practice of the German Protestant church. This genre is directly related to the church sermon and therefore was called "sermon music", "motet", "concert", "dialogue", summarised by the concept of Hauptmusik ("Main music of the day"). The contact of the German spiritual cantata with its Italian analogues and opera did not exclude the presence of original features in it, among which the Protestant chorale, based on traditional for the 18th-19th centuries, dominates. polyphonic forms, on the significant role of the instrumental beginning. An essential feature of the genre can be considered its figurative and semantic focus on the reproduction of the sacred aspects of a person's life path, their spiritual ascent-transformation, interpreted in the context of the instructions of the Lutheran faith. The German romantic cantata, represented in the works of R. Schumann, F. Mendelssohn, R. Wagner, and J. Brahms, on the one hand, reflected a wide genre and style spectrum of the creative searches of the named authors, within the framework of which the cantata was synthesised with the typology of various genres – from chamber a vocal cycle, a leader's play up to an oratorio, a dramatic scene (in the works of R. Schuman). On the other hand, the romantics' appeal to the poetics of the choral cantata symbolised the revival of the German spiritual and musical tradition, summarised by the name of J. S. Bach, which was directly reproduced in the cantata compositions of F. Mendelssohn, R. Wagner ("The Brotherly Meal of the Apostles") and works of Y. Brahms. Despite all the differences in the textual basis of the works of the named authors and their aesthetic guidelines (Y. V. Goethe, M. Horn, T. Moore, paraphrases of biblical texts), their unifying quality is the "memory of the genre", focused on the reproduction of the individual's spiritual path and the high didactic and ethical meaning of their inner transformation.

Walking in Parallel: Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity in Korea, 1899–1945

In the early twentieth century, Korean Catholic and Protestant Churches found themselves in a period of significant power transition, from a neo-Confucian dynasty to a colonial regime. Imperial Japan and Christianity thus posed a mutual challenge: church leaders worked to sustain and increase their Evangelical mission field within Korea's new socio-political environment, while, simultaneously, the Japanese depended on the cooperation of the Korean Christian communities to fulfil their colonial project. In this dynamic of State-Church relations, Catholics and Protestants constantly vied for ascendancy. This article examines how the two Christian denominations engaged with each other and with Korea's coloniser, as imperial Japan's policies varied and its international status fluctuated.

Christian martyrdom and Yusin censorship's conundrum: the 1977 screening suspension of Toward the High Place (1977–1981)

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the unconventional censorship case of Toward the High Place (1977), a religious film that dramatized the life of Reverend Ju Gi-cheol. Despite passing censorship with ease, even selected as a ‘superior film’ by the state, Toward the High Place's screening was delayed multiple times and ultimately prohibited, only to be shown after the collapse of Park Chung Hee regime. Given the Protestant Church's crucial role in the state's diplomatic relations with the United States, the decision to prohibit the film's screening was highly unusual. Through a close reading of the film's censorship file and other archival documents, I reconstruct the various censorship processes that came to constitute the film's visual grammar. As an instance of unofficial censorship, I argue that Toward the High Place demonstrates how censorship practices, socio-political conditions, and the changing status of organized religion influenced cinematic representation, while also revealing the limits of official censorship procedures.

The Polish Noble Society of the Early 1690s. Annotation and Counter-Reformation

The article analyzes evidence from publicistic texts about the reaction of the Polish nobility of different confessions to the pogroms of Protestant churches in cities in the early 1690s, where the nature of interfaith relations differed drastically from their nature in many other European countries. A number of acts here sanctioned the legality of the existence in the country of Christian denominations different from the dominant Catholic faith. But in the 1590s, persecution of followers of Protestantism began. Particular attention in the article is paid to the reasons of the strong negative reaction of nobility to their «sbors» by supporters of the Counter-Reformation. Among them the author names the specific consciousness of the Polish noble society: both the Catholic and Protestant gentry perceived themselves as a single community interested in preserving and expanding their class rights.

