Christian Social Research Articles

‘I think you’d strike’: Interpreting Preston in The Strike

The literary aftermath of the Preston lock-out has been dominated by Charles Dickens’s Hard Times (1854) and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1854–1855). Far less well known is The Strike , an anonymous tale published in 1855 by the Oxford publishing firm John Henry Parker. This article explores the relationships between The Strike and the ‘industrial novel’ (particularly Hard Times and North and South ) as well as comparing their respective handling of the historical reality of the Preston lock-out. It analyses the similarities and differences in the literary handling of the lock-out across all three texts and argues that, in terms of historical verisimilitude, The Strike generally demonstrates a greater degree of historical accuracy than either of its better-known counterparts. Additionally, it argues that the tale’s interest in co-operation suggests an author with Christian Socialist affiliations and, in its closing paragraphs, offers circumstantial evidence pointing to the Rev. Charles Marriott as a potential author of The Strike .

Binding Citizenship as a Bridge between Communities and Institutions: Dialogues between Christian Social Ethics, Political Philosophy and Social Sciences

Binding Citizenship as a Bridge between Communities and Institutions: Dialogues between Christian Social Ethics, Political Philosophy and Social Sciences

Christianity and Public Relations: Theory and Practice of Christian Social Ethics, written by Chang-Ho Lee

Christianity and Public Relations: Theory and Practice of Christian Social Ethics, written by Chang-Ho Lee

Zachovávat právo a milovat milosrdenství: Ke vztahu lásky a spravedlnosti v kontextu křesťanského sociálního jednání

Zachovávat právo a milovat milosrdenství: Ke vztahu lásky a spravedlnosti v kontextu křesťanského sociálního jednání

Practicing Christian Social Welfare of Persons with Disability according to Disability Paradigm Changes

Practicing Christian Social Welfare of Persons with Disability according to Disability Paradigm Changes

The Church Museums’ Evolution of the Idea and Methods of Missionary Work in China: A Study of Tsinanfu Institute

The Church Museums’ Evolution of the Idea and Methods of Missionary Work in China: A Study of Tsinanfu Institute

Declarações da Conferência Episcopal do Chile durante o governo de Salvador Allende: tensões com Cristãos pelo Socialismo

This article aims to examine the views of the Chilean Catholic Church during the administration of President Salvador Allende. The main themes that arise from the declarations of the bishops will be addressed and the ethical-theological implications of the relationship between religion and politics in the current context will be analyzed. The central axis of the article is to analyze the vision of the bishops towards the Marxist/socialist ideology from the historical and theological analysis of the government of Salvador Allende and the configuration of Christians for Socialism. The bishops’ statements show a critical position towards the Marxist/socialist ideology, seen as synonymous in a discursive strategy of the church hierarchy to disqualify the government and the left-leaning of Catholics. The article is based on a classic analysis of texts, which uses internal and external analysis of episcopal documents between 1970 and 1974, together with a bibliographical review on the historical period.

Two forgotten Anglo-Catholic pioneer priests

Peter Green (Salford) and Charles Jenkinson (Leeds) were Anglo-Catholic parsons who devotedly worked in northern England either side of the Second World War. Are they models for today? Green prioritized ‘intentional evangelism’. Jenkinson was a Christian socialist and Modernist who ‘meddled in politics’ as a city councillor: his priority was housing reform. Green remained a parish priest; Jenkinson moved into new town development. Despite their shortcomings, each cleric distinctively represents a relevant kind of priesthood: the parish missionary sharing the archbishops’ commitment to ‘mission-shaped’ church (Green), and the activist intent on building the kingdom by transforming his parishioners’ built environment (Jenkinson).

