This book ist intended as a guide for those who wish to learn a language which is importand for comparative Slavik studies (in order to facilitate subsequent study of more than one of the Slavik languages, just as Latin facilitates study oft he Romance languages), for an understanding of the Church Slavik element of Russian (as important as the Latin element in English), or for comparative Indo-European studies. The approach taken ist hat of generative grammar, which provides for the most cohesive and precise formulation of the principles of a language, enabling the student to learn the language from the inside out.

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The volume examines the development of the role and profession of Catholic women from the 1960s to the 1980s in the Federal Republic of Germany. Based on the example of the Catholic University of Applied Sciences of North Rhine-Westphalia, the changes in education and academic qualification in the fields of theology and social work are investigated. Von der Mütterlichkeit zur Partnerschaft, von der Berufung zum Beruf, von der Helferin zur akademischen Fachkraft – den Wandel katholischer Frauenleben von den 1960er- bis zu den 1980er-Jahren untersucht dieser Band. Wie positionieren sich katholische Frauen zwischen Kirche und gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen? Welche Gestaltungsmacht entwickelten sie und welche Begrenzungen akzeptierten sie? Der Band analysiert erstens das weibliche Rollen- und Berufsverständnis von katholischen Frauen anhand der Zeitschrift „Die christliche Frau”, zweitens den Übergang des Berufs der Seelsorgehelferin zu dem der Gemeindeassistentin/-referentin, drittens die Praxis der theologischen Ausbildung von Frauen zu Gemeindereferentinnen sowie viertens die Erschließung des Hochschulraums der Sozialen Arbeit durch Frauen. Das Untersuchungsfeld der Studien bildet die 1971 gegründete Katholische Fachhochschule Nordrhein-Westfalen.

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From the outside, the Mohawk Institute looks like a large and welcoming school building. When one looks behind the bricks of the school, however, a much different story becomes apparent. Conceived and overseen by Six Nations community member Richard W. Hill Sr., Behind the Bricks is an important work that provides deep insight into the Mohawk Institute, Canada's first, and longest-running, residential school, operating from 1828 to 1970 in Brantford, Ontario. Many see the Mohawk Institute as a model for the residential school system. Behind the Bricks brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts. The book begins with an overview that traces the history and context of the school, and the remainder of Behind the Bricks touches on a broad array of topics from the experiences of students, to archaeology and architecture, to the role of religion, and beyond, drawing on a wide variety of sources including government documents, church records, and oral history. Behind the Bricks examines the policies and motivations that shaped the experiences of all three parties involved with the school—the government, the church, and the students and their communities. A thorough and thoughtful history that provides deep insight into over a century of institutional operation, Behind the Bricks is an essential work that tells us not only about the Mohawk Institute, but the entire residential school system, providing a window into the past with the goal of working towards a future of truth and reconciliation.

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The different theoretical notions and practices of the relations between the state and religious communities in early modern Europe constitute one of the most interesting problems in historiography. Moving away from a simple «toleration» versus «non-toleration» dichotomy, the author sets out to analyse the inter-confessional relations in selected European territories in a «longue duree» perspective, between Reformation and Enlightenment. Outlining the relations between the state and the different Churches (confessions) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Holy Roman Empire of Germany, and the Northern Netherlands serves to highlight the specificity of Northern Netherlands serves to highlight the specificity of «free» (non-absolutist) composite states, where the particularly complex process of defining the raison d’etat determined the level of religious toleration that was politically feasible and socially acceptable.

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This book explores the role of Catholic peacebuilding in addressing the global mining industry. Mining is intimately linked to issues of conflict, human rights, sustainable development, governance, and environmental justice. As an institution of significant scope and scale with a large network of actors at all levels and substantial theoretical and ethical resources, the Catholic Church is well positioned to acknowledge the essential role of mining, while challenging unethical and harmful practices, and promoting integral peace, development, and ecology. Drawing together theology, ethics, and praxis, the volume reflects the diversity of Catholic action on mining and the importance of an integrated approach. It includes contributions by an international and interdisciplinary range of scholars and practitioners. They examine Catholic action on mining in El Salvador, Peru, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Philippines. They also address general issues of corporate social responsibility, human rights, development, ecology, and peacebuilding. The book will be of interest to scholars of theology, social ethics, and Catholic studies as well as those specializing in development, ecology, human rights, and peace studies.