Protestant Free Churches and Social Responsibility: Developments and Principles for Defining the Relationship Between Church and Society

Protestant Free Churches and Social Responsibility: Developments and Principles for Defining the Relationship Between Church and Society

Strategic Planning as a Determinant of Business Unit Success at AMGPM Ranting Sion Jemaat Poka

The aim of implementing this community service activity is to provide an understanding of the importance ofstrategic planningfor the success of adaptive and sustainable business unitsThe Youth of the Maluku Protestant Church (AMGPM) Zion Branch, Tiberias I, Poka Congregation. Presenting Gen Z who are in the AMGPM Zion Branch, Tiberias I, Poka Congregation, this activity is expected to be the answer to the lack ofeducation related to strategic planning, seeing more than 34% who failed to run a business. This activity is in the form of socialization on topics raised according to the theme "Creating an Adaptive Generation Z in the Digital Era”, specifically onstrategic planning. The average satisfaction of this activity is very good with the number of presentations very satisfied and satisfied at 96.6%. Thus, this activity is expected to be an initial collaboration for the implementation of the knowledge transfer process why the younger generation.

Credibility of Churches’ Antiracism Engagement

Abstract This article aims to explore how the entanglement of Protestant Christianity and race and racism is manifested in contemporary Dutch society, and to identify which themes for introspection this yields for majority white Dutch Protestant churches. We argue that introspection on perceived superiority of white Dutch Protestantism is crucial to uncover subtle, unconscious mechanisms and ideas that are present in majority white Dutch Protestant churches and that contribute to maintaining racism. Furthermore, we argue that contemporary topical issues such as racism and colonial history run the risk of being pushed to the margins again as long as there is no systematic review of power and privilege of white Dutch Protestantism.

John Wesley and Celibacy: Evolving Visions and Commitments

This article describes John Wesley's evolving visions of Christian singleness (celibacy) and three commitments related to his changing views: a commitment to celibacy in an Oxford college; a commitment to marriage with Mary Vazeille; a de facto commitment to single life after Mary's separation from him. Protestant Churches lacked structures to support celibate commitment, structures that might have discouraged his unguarded and intimate correspondence with married women that lay behind his separation from Mary. The article asks why Protestants, although formally allowing single life, have not found ways to honour commitments to it.

Religious coping with contingency as a resource for democracy?

AbstractThis quantitative study empirically examines the mediating factors between Christian religiosity, political trust, and populist attitudes. As a novel approach, we ask whether religious coping with contingency reduces anxiety among religious citizens. Given that anxiety can reduce institutional trust and increase the appeal of populism, religiously reduced anxiety could support democratic attitudes. In addition, generalized social trust and acceptance of immigration are tested as further mediators between Christian religiosity and its political outcomes. Based on a recent representative sample of the German population (6th Membership Survey of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches in Germany), regression analyses find limited evidence for the coping thesis. Overall, religious coping, generalized social trust, and acceptance of immigration together explain to a large extent the higher prevalence of political trust and the lower prevalence of populist attitudes among liberal Christians in Germany.

Immediate Impact of Vocal Demand, Likelihood of Dysphonia, and Performance Aspects in Amateur Protestant Singers

ObjectivesTo analyze the immediate impact of vocal demand, probability of dysphonia, and performance aspects in amateur protestant singers. MethodsCross-sectional, analytical study, with 76 amateur singers from a protestant church, 60 women and 16 men. All participants responded to a sociodemographic and performance questionnaire, the Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily for Brazil (EASE-BR), and the Dysphonia Screening Tool (DST-Br). The data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially, considering a significance level of 5%. ResultsThe singers reported good voice status after a performance, with the possibility of singing again if necessary. Most individuals had a low probability of dysphonia, showing a lower mean score compared to those with a moderate probability. There was an association between “trying to sing louder than others” and “vocal self-assessment” with the immediate impact of vocal demand and dysphonia screening. Implementing vocal rest was significantly associated with EASE- BR, and trying to sing louder than the instruments, being able to hear yourself well while singing and water intake were associated with the total DST-Br score. ConclusionThe immediate impact of vocal demand after performance on this population did not compromise their ability to sing easily. Most singers had a low probability of dysphonia. “Trying to sing louder than the instruments”, “ability to hear oneself well while singing”, and “water intake” were associated with dysphonia screening.