The Chilean Christians for Socialism Movement: Liberationist, Third Worldist, and Utopian

Abstract This article examines the emergence, consolidation, and influence of the Cristianos por el Socialismo (CpS, or Christians for Socialism) movement as part of the overlapping political and religious transformations of the 1960s. The election of self-declared Marxist Salvador Allende in 1970 inspired a sector of the clergy to creatively converge the tenets of Marxism and Christianity. The notion of transcendence and the construction of a “New Man” appealed to the utopian aspects of both religious and Marxist thinking. The Chilean CpS had a Latin American impact, as evidenced by the First Latin American Encounter of Christians for Socialism in Santiago in 1972, and a transnational impact, as seen in the formation of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in 1976. The analysis of CpS and its influence within and outside of Chile reveals an often-overlooked component of the Chilean road to socialism: the work of Catholics in Marxist-Christian rapprochement.

Sin and Socialism: The Development of Realism in Christian Socialist Thought

ABSTRACT In this article I investigate how Christian socialist thought has approached the problem of human nature and realism. I focus on four key figures in the tradition: F. D. Maurice, Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Niebuhr, and William Temple. My account makes two claims: first, that realist grounds for the Christian socialist vision developed as the tradition matured; and second, that it is possible to reconcile a realism grounded in original sin with socialism. The core of the realist argument for socialism is simply an extension of a primary justification for political democracy: because of sinful human nature, power needs countervailing forces. Decentralized economic democracy achieves this by distributing power widely. Markets do the same by decentralizing decision-making and enabling selfishness to be “harnessed” and yet “contained” by social ownership. Christian socialism can thus be understood as not only compatible with realism but as the logical outworking of realism.

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CONCEPT OF THE FUTURE SOCIETY IN THE GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY AT THE END OF THE 19THAND BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURIES

Based on the analysis of the works of the classics of Marxism, the works of theorists and historians of German social democracy, articles by priests of the Catholic Church and representatives of Christian socialism in Germany at the end of the 19th century, theorists of anarcho-syndicalism, Russian and foreign researchers of German social democracy and the labor question, an attempt is shown to a departure from the orthodox Marxist policy of the German Social Democracy of the late 19th-early 20th century regarding religion, the church, religious organizations and believers towards a more pragmatic party policy aimed at attracting faithful Catholic workers into their ranks. In German Social Democracy, after the repeal of the law against the Socialists, which fell as a result of joint political actions against the policy of the government of Otto von Bismarck, a coalition of opposition bourgeois and clerical parties, the restoration of existing voting rights, in the interests of growing party ranks and strengthening the influence of the Social Democrats in local Landtag and the Reichstag, created the opportunity to propagate socialist ideas among the workers, who were under the strong influence of the church. The question arose: what kind of party policy should be pursued in the future with regard to believers so that this does not contradict the program of the party and does not reduce the quality of its party ranks. These questions served as the subject of discussion in the party and led to the subsequent adjustment of its party program, the exclusion from it of the provision on the reactionary nature of all other classes of society, except for the proletariat. The problem was to develop such a policy of the party towards the church and believers that it would not contradict the basic Marxist postulates on this issue and at the same time would not interfere with the attraction of believers to the party, especially from rural areas that were under the strong influence of the clergy.

Perancangan Video Profile Yayasan Sosial Kristen Salib Putih Salatiga

The Salatiga White Cross Christian Social Foundation is a social institution that focuses on social and humanitarian services, apart from that, this foundation also develops human resources through several programs. The foundation is a continuation of the services of the Witte Kruis Kolonie which was founded on 14 May 1902. The social services provided by this foundation include nursing homes, orphanages, work centers, work training centers, and medical centers. The large operational costs are one of the obstacles experienced by foundations in carrying out their services. Helping hands from donors are needed, but the use of media is currently not effective for donors or the public who want to know about the social services carried out by the White Cross Candidate Foundation. Based on the existing problems, information media is needed that can describe the vision, mission, and objectives of the foundation and provide a clear and detailed picture of what service areas are managed by the management of the White Cross Foundation. By using qualitative research methods and applying a linear strategy as a creative stage, it is hoped that we will be able to produce profile videos that can present foundation profile information in more detail and interest to potential donors or the general public who have an interest in social services. Keywords: Social Services, Salatiga Video Profile, Christian Cross Social Foundation

Financial Constitution Issues in Development of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany in 1948-1949