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'Christelike etiek in ΄n sekulariserende samelewing' produces authoritative, fully evidenced and well-reasoned treatment of Christian ethics, a major topic that is of central concern to South Africa’s people. It disseminates original research, fosters collaboration of experts and generates new developments within the specific field of Reformed Theology and Christian Ethics.The target audience are specialists in the field of Systematic Theology and contextual ministry. The author applies in Christian ethics the concept of the kingdom of God as the overarching paradigm in order to elucidate societal and ecclesiastical problems which are experienced in morality today. The book’s hypothesis is argued and substantiated by using a very wide variety of classic, as well as recent investigations in the field of ethics. What promotes this specific research is the fact that the author not only refers to international researchers, but also to South African theologians and the South African situation. The book further reflects on the phenomenon secularisation and the notion post-secular spirituality, argued against the background of a universal law of nature and a specific scriptural revelation and Christology. In light of the challenges of postmodernity it focuses on the concepts truth, justice and the prophetic calling of the present-day church. The author has managed to translate Christian situation ethics that enriches and stimulates research thoughts, that can assist and advocate reconciliation in South Africa.

'Christelike etiek in ΄n sekulariserende samelewing' genereer gesaghebbende, ten volle bewese en goed beredeneerde behandeling van christelike etiek, ΄n vername onderwerp wat van kardinale belang vir die mense van Suid-Afrika is. Dit dissemineer oorspronklike navorsing, bevorder samewerking van kundiges en genereer nuwe ontwikkelings binne die spesifieke veld van die Gereformeerde teologie en Christelike etiek. Die teikenmark is spesialiste op die gebied van Sistematiese Teologie en kontekstuele bediening. Die outeur pas in die Christelike etiek die konsep van die koninkryk van God toe as die oorkoepelende paradigma, ten einde maatskaplike en kerklike probleme wat vandag ten opsigte van moraliteit ervaar word, te belig. Die hipotese van die boek word beredeneer en gestaaf deur die gebruik van ΄n baie wye verskeidenheid van klassieke, sowel as onlangse ondersoeke op die gebied van etiek. Wat hierdie spesifieke navorsing bevorder, is die feit dat die skrywer nie net na internasionale navorsers verwys nie, maar ook na Suid-Afrikaanse teoloë en die Suid-Afrikaanse situasie. Die boek besin ook oor die fenomeen sekularisasie en die begrip postsekulêre spiritualiteit, bespreek teen die agtergrond van ΄n universele natuurwet en ΄n spesifieke Skrifopenbaring en Christologie. In die lig van die uitdagings van die postmoderniteit, fokus dit op die konsepte van waarheid, geregtigheid en die profetiese roeping van die hedendaagse kerk. Die skrywer het daarin geslaag om die Christelike situasie-etiek te kommunikeer. Die werk kan navorsingsidees verryk en stimuleer, en help om versoening te bepleit.

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In 1645, as the First Civil War approached its end, a second Reformation took place which created profound dislocations in religion and in British society. The Church was disestablished, and godly puritan practices promoted in parish churches and everyday life. Some clergy and parishioners embraced change; others were horrified, experiencing these as times of madness and trouble. Historians continue to debate the extent of the social disruption that resulted, and the impact of godly ideals. With an introduction from Professor Bernard Capp, pre-eminent social historian of the period, this collection of essays assesses interregnum religious practice at ground level, based on a sophisticated understanding of the complex and unique pattern of record-keeping and survival from the period. Each chapter takes an original approach, using a specific local or institutional case study or previously under-examined source from England, Scotland or Wales. In the process, we see how ever-evolving national initiatives met local spaces, local traditions and individual personal agendas. We see the tensions produced by the emergence of religious plurality in a society still yearning for social conformity under a uniform practice of religion, the forces for inclusion and exclusion, of acceptance of or estrangement from godly religion.

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Ecclesiology is the study of the church and has two focal points; the one is the historical and doctrinal perspective on the church, and the other is the church as situated in a local context in the sense of the local practices of actual congregations. The ecclesiology or, more correctly, the ecclesiologies of this volume mainly focuses on the second aspect, i.e., understanding the local congregation or parish as a community of believers. A congregation may firstly be described by posing a theological question: What is the local missional church or congregation all about? This question may be answered from different perspectives, but it remains essential to answer it from a theological perspective. The first five chapters in this book focus mainly on a theological understanding of the congregation. This is done from different disciplines within the study field of theology. Congregations are, secondly, social realities and should be described and analysed through an analytical or empirical lens, or, to answer the question attached to the first empirical-descriptive task of practical theology, “What is going on?”. The remaining chapters use a quantitative and qualitative lens and give an empirical analysis of the congregation. The intention is to critically reflect on the church and congregations’ ecclesiology from a theological and analytical perspective with an emphasis on the South African context. It wants to map markers for the development of contemporary ecclesiologies, and the different chapters are meant as mirrors to look in and reflect on the theological and contextual relevance of denominations and congregations in South Africa.

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Communion Ecclesiology by Dr. K.T. Resane explores the concept of a communion ecclesiology in South Africa. The book provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the concept in the Bible, in history and in different church traditions including the African Initiated Churches. The book also focuses on the different cultural groups in South Africa as they were organised within theological traditions. - Prof. S.D. Snyman, University of the Free State

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This book offers an analysis of the wide range of attitudes that communist movements and regimes adopted towards atheism during the 20th century. Despite the well-known violent fight of the Bolsheviks against believers, for example, and religious persecution in communist regimes at different times, being a communist did not always go hand in hand with being an atheist oneself or with the will to actively spread atheism. The reasons for the changing links between communism and atheism, ranging from militant atheists to communists presenting themselves as defenders of the authentic religion, deserved precise, in-depth investigation. The book’s case studies on Greece, Albania, Italy, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Slovenia, Afghanistan, and Vietnam and its common focus on the causes of atheism will be of interest to scholars of these areas but also of atheism and secularism, religion, and politics. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons-Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

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Evangelical mission work in Germany has made little inroads to reach secular people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This book investigates diffusional patterns that enabled three evangelical church plants to guide converts through processes of transformational conversion. Each church plant in this multi-case study represents a salient expression of their correlating missional movement pointing to contemporary trends in German evangelicalism: Migrant missions, new Pentecostal churches, and American mission efforts in conjunction with globally active church planting organizations.

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For risks and side effects ask your doctor, pharmacist - or the Clinical Ethics Committee in your environment." The establishment of clinical ethics committees is a direct response to the professionalization of the medical establishment and the achievements in medical technology. Always progress in medicine was more than just technological advance. Especially its undeniable successes face doctors, nurses, chaplains and the management at the same time with new questions and problems. With the institutionalization of clinical ethics consultation connects the expectation of understanding the complex processes on a common basis. What taks are set for ethics committees in hospitals? How becomes ethic an issue there? And how do theologians and nurses communicate in these bodies? These papers summarize from a theological and philosophical point of view central research findings discussed in the framework of the DFG-funded research project "Ethics and Organisation.

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For risks and side effects ask your doctor, pharmacist - or the Clinical Ethics Committee in your environment." The establishment of clinical ethics committees is a direct response to the professionalization of the medical establishment and the achievements in medical technology. Always progress in medicine was more than just technological advance. Especially its undeniable successes face doctors, nurses, chaplains and the management at the same time with new questions and problems. With the institutionalization of clinical ethics consultation connects the expectation of understanding the complex processes on a common basis. What taks are set for ethics committees in hospitals? How becomes ethic an issue there? And how do theologians and nurses communicate in these bodies? These papers summarize from a theological and philosophical point of view central research findings discussed in the framework of the DFG-funded research project "Ethics and Organisation.