Church and State relations in Lesotho: A historical review locating the voice of the church in Lesotho’s political and mainstream history

The year 2024 sees Lesotho celebrate 200 years since the formation of Basotho as a nation. In these 200 years, the church has played a significant role in nation building and development. This article explores and seeks to locate the voice and presence of the church both as an ecumenical body and as a prophetic voice within the tumultuous history of Lesotho’s politics with a specific timeframe from 1833-2002. A literature review of relevant academic articles as well as historical works is used to ensure that the accounts recorded are factually correct. The formation of Basotho in the 18th century is a direct result of violence and war in the form of Lifaqane. King Moshoeshoe I, founder of the Basotho nation believed that peace could be procured via the presence of missionaries, therefore denoting the establishment of the church as an important factor. Within Lesotho’s mainstream history, the role played by the church has often been referred to in passing. Common sayings like “Baruti ba Moshoeshoe (Moshoeshoe’s pastors/ministers), and Lesotho ke naha ea Bokresete (Lesotho is a Christian nation)” are often quoted, and yet the actual role that the church has played and continues to play in Lesotho’s history and development has been an after-thought. In light of this, this article locates the role that the church has played in different eras of Lesotho’s history. From the establishment of the 1 st church (Protestant Church) in Morija, to the formation of ecumenical bodies such as The Heads of the Churches and Church Council of Lesotho to the current emerging coalition democracies under the constitutional monarchy.

Conquering Korea for Jesus: Protestant missionaries, local churches, and literacy in Colonial Korea

We study the effect of Protestantism on human capital acquisition using novel data on 234 counties and 2,478 towns in the Korean peninsula in 1930. First, we show that towns with a larger number of native Protestant churches have higher literacy rates throughout colonial Korea. To establish causality, we employ hand-collected data on the exposure to foreign Protestant missionaries as an instrumental variable for the number of native Protestant churches. Furthermore, we study the differential success of different missionary societies, using a spatial RDD that exploits the Comity Agreement of 1909 which geographically divided Korea between missionary societies. We show that Presbyterians, who put more emphasis on empowering local churches, were more successful at attracting members, and fostering literacy, than the Methodists with their more hierarchical structure.

As Reformas religiosas e o nascimento da escolarização ocidental

The religious reforms of the 16th century served as the midwives of early modernity. At a time when the Iberian expansion was globalizing the continents, these reforms sparked religious wars and deeply fragmented the European landscape. This confessionalization of society led to the emergence of a more rationalized form of Christianity, represented by various Protestant churches and Tridentine Catholicism, particularly exemplified by the Society of Jesus. Diverging from medieval Christianity, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anglicans invested in creating their own networks of educational institutions, sparking an unprecedented wave of schooling that aimed to solidify the religious practices of their followers. In response, the Catholic Church also equipped itself, establishing parish schools and, notably, a network of Jesuit colleges that spread throughout the Catholic regions of Europe, Asia, and the New World. In 1599, the Society of Jesus unified its educational establishments with the institution of the Ratio Studiorum — a comprehensive set of Jesuit educational rules that became the foundational curriculum for Catholic schooling in the early modern period. This study argues that the religious reforms were instrumental in the birth of Western schooling, emerging from different Christian matrices — both Protestant and Catholic. This represents a historical shift — in the Foucauldian sense — that led to the rise of schooling in the Western world, characterized by modern discipline, manifested through mechanisms such as time control, spatial organization, the arrangement of forces, a climate of competition and student reward, and an emphasis on moral punishments. This issue is examined through three recent historical-sociological works published in Europe and Latin America: Produção da escola/produção da sociedade: Análise sócio-histórica de alguns momentos decisivos da evolução escolar no Ocidente by sociologist André Petitat; Arqueología de la escuela by sociologists Julia Varela and Fernando Álvarez-Uría; and A invenção da sala de aula: Uma genealogia das formas de ensinar by historians Inés Dussel and Marcelo Caruso. This historiographical reflection examines the emergence of Western schooling, aiming to identify common analytical elements across these three books, while also noting differences, particularly those related to theoretical foundations and socio-spatial contexts.

Local Women in the Christian Mission History of the Protestant Church in Southeast Sulawesi (Gepsultra), Indonesia

In the history of Protestant missions, women do not play a significant role in the collective memory. This study endeavors to examine and analyze the involvement of women in the historical records of the Protestant Church mission in Southeast Sulawesi, employing a feminist perspective. The primary thesis of this article posits that the adoption of feminist perspectives is imperative in order to elucidate the interrelated nature of masculine hegemony, Indonesian historiography, and the marginalization of women as individuals who have been excluded from the annals of missionary history and the collective recollection of the Protestant church in Southeast Sulawesi. The article commences with an examination of women and historiography, situated within the framework of feminist discourse. The results indicate that local women deserve to be dubbed missionaries because they serve as missionary heroes, leaders, and cultural bridges.