This article analyzes the key problems of the financial constitution in the development of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1948-1949, based on materials from the Constitutional Convention at Herrenchiemsee and the Parliamentary Council of West Germany. It emphasizes that the relevance of this issue was influenced by Germany’s historical development, which had a long-standing experience in both regional and imperial financial administration. This led to high significance of financial constitution issues in post-war West German politics. It is concluded that the main approaches to this problem were developed at the Herrenchiemsee Convention in October 1948, and the main content of the financial section of the Basic Law was formulated in the financial committee at the beginning of October 1948. A key role in developing the financial constitution was played by parliamentarian H. HöpkerAschoff. However, until May 1949, the parties could not reach a consensus on matters of financial administration system and financial equalization. This was significantly influenced by constant objections from the occupying administrations, the position of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), uncertainty in assessing financial conditions, and the Social Democrats’ consistent defense of broad financial powers for the federal center.

Christian Democrats in Germany on Ensuring Environmental Security Through International Cooperation

The aim of the article is to present the position of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) on ensuring environmental security through international cooperation within the European Union and the United Nations. The election platforms published by the German Christian Democratic parties from 1990 to 2021 for the elections to the Bundestag and the European Parliament are analyzed.

Chrześcijańskie Stowarzyszenie Społeczne w rzeczywistości politycznej PRL w latach 1957–1974

The Christian Social Association in the political reality of the Polish People’s Republic in 1957–1974 Formed in October 1957, the Christian Social Association was founded on the basis of a breakaway group in the ‘PAX’ Association, referred to as ‘secession’. In late September and early October 1957, its leader, Jan Frankowski, removed from the editorial board of the group’s weekly Za i Przeciw leading ‘secession’ activists, who styled themselves ‘non- affiliated democratic left’. He established a small Catholic organisation which had a loyalist programme, and which was intended not to cause trouble for the authorities, gaining some political and economic concessions in return. However, Frankowski did not want to come into open conflict with the Church, a stance that irritated the communists, who wanted to strengthen the association in order to use it to fight the Episcopate and other Catholic groups. In the 1960s an opposition to Frankowski emerged within the organisation’s leadership, seeking to activate the association. In 1968, the president of the association lost Zenon Kliszka’s patronage, which, in the atmosphere of the March political purge, facilitated his dismissal. Zygmunt Filipowicz, an MP, became the new head of the organisation, but he drew his support from several activists who were in conflict with each other. The course of events within the association and the struggle between volatile coalitions resulted in 1972 in a clash between the general secretary, Kazimierz Morawski, and Stanislaw Jan Rostworowski, MP, both seeking to become the organisation’s president. Both were Ministry of Internal Affairs agents and their conflict led to chaos throughout the organisation. In the end, with the support of the communists, Morawski became the president, while Rostworowski was marginalised. The Christian Social Association was unable to win political independence or genuinely increase its importance within the country’s political system, and Rostworowski’s attempts to change this state of affairs had a significant impact on his defeat.

Igor Ogurtsov: A Visionary Orthodox Thinker Ahead of His Time

Based on the author’s collected memories of participants in the events described, memoirs, journalistic articles published in Russian and Russian emigrant publications, as well as on the documentary materials of the classified court proceedings that took place in Leningrad in 1967–1968, the article recounts the history and ideology of the underground anti-communist organization — the All-Russian Social Christian Union for the Liberation of the People (VSKhSON). The publication focuses on the fate of the founder of the All-Russian Social Christian Union for the Liberation of the People, the outstanding Russian Orthodox thinker Igor Vyacheslavovich Ogurtsov, who, in the early 1960s, along with a group of his associates, advocated for the synthesis of Christianity, patriotism, and social ideas against the communist system. Particular attention is given to the Program of the All-Russian Social Christian Union for the Liberation of the People. Written by Igor Ogurtsov 60 years ago, it remains relevant today in both scientific and political contexts. The author of the Program, while analyzing the communist system, not only predicted the inevitability of communism’s collapse but also proposed a specific path for the rebirth of Russia after the fall of the “party dictatorship” — a path rejecting the extremities of both socialist and capitalist perspectives and implying the country’s further development based on the principles of sociality and Christian ideals.