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Inwiefern gelingt es Kirche und Diakonie, der gesamtgesellschaftlichen Großaufgabe »Inklusion« gerecht zu werden? Inklusion steht dabei nicht nur für barrierefreie Zugänglichkeit, sondern auch für die Wahrnehmung und Anerkennung von Vielfalt sowie für die Beseitigung von strukturellen Benachteiligungen, Diskriminierungen und limitierenden Lebensumständen. Die Beiträge reflektieren Fremd- und Selbstbilder von Inklusion und Exklusion in diakonischen Kontexten aus historischer, empirischer, erziehungswissenschaftlicher, theologischer und diakoniewissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Damit richten sie sich an alle, die die Aufarbeitung von Exklusionsprozessen in Kirche und Diakonie theoretisch mitdenken und in der Praxis aktiv gestalten wollen.

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This volume contains the texts from the symposium on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the M.A. Programme Intercultural Theology. The contributions address the challenges and consequences of an intercultural approach in academics as well as in the churches and in society. Since globalisation has significantly changed the face of contemporary Christianity in the 21st century, the task of doing theology has become more complex. The cultural, geographic and denominational varieties of Christianity worldwide challenge the traditional Western face of academic Christian theology and demand new and global forms of theological thinking across lines. Intercultural Theology seeks to embrace these dynamics with a constructive dialogue, opening up new spaces of collaborative thinking and academic reflection.

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The year 2030 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Augustan Confession, the most important confessional document from the Wittenberg Evangelical movement. Written by Melanchthon as his last attempt to preserve the unity of Western Christianity while defending overdue reforms, it became a document of contemporary division. Can the ecumenical movement in its present form find a way to access the text together?

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This volume gathers papers from the fields of philosophy, theology, and empirical psychology on the topic of gratitude to God. Central themes include the difference between gratitude to God and gratitude to human benefactors and correlations between gratitude to God and important life outcomes.

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Die klassischen Themen des Christentums informierend und orientierend neu entdecken – dafür geben Johannes Herzgsell und Cora Duttmann in einem Grundlagenwerk über drei Bände philosophische, theologische, biblische, religionswissenschaftliche und spirituelle Impulse. Dabei nehmen sie nicht nur verschiedene christliche Konfessionen, sondern auch nichtchristliche Weltreligionen wie den Islam, Daoismus, Hinduismus und Buddhismus in den Blick. Band III widmet sich den Themen »Kirche« (u.a. Säkularität, Entstehung, Geschichte, Spaltungen, Konzilien, Ökumenische Annäherungen, Sakramente, Ämter, Weltsynode), »Option für die Armen« (u.a. Gottes Parteinahme, Befreiungstheologie, feministische Theologie, Freundschaft mit Armen) und »Vollendung« (u.a. Tod, Gericht, Auferstehung, Fegefeuer, Allversöhnung, Himmel).

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In the 1990s, Los Angeles was home to numerous radical social and environmental eruptions. In the face of several major earthquakes and floods, riots and economic insecurity, police brutality and mass incarceration, some young black Angelenos turned to holy hip hop—a movement merging Christianity and hip hop culture—to “save” themselves and the city. Converting street corners to open-air churches and gangsta rap beats into anthems of praise, holy hip hoppers used gospel rap to navigate complicated social and spiritual realities and to transform the Southland’s fractured terrains into musical Zions. Armed with beats, rhymes, and bibles, they journeyed through black Lutheran congregations, prison ministries, African churches, reggae dancehalls, hip hop clubs, Nation of Islam meetings, and Black Lives Matter marches. Zanfagna’s fascinating ethnography provides a contemporary and unique view of black LA, offering a much-needed perspective on how music and religion intertwine in people’s everyday experiences.

“An extraordinary book: a treasure trove of information and a tour de force of original research about an intertextual nexus of music, religion, and social practice.” GEORGE LIPSITZ, author of How Racism Takes Place

“Zanfagna’s intimate and nuanced work outlines what she calls ‘geographies of conversion.’ She reveals people moving toward ‘Zyon’, where they might encounter trouble, contradiction, and conflict, but also ecstasy, flight, and freedom. An often surprising, subtly transformative book.” JEFF CHANG, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

“Zanfagna graces readers with a deeply engaged and intimately observed unveiling of a Jesus-worshipping West Coast hip hop scene. Through determined, industrious research and wise reflection she provides an exposed view of a pop-savvy form of missionary work that combines social justice motivations with a beat-driven imperative to ‘flipping the script(ures).’” GREGORY TATE, musician, and producer, and author of Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix and the Black Experience

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How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop examines the programming practices at commercial radio stations in the 1980s and early 1990s to uncover how the radio industry facilitated hip hop’s introduction into the musical mainstream. Constructed primarily by the Top 40 radio format, the musical mainstream featured mostly white artists for mostly white audiences. With the introduction of hip hop to these programs, the radio industry was fundamentally altered, as stations struggled to incorporate the genre’s diverse audience. At the same time, as artists negotiated expanding audiences and industry pressure to make songs fit within the confines of radio formats, the sound of hip hop changed. Drawing from archival research, Amy Coddington shows how the racial structuring of the radio industry influenced the way hip hop was sold to the American public, and how the genre’s growing popularity transformed ideas about who constitutes the mainstream. “Here it is—bam! The definitive story of rap, race, radio, and marketplace during hip hop’s Golden Age. Amy Coddington combines an archivist’s rigor and a raconteur’s wit in documenting what those of us of a certain age remember but, perhaps, never fully grasped: how, amidst expanding racial inequalities and against all odds, rap music became the most popular genre in America.” — Anthony Kwame Harrison, author of Hip Hop Underground: The Integrity and Ethics of Racial Identification “Making use of trade publications that have received little scholarly attention, Coddington has crafted a provocative and lucid alternative history that tracks how the radio industry’s engagement with hip hop in the 1980s and 1990s both reflected and shaped changing ideas about race and music.” — Loren Kajikawa, author of Sounding Race in Rap Songs

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Huizhou studies the construction of local identity through kinship in the prefecture of Huizhou, the most prominent merchant stronghold of Ming China. Employing an array of untapped genealogies and other sources, Qitao Guo explores how developments in the sociocultural, religious, and gender realms from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries intertwined to shape Huizhou identity as a land of "prominent lineages." This gentrified self-image both sheltered and guided the development of mercantile lineages, which were further bolstered by the gender regime and the local religious order. As Guo demonstrates, the discrepancy between representation and practice helps explain Huizhou's triumphs. The more active the economy became, the more those central to its commercialization embraced conservative sociocultural norms. Home lineages embraced neo-Confucian orthodoxy even as they provided the financial and logistical support to assure the success of Huizhou merchants. The end result was not "capitalism" but a gentrified mercantile lineage culture with Chinese—or Huizhou—characteristics.

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From drought to deluge, climate extremes are mobilizing humanities scholars to reimagine water discourse, which has until now largely focused on human power over water. This volume unites preeminent and emerging voices across humanistic disciplines to develop a new discourse called the hydrohumanities, dedicated to examining water-human-power relationships.

Organized into three themes in water studies—agency, fluid identities, and cultural currencies—Hydrohumanities exemplifies how interdisciplinary approaches can transform water conversations. Part One explores the properties of water and the ways water challenges human plans for control. Part Two explores how water (or its absence) shapes human collective and individual identities. Part Three engages notions of value and circulation to think about how water has been employed for local, national, and international gains. This volume shows how humanities scholarship has world-changing potential to achieve more just water futures.

“This fascinating essay collection breaks new ground with its interdisciplinary insights into the relations between water and human societies.” MATTHEW GANDY, author of The Fabric of Space: Water, Modernity, and the Urban Imagination

“Water’s power, purpose, and meaning cannot be contained by any one scholarly discipline. Understanding the value of water in a time of climate catastrophe demands more-than-human humanities, and Hydrohumanities answers this call.” ASTRIDA NIEMANIS, author of Bodies of Water: Posthuman Feminist Phenomenology

KIM DE WOLFF is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas. RINA C. FALETTI is an exhibition curator and researcher in the Global Arts Studies Program at the University of California, Merced. IGNACIO LÓPEZ-CALVO is UC Merced Presidential Endowed Chair in the Humanities and Professor of Latin American Literature.

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Die Bevölkerung in den deutschsprachigen Ländern Europas internationalisiert sich und weist eine große Pluralität auf. Diesen Entwicklungen gegenüber immun bleiben die meisten christlichen Gemeinden, was ihre gesellschaftliche Relevanz einschränkt. Friedemann Burkhardt widmet sich dem weitgehend unerforschten Komplex von Interkulturalität und Gemeinde. Er betritt mit seinen Impulsen für mehr Interkulturalität Neuland und eröffnet grundlegende theologische und gemeindepraktische Zugänge zum Interkulturalitätsbegriff. Somit plausibilisiert er den Interkulturalitätsbegriff im Sinne von Drittkulturalität als kirchentheoretische Schlüsselperspektive und legt Grundzüge einer Theorie interkultureller Gemeindeentwicklung vor.

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In Jesus Christus, Seun van God, is ons versoening: ’n Missionêre Christologie beklemtoon Pieter Verster die unieke betekenis van Jesus Christus as Seun van God en die implikasies van hierdie belydenis vir die sending. Verster lig die betekenis vir die sending uit deur ’n hermeneutiek en evangeliese grondslag vir die interpretasie van die Bybelse teks en konteks binne die post-moderne wêreld te ontwikkel. Die Christologiese benadering is essensieel vir sending, veral in die lig van Christus as Versoener in sy ampte as Koning, Profeet en Priester. Deeglike Skrifbewyse word voorgelê om sy standpunt te verduidelik. – Dr. Maniraj Sukdaven, Religiekunde en Missiologie, Universiteit van Pretoria

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The book reflects academically on important and relevant ethical fields from a multidimensional South African context. The book challenges conventional borders from different ethical, theological, philosophical, economic and cultural perspectives with insight and expertise and seeks to add academic-ethical value, locally and globally, with its different points of departure deeply embedded in justice. From a mainly qualitative methodological perspective, this scholarly book demonstrates that ethics requires analytical thinking and critical people who, in an existentially and emancipatory way, can help make the world a more just, decent and humane place in which to live. The authors, who represent different academic and cultural backgrounds, present in their respective chapters their research systematically, intersectionally and constructivistically, based on profound theoretical analysis and reasoning. This epistemology results in an act of knowing that actively gives meaning and order to the reality to which it is responding. By doing this, they point out that people are in an ongoing process of becoming more human – allowing ourselves and our fellow human beings to flourish and to reach fuller potential through justice-based ethical reflection and action.

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As the highest internal decision-making body within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the General Synod began, from 1876, congregating in Turku every tenth, and then eventually, every fifth year. By the 1960s, this decision-making system was becoming unsatisfactory. An extensive project to answer to the general ideals of the era and to strengthen the efficiency and democracy of the Church administration was initiated.

The reformed General Synod got underway in 1974 with biannual gatherings. It was a body consisting of 108 members, including lay representatives, clergymen and the bishops. The General Synod retained its right to decide on ecclesiastical books and continued to hold the sole right to make proposals regarding the Church Act. A new task was to decide on the budget of the entire Church organisation and to steer the activities of the Church as a whole. Additionally, the General Synod received the general authority to handle any issues related to faith and doctrine, such as ecumenical issues.

The book Kansankirkko ristipaineessa (A national folk church under conflicting pressures) takes a close look at the General Synod representatives during the years 1974â2011 and clarifies who the members of the Synod were, how they were elected and what they achieved. The study examines which of these persons held the most power, and what types of coalitions stood out within the work of the General Synod.

In addition, the book aims to provide a general overall picture of the General Synod in relation to the Church, economic life, legislation, theological dialogue and the media. The study examines how well the intentions that drove the reform of the General Synod were realised and whether the General Synod was actually progressing as slowly or as briskly as expressed by different observers at different times.

Discussions surrounding female ordination, sexual ethics and ecclesiastical books indicate the position of the General Synod within an increasingly diversified society. During the first decade of the 2000s, the General Synod experienced a similar revolution in terms of values as it had when preparing the reform of the Synod around the turn of the 1960s and 70s. The Church began to find itself once again in a missionary situation.

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As the highest internal decision-making body within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the General Synod began, from 1876, congregating in Turku every tenth, and then eventually, every fifth year. By the 1960s, this decision-making system was becoming unsatisfactory. An extensive project to answer to the general ideals of the era and to strengthen the efficiency and democracy of the Church administration was initiated.

The reformed General Synod got underway in 1974 with biannual gatherings. It was a body consisting of 108 members, including lay representatives, clergymen and the bishops. The General Synod retained its right to decide on ecclesiastical books and continued to hold the sole right to make proposals regarding the Church Act. A new task was to decide on the budget of the entire Church organisation and to steer the activities of the Church as a whole. Additionally, the General Synod received the general authority to handle any issues related to faith and doctrine, such as ecumenical issues.

The book Kansankirkko ristipaineessa (A national folk church under conflicting pressures) takes a close look at the General Synod representatives during the years 1974â2011 and clarifies who the members of the Synod were, how they were elected and what they achieved. The study examines which of these persons held the most power, and what types of coalitions stood out within the work of the General Synod.

In addition, the book aims to provide a general overall picture of the General Synod in relation to the Church, economic life, legislation, theological dialogue and the media. The study examines how well the intentions that drove the reform of the General Synod were realised and whether the General Synod was actually progressing as slowly or as briskly as expressed by different observers at different times.

Discussions surrounding female ordination, sexual ethics and ecclesiastical books indicate the position of the General Synod within an increasingly diversified society. During the first decade of the 2000s, the General Synod experienced a similar revolution in terms of values as it had when preparing the reform of the Synod around the turn of the 1960s and 70s. The Church began to find itself once again in a missionary situation.

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Religiöse und ästhetische Erfahrungen hängen eng zusammen: Kunst wie Religion werden von Raumwahrnehmung geprägt und generieren selbst Räume. Wie das geschieht und welche Chancen und Herausforderungen sich für die ästhetische Bildung daraus ergeben, zeigen die Beiträger*innen aus historischer, kulturwissenschaftlicher, theologischer und pädagogischer Sicht. Anhand exemplarischer Kunstorte und Sakralräume loten sie die Potentiale ästhetisch-religiöser Bildung aus und setzen einen Fokus auf die ästhetische Relevanz und liturgische Theatralität von Kirchenräumen. Der Dialog zwischen Expert*innen für ästhetische Bildung und Künstler*innen sowie Theolog*innen eröffnet dabei neue Sichtweisen auf ein bislang wenig erforschtes Feld.

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In 1983, with a view to developing the site, an archaeological study began, largely centred on the site of the former canonical cloister of Saint-Nazaire d’Autun, mentioned in documents as early as the 9th century, and taking into account both the buried remains and the remarkably preserved elevations. At the same time, the remains of the old cathedral were being analysed, as opportunities arose. The various interventions revealed the importance of this site, which gradually faded into the urban landscape in favour of the Cathedral of Saint Lazarus, erected at the beginning of the 12th century, while at the same time helping to renew our knowledge of the episcopal and canonical groups.

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It affords us real pleasure to present this editorial on behalf of the Majority World Christian Leaders Conversation (MWCLC). The MWCLC started slowly, but surely since 2016, following a groundbreaking conversation among eleven mission practitioners from the Majority World who met in the United Kingdom somewhere between London and Oxford. At the meeting, several themes emerged under the banner of missionary questions and impulses of the Majority World, from the perspective of the reign of God. These themes and more find reflection in the book. However, before proceeding to the content of the anthology, a note on the concept “Majority World” seems necessary. The time where terms like “Third World” gained strong currency, is long since gone. The term “Majority World” is a new kid on the block and requires some clarification. The use of the term is a strategy of avoiding concepts like “Developing” or “Third World” or even “Global South” which are pejorative in a real sense. To speak of the Majority World is geographically accurate in that Africa, Asia and Latin America are included.

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German and Finnish theologians discuss the basic questions of Christian mysticism based on authors from the Orient. These authors from the Iraqi-Iranian sphere (Aphrahat the Persian manner, Babai the Great, St. Hierotheos, Isaac of Nineveh, Makarios), play a crucial role in the field of Christian-Oriental mysticism. At the same time they take contributions also beyond this geographic area and go to the mysticism in the German context after Luther (Brandt, Kant) and provide a review, a critical voice to the concept of mysticism and its positioning in the German theology.

Deutsche und finnische Theologen diskutieren zunächst Grundfragen der christlichen Mystik anhand von Autoren aus dem Orient. Diesen Autoren aus dem irakisch-iranischen Raum (Aphrahat der persische Weise, Babai der Große; der heilige Hierotheos, Isaak von Ninive, Makarios), kommt eine herausragende Bedeutung im Bereich der christlich-orientalischen Mystik zu. Zugleich greifen Beiträge auch über diesen geographischen Raum hinaus und gehen der Mystik im deutschen Kontext nach (Luther, Arndt, Kant) und liefert ein Beitrag eine kritische Stimme zum Begriff Mystik und dessen Verortung in der deutschen Theologie.

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German and Finnish theologians discuss the basic questions of Christian mysticism based on authors from the Orient. These authors from the Iraqi-Iranian sphere (Aphrahat the Persian manner, Babai the Great, St. Hierotheos, Isaac of Nineveh, Makarios), play a crucial role in the field of Christian-Oriental mysticism. At the same time they take contributions also beyond this geographic area and go to the mysticism in the German context after Luther (Brandt, Kant) and provide a review, a critical voice to the concept of mysticism and its positioning in the German theology.

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Nationaler Sozialismus – kaum ein anderer Ausdruck hat so viele Bedeutungen wie dieser. Der Begriff wurde in der Weimarer Republik von 1918/1919 bis 1933 von Minderheiten aller politischen Strömungen beansprucht. Kennzeichnend ist, dass es keiner gelang, ihn vollständig für sich zu reklamieren und die Deutungshoheit zu erlangen, weshalb es auch so schwierig ist, eine allgemeingültige Definition oder Beschreibung des Phänomens aufzustellen. In der Forschung konzentriert sich die Diskussion meist nur auf einzelne Aspekte. Die Beitragenden ändern dies, indem sie erstmals alle gesellschaftspolitischen Akteure von der Kirche bis zu den Parteien unter die Lupe nehmen und so einen umfassenden Überblick über die nationalen Sozialismen der Weimarer Republik liefern.

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Empowering the poor remains an essential part of the Christian Gospel. The way in which the absolute poor in informal settlements in Africa can be empowered by the message of the Bible, needs to be researched. During research completed in informal settlements near Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa, it has been established that the churches present in the situation are best equipped to relate to the poor and interpret the message of the Bible to them.

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Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560) was, with Martin Luther, the most influential reformer of the church during the 16th century. He was also a reformer of university education, especially theological studies, as well as the school system in Germany. He was responsible for a theological curriculum that included Greek, Hebrew, and philosophy. He, as a professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg since 1518, was the author of the first generally accepted Protestant confession, known as the Confessio Augustana (1530). He also wrote the first Protestant commentaries on Paul’s letter to the Romans (1519), as well as the first Protestant handbook in systematic theology (1521). He was the main negotiator of the Protestant movement during the diets and religious discussions with the Roman Catholic Church. He is known as the ‘teacher of Germany and Europe’ and is respected as the father of the ecumenical movement. Yet, Melanchthon is not known to South Africans and especially Afrikaans-speaking people who, traditionally, have close links with the reformational tradition. There is not yet one single publication on Melanchthon in Afrikaans or by a South African scholar, making this book, therefore, the first by an Afrikaans-speaking scholar on Melanchthon.

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This research addresses the gap that is present in both missiology and family and youth ministry. Missiology does not focus on children and youth specifically, while this is the largest population in the developing world. On the other hand, family