The Effect of the Members’ Religious Activity and the Church’s Clergy on Church Growth by the Example of Estonian Protestant Churches

Abstract The article aims to examine religious activity in Christian churches. In order to achieve this goal, religious activity is defined through religious practices such as church attendance, prayer, and Bible reading. The data used in the article are taken from a survey of growing churches (hereafter referred to as KK2020, n=350), in which nine Estonian growing churches participated. The main comparative base is the sociological survey on religion “On Life, Faith and Religious Life” (EUU2020, n=1000), conducted in Estonia. As a result of the analysis, the article presents an overview of religious activity indicators for growing churches, ordinary churches, and the adult Estonian population and compares growing churches of different denominations. Based on the results, it can be hypothesized that religious activity of church members and minister has positive influence on church growth.

Decoloniality in Theology Today: The Quest to Liberate United Theological College’s Curriculum from Foreign God Talk

United Theological College is one of the oldest and largest ecumenical institutions in Southern Africa. The institution brings together six Protestant churches in Zimbabwe. For years, the institution produced competent theologians. Unfortunately, these theologians drunk from some foreign theological calabashes whose contents are divorced from the Zimbabwean realities. The College had been clinging to the Western, far distant, and neighbouring African theologies and theologians for its curriculum forgetting to scratch where Zimbabweans are itching. This collection of different theologies into one combination was an attempt by the College to equip students with diversified theologies from different sociopolitical, economic, and religious environments, ignoring that the context is divorced from Zimbabwe’s milieu. This paper sought to invoke the institution’s continual addressing of contextual theological issues using borrowed theological epistemologies. Using a decolonial framework and qualitative research methodology, the paper challenged the institution to decolonise its curriculum by liberating it from armchair theories of foreign God talk. Structurally, the paper discussed the theoretical framework, methodology, and identity of the College and proceeded to present the curriculum of the institution and the findings from the interviews with special reference to four modules. The paper stressed that the perpetual pontification of foreign theological themes by the institution will continue to create theologians whose heads and the body are separated. The conclusion challenged the College to decolonise its curriculum and advocate for a theology that speaks with the language and idioms of the Zimbabwean milieu regardless of the challenges associated with the move. This paper contributes significantly to scholarship as it challenges United Theological College to use relevant resources to do theology. Keywords: Decoloniality, Theology, Liberate, United Theological College, Curriculum, God Talk

Legal Status of Vietnamese Protestant Churches: The Pros and Cons

To operate legally, religious groups must be legally recognized in Vietnam. However, as of 2023, only twelve Protestant groups had been officially recognized, and a few more religious leaders had registered their organizations for legal recognition. Our research data indicate that a significant number of Protestant groups operate without legal recognition, and this article analyzes the reasons for this situation. Based on 49 interviews, the authors argue that legal recognition is particularly important for large Protestant churches, which require legal status to obtain certain administrative powers and to become eligible for material support from the state. However, the administrative process for legal recognition is very complicated. Furthermore, obtaining legal status often implies increased surveillance of religious activities by local administrators, which may inhibit their evangelistic activities. Consequently, many representatives of Protestant religious groups have decided to operate without legal status, even at the risk of legal sanctions.

Toward a Truly Universal Catholicity?

AbstractThis article discusses the latest document by the Francophone ecumenical group the Groupe des Dombes. The document advocates a “reformed catholicity” through the conversion of the churches, where catholicity is not seen as the exclusive property of the Roman Catholic faithful but encompasses the entire Christian church, and in which the word “reformed” also concerns the whole Christian church and not only Protestant churches. This article first explores the contribution of this text to ecumenical dialogue. It then discusses the “bold thesis” at the centre of the document, according to which the Catholic Church and the churches of the Reformation “form one Church, although in imperfect communion.” The article then goes on to highlight the eschatological dynamic of the document and the relationship between catholicity and mission. The article concludes with some thoughts about the path toward a truly universal catholicity.