Gennady Shimanov and His Unfulfilled Dream of “Orthodoxizing the Soviet State”

The article delves into the life and endeavors of Gennady Mikhailovich Shimanov (1937–2014), a relatively unknown to the wide audience yet a profoundly intriguing thinker, Orthodox publicist and dissident of the Soviet and post‑Soviet eras. It provides an overview of his biography and creative journey, highlighting his atypical position within the dissident and human rights movement, which predominantly leaned towards liberalism. In general, Shimanov’s beliefs revolved around practicing Orthodoxy during the Soviet era, Christian socialism, and Russian nationalism. The article focuses on Shimanov’s historiosophical prediction in the 1970s, suggesting the transformation of the Soviet state into an Orthodox theocracy, and the subsequent debates within the dissident literature of that time. Unusual for that period was Shimanov’s conviction in the necessity of maintaining loyalty to the Soviet state even on the part of dissidents. The article also touches upon Shimanov’s post‑Soviet creative works and their character, notably after the collapse of the USSR when his expectations starkly failed to fulfill, or fulfilled in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, other successful ideas and predictions by Shimanov are acknowledged. For example, those regarding the detrimental consequences that the country and society would experience if the liberal approach was chosen as the way out of the historical impasse of the Soviet era. The article also notes weaknesses in Shimanov’s ideologies, particularly evident in the post‑Soviet years: painful antisemitism, excessive social interpretation in understanding of Christianity, and ideological engagement. Simultaneously, the article acknowledges positive aspects of his ideas, namely his focus on national and family issues that heavily impacted the future of the Russian people.

‘Building the New City of God’: The Role of Women in John Clifford's Vision for a Christian Society

ABSTRACT John Clifford was a Baptist pastor and Christian socialist in London from 1858 to 1923. A strong advocate for social reform, throughout his ministry, he supported the inclusion of women in leadership roles in the Church, and he was a strong advocate for female suffrage. This article suggests that his views on the roles of women were grounded in early life experiences, and explores the ways that throughout his ministry he promoted the view that women had an essential part of play in building the kingdom of God.

Австрийская конституционная модель разграничения компетенции между Федерацией и землями

The constitutional development of the Austrian state at the turn of the XIX – early XX centuries was characterized by a combination of centralist and federalist tendencies. One of the controversial issues during the monarchy, and later in the First Austrian Republic, was the issue of the division of competence between the central government and its constituent parts. The Austrian half of the monarchy (Cisleithania), despite the long tradition of separate crown lands, was a unitary state, although decentralized. The division of competence between the center and the lands was based on the February Patent of 1861 and the December Constitution of 1867. At the same time, the issue of the correlation of different types of laws has not received certain regulation. In constitutional practice, there is an indisputable doctrine about the equal force of the imperial laws and the laws of the lands. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the state of German Austria was created, which, according to Austrian legal historians, arose as a decentralized unitary state. The constitutional processes took place with the active participation of political parties. In the coalition agreement concluded on October 17, 1919 between the Social Democrats and the Christian Socialists, it was stated that the constitution should be adopted as soon as possible. By the beginning of the work of the Subcommittee of the Constitutional Committee in July 1920, agreement had been reached on a significant part of the constitutional text. At the same time, the issues of the division of competence between the Federation and the lands, as well as the relationship between federal law and land law, remained controversial. The Federal Constitutional Law, adopted on October 1, 1920 by the Constituent National Assembly, establishes a complex model for dividing competence between the federation and the lands. The theoretical justification for this approach to the regulation of the division of competence was presented in the first commentary to the Federal Constitutional Law, co-authored by Hans Kelsen (Professor at the University of Vienna, member of the Constitutional Court), Georg Froelich (Adviser to the Minister of the Federal Chancellery) and Adolf Merkle (Professor at the University of Vienna) (1922). The Austrian model of the division of competence between the federation and the lands remains unique, theoretically grounded, and characterized by political and institutional continuity.

Christian Social Ethics by Elmar Nass (review)

Christian Social Ethics by Elmar Nass (review)