State Church Research Articles

Religious Freedom: The Catholic Approach

I should make plain at the beginning that I am neither a theologian nor a church historian, and I do not represent the Catholic Church. What follows is merely my understanding of the key documents and some of the key interventions by the Church on the topic of religious freedom over the last fifty years. In writing this comment, I have used a collection of the Church's statements on religious freedom published by the Caritas in Veritate Foundation in Geneva. This foundation is concerned with the social doctrine of the Church and seeks to support the work of the Holy See and other Roman Catholic bodies at the United Nations. Anybody interested in the Church's position on this and related issues will find some useful material on the foundation's website.

Framing Child Sexual Abuse: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Newspaper and Television Coverage, 2002–2012

ABSTRACTThe way in which the news media frame child sexual abuse can influence public perception. This content analysis of the child sexual abuse coverage of eight national news organizations in the United States from 2002 to 2012 includes the two dominant events of the Catholic Church and Pennsylvania State University child sexual abuse scandals. Census and systematic stratified sampling techniques were applied to articles obtained from the Lexis/Nexis Academic database, resulting in a sample of 503 articles. Intercoder reliability was ensured by double coding a randomly selected sample. Study findings indicate a shift in the attribution of responsibility of child sexual abuse among news organizations over the past decade from an individual-level problem with individual-level solutions to a societal-level problem with institutional culpability. Nevertheless, individual-level solutions continue to be framed as the best possible solution.

Brest Union in its prehistory and the beginnings of history

Among the first Orthodox hierarchs who bestowed the greatest benefit on the defense of the Ukrainian Church before the oppression of its Polish authorities (which further believed that the Orthodox Ukrainians and Belarusians were "bound by the Florentine Union") was Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia, Joseph II Soltan 62 (1507-1522) . But his successes in this matter could not have a look for the further purpose, because the fate of the Orthodox Church under the Catholic power of the kings of Poland, which at the same time was the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was predetermined by the Catholic interests of Poland. When the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (and with it all the Ukrainian and Byelorussian lands) was an act of the Union of Lublin Poland (1569) incorporated into the Polish state, the implementation of the plan for the abolition of the Orthodox Church in this Catholic state was already a matter of the near-time.

Wang Yi and the 95 Theses of the Chinese Reformed Church

In August 2015, a group of pastors and elders from an urban house church in Chengdu, Sichuan, posted 95 theses online. This bold move, challenging the state and the Chinese churches has created controversy in China and abroad. The theses address a series of issues on sovereignty and authority with regard to God, the church and the government. This article considers briefly the historical and theological resemblances to Luther’s act, then examines three of the most controversial aspects of the document: its analysis of church–state relations, its rejection of the “sinicization” of Christianity, and its excoriation of the state-registered church. Of these three, the article focuses on church–state relations, since perspectives on the state church and sinicization stem from the same arguments. The article shows how the thinking of this Reformed church and its senior pastor Wang Yi draws on a particular reading of the bible, church tradition, and the role of conscience, and traces these to pastor Wang Yi’s earlier writings and his reading of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed thought.

Is there Church History in Revolutionary Cuba? Accessing and Analysing Cuban Catholic Sources

The article examines the perspectives of conducting research on the history of the Catholic Church in Cuba in the context of the Revolution. Focusing on the current possibilities and challenges of archival research with Catholic primary sources in Cuba, the key argument of the article is that the current archival policy of the Catholic Church still reflects the historical development and current circumstances of the Cuban church–state relations. The article states that the contemporary history of the Catholic Church in Cuba still remains largely unknown due to the lack of accessing historical sources on the topic – yet the situation might be changing as a response to the changes taking place in Cuban society. Drawing from the writer's experiences of fieldwork in Cuba, the article portrays the process of accessing restricted archival materials of the Catholic Church in Cuba and examines how new sources enrich the history of the Catholic Church in revolutionary Cuba.

Limit or liberation Ellen Key’s view on religious education in school

The Swedish author Ellen Key (1849-1926) argued, in her time and from her idealistic and modern perspective, for a disconnection between the educational system at schools and the authorities of the State Church of Sweden. Meanwhile, in her pedagogical manifest The Century of the Child (1900/1912) she promoted a deeper encounter between the pupil and the textual stories of the bible. Not as fundaments for theology and a systematic structure of belief, but as an important contribution for the growth of the child. The article takes it’s point of departure from the historical context of Ellen Key’s time, the educational and political-religious framework where Key’s visionary ideals developed and were formulated. Furthermore, Key’s arguments and demands in The Century of the Child for the exclusion of Christian instruction in schools, as well as her perception of the implication on the educational practice, is detailed. Key’s texts will be analyzed through the methodical and theoretical works of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor (1931 - ). In his work Taylor investigates the possibility to view the world in “excarnated” or “incarnated” terms, and Ellen Key’s arguments are sharpened in this classical theological and philosophical structure. In the conclusion the over-arching question is: will religious instruction in general and Christian instruction in particular, in Key’s opinion, create problems or possibilities for the child in its upbringing? Will they serve as limit or as liberation for the development of the individual?

Letter of Condolences on the Death of King Edward VII by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria

ABSTRACTThe unpublished letter of condolences on the death of King Edward VII by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria is deposited in Christ’s College, Cambridge, U.K. The Coptic Orthodox Church never discloses its official correspondence, and this makes this letter unique because it reveals a correspondence between the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church and British state officials. This essay brings the letter out of the shadows of obscurity because it sheds light on a little-known aspect of Coptic history. Though the letter is short, it offers a unique glimpse of a previously unknown diplomatic papal correspondence. The essay sets the context of the letter by introducing first the bequeather, Sir Stephen Gaselee, and then the letter’s writer, Pope Cyril V (r. 1874–1927), concluding with a brief commentary on the letter, which is otherwise self-explanatory.

A state church? A consideration of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in the light of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s ‘Theological position paper on state and church’

This article considers whether South Africa’s largest mainline Christian denomination, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, is in danger of embodying or propagating a contemporary form of ‘state theology’. The notion of state theology in the South African context gained prominence through the publication of the ‘Kairos Document’ (1985) – which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2015. State theology is deemed inappropriate and harmful to the identity and work of both the Christian church and the nation state. This article presents its consideration of whether the Methodist Church of Southern Africa is in danger of propagating ‘state theology’ in dialogue with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s important document, Theological Position Paper on State and Church. The article offers some insights into the complex relationship between the state and the church in South Africa in the apartheid and democratic eras. It further problematizes the relationship between the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and the governing African National Congress by citing some concerning examples of complicit behaviour from recent history. The MCSA’s polity and doctrine on church and state relationships are also considered before some critique and warning is offered in the light of Bonhoeffer’s Theological Position Paper on State and Church.

The Christian Churches, the State, and Genocide in Rwanda

The churches in Rwanda have exercised considerable political influence during both the colonial and post-colonial periods. Although formally autonomous institutions subordinate to the state, in actuality they have cultivated political influence through their religious teachings and secular role as the loci of material and social resources. However, there is at least one key factor, which has contributed to their fluctuating political influence within Rwanda. During the colonial period, the dominant Catholic Church functioned within a colonial regime of indirect rule, predicated on sustaining the political authority of a Tutsi-dominated Central Court presiding over the territories roughly contiguous with the present-day republic. This threefold division of power and authority acted as a brake upon the hegemonic ambitions of the Church, the royal house and the colonial administrators. Following the abolition of the monarchy in 1961, the structure of political power and authority of the state was fundamentally transformed, clearing the way for the emergence of a 'state church' whose political role in the two Hutu dominated post-colonial republics would have significant historical implications. In this essay, I argue that it was this structural transformation of the Rwandan polity - marking the shift from a trilateral to a dual relationship between state and Church -, which contributes to our understanding of how the Church became embroiled in the mass violence and genocide in the twentieth century Rwandan polity.

The Politics of Migration, Church, and State: A Case Study of the Catholic Church in Ireland

This article investigates the ways in which a shift from post-colonial nation building to neoliberal state restructuring has shaped church and Irish state relations regarding migrant welfare. It develops the extensive work of Bäckström and Davie (2010) and Bäckström et al. (2011) on how majority churches in European countries are reclaiming a social welfare role as the state relinquishes this responsibility: first, by examining the domain of migrant welfare which is not developed in their work; and second, by arguing that majority church pro-migrant service provision, as it has evolved in recent decades, can be understood in relation to an emergent neoliberal mode of collective responsibility for migrant welfare. It suggests that in spite of other factors and forces that undermine Irish Catholic Church authority, the marketization of more domains of life in the first decades of the twenty-first century has given new significance to Catholic Social Teaching and pro-migrant church initiatives.

Secularização e a impotência da religião individualizada

The secularization paradigm combines two things: an assertion about changes in the presence and nature of religion, and a collection of related explanations of those changes. It is not a universally applicable scientific law, but a description and explanation of the past of European societies and their settler offspring. Contrary to often repeated caricatures, it is not a simple evolutionary model and does not imply a single uniform future—but it does suppose that there are “socio-logics” to societal changes. Some changes go together; others do not. For example, feudal societies can have effective state churches; culturally diverse liberal democracies cannot. And that is not an accident. As I show below, it can be explained by fundamental features of the latter sort of society.

Regionalizing Dimensions of Citizenship: Accommodating Muslim Minorities in Quebec

Quebec offers an interesting perspective on the relationship between minority nationalism and the integration of immigrants. Immigration into the homeland of a national minority often reinforces its sense of cultural insecurity. Quebec has responded by exercising its substantial jurisdiction within the Canadian federation to develop a distinctive approach to immigrant integration, known as interculturalism. This article examines the controversies surrounding Quebec’s approach. We argue that the actual content of current debates, which increasingly focus on the accommodation of religious diversity, is driven primarily by the church–state settlement reached in the province in the middle of the 20th century. However,Quebecers’ minority status does matter. It increases the frequency and intensity of conflict about diversity policy. In addition, it shapes attitudes toward the process for managing disputes. Quebecers’ believe such issues should be resolved within Quebec, and they resist the idea that pan-Canadian institutions should have a central role.

Budowa kościoła ewangelickiego w Barczewie w XIX wieku

In 1823, the evangelicals in Barczewo received an oratory for the celebration of liturgical services. Soon it became apparent that it was too small to accommodate the increasing number of congregants. In 1834, the royal court devised plans to reconstruct this structure. Two years later, a Franciscan church was planned to be built to house the Evangelical church. However, the Bishop of Warmia did not approve of this project. In 1844, the state authorities in Berlin recognised the need to erect the Evangelical church in Barczewo, but no construction work was undertaken at that time. At the synod in 1862, it was proposed to build in this place a “Church of Gratitude” (Dankeskirche) for the miraculous rescue of the Prussian ruler in Baden-Baden. Probably in January 1868, the state treasury filed the case of the Barczewo parish, questioning its right to donate due to royal patronage. At the same time, the parish priest Fr. Otto Hass promoted a fund raising campaign for the construction of a church in the whole Prussian state, asking for a donation of one thaler. By November 1871 more than 5000 thalers had been collected. The church was probably built on the basis of Georg Gustav Erbkam’s project. Its dedication took place on September 28, 1871.

Church–state relations and the decline of Catholic parties in Latin America

AbstractThe decline of Catholic parties across Latin America appears as an interesting exception to the global political resurgence of religion. Catholic parties, once important players in the region’s politics, have become less distinctive or failed altogether. While many explanations focus on social secularization or the instability of regional politics, this article emphasizes the role of shifting relationship between the Catholic Church and Latin American states. Specifically, it argues that the emergence of flexible accoresearchers continue to catalog the myriad ways in whichmmodation, an arrangement whereby religious politics is managed by individual bishops, politicians and officials, has undermined the functionality and appeal of programmatic religious parties for elites and voters alike. As a result, Catholic religious politics remains vibrant, but is increasingly channeled outside the electoral arena.

Changing church–state relations in contemporary China: The case of Wenzhou Diocese

This article examines the relationship between the state and the Catholic Church in Wenzhou in contemporary China from the perspective of institutional theory. There have been four phases of interaction between the state and the Catholic Church between 1980 and today, namely, religious restoration, tightened control over religion, the management of religion and limiting religious influence. During these phases, the state coerced the Catholic Church to adhere to its policies on religious institutions but also made concessions with the Catholic clergy during negotiations. In response to the state’s institutionalization of religion, the Church engaged in accommodation, negotiation, confrontation and resistance. More recently, the Church has adjusted its political position, moving towards increased resistance against state institutions. The article concludes with a discussion of the political implications of the church–state model in Wenzhou for religious freedom in China, reflecting the usefulness of institutional theory in Chinese society.

Studying ecclesiology in ecumenical perspective: the Finnish context: what does it mean to be ‘the same church in all directions’?

This article introduces the main international ecumenical contacts of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF). The article shows how the ecumenical contacts shape the unique ecclesiology of the ELCF. According to its own ecumenical strategy, the ELCF wants to be the same church in all directions. Unlike Lutheran churches in other Nordic countries, the ELCF is not a state church, but a folk church. Its status from a majority church in a national state is rapidly changing to a majority religious body in a multicultural society. This requires a new kind of ecclesiology, too. This article claims that there are four inter-related issues that shape the ecclesial self-understanding of the ELCF as an ecumenically active folk church. These issues are emphasis on doctrinal unity, communion within the LWF and Porvoo Communion, the status of a decreasing majority folk church, and internal debates on socio-ethical issues, especially those related to sexuality.

A Long History of Faith-Based Welfare in Australia: Origins and Impact

In a nation where governments and churches have collaborated in the delivery of welfare services since 1788, such faith-based welfare was seen as normative rather than problematic. Indeed most Australians would struggle to imagine a welfare system that was not built on such an arrangement. However, by the late twentieth century, the world views and ideologies of church leaders and politicians were no longer in alignment, creating tensions in the relationship. This article explores the origins and development of church–state collaboration in the delivery of welfare, and examines the impact this has had on both the shape of charity and the mission of the churches as faith-based agencies are increasingly challenged in an environment in which government funding is tied to policies that potentially transgress the principles of the gospels, and victims of past welfare practices demand reparation.

Concept of Secularism

Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. In another sense, it refers to the view that human activities and decisions, especially political ones, should be based on evidence and fact unbiased by religious influence. The purposes and arguments in support of secularism vary widely. In European laicism, it has been argued that secularism is a movement toward modernization, and away from traditional religious values. This type of secularism, on a social or philosophical level, has often occurred while maintaining an official state church or other state support of religion. In the United States, some argue that state secularism has served to a greater extent to protect religion from governmental interference, while secularism on a social level is less prevalent. This paper intends to focus upon the various definitions and perspective of secularism and try to understand the concept of secularism and its relevance the modern times.

Un cas d’ecclesiolae in ecclesia en Norvège à la lumière de la théorie culturelle d’Emmanuel Todd

This article discusses the coexistence between the Lutheran State Church and the Lutheran lay movement in Norway. Despite strong conflicts over theology and Church order, the lay movement, whose stronghold is the western periphery, has generally chosen to remain within the Church. This phenomenon of hostile cohabitation is analysed in relation to the theoretical framework developed by Emmanuel Todd, who argues that European regions are highly divergent when it comes to anthropological patterns and dispositions. One of the main anthropological fault lines separates west and south-east Norway. In adapting Todd’s perspective to a well known debate, the author reveals new insights into the social rationales for the behaviour of the lay movement.

Separation of Church and Welfare State: Dominant State Conceptions and the Financing of Churches in Postwar Netherlands

Three decades ago the Dutch state terminated its last direct financial ties with the churches. “The silver cords,” as one MP called the payments to the churches in 1983, “have been ended with a golden handshake, and I hope the state will never again establish any galling bonds with the church.”1 Article 185 of the constitution, which since 1815 had guaranteed a state contribution to salaries, tuition, and pensions of clergymen and a postage exemption for the churches, was deleted after a compensation deal was struck with the participating churches.2 The abolishment of article 185 is usually cited as one of the most important examples that show a growing disentanglement of church and state in the Netherlands, a process that started in the late eighteenth century and accelerated during the past decades.3 To understand general processes of (dis)entanglement between church and state, scholars have introduced different approaches to compare different types and patterns of entanglements and policies regarding church–state interlocution.4 These approaches typically categorize legal–institutional church–state relations and/or dominant views on these relations along a secular–theocratic axis so that (groups of) countries can be compared synchronically. Additionally, theoretical frameworks have been devised to trace and categorize historical patterns of church–state relations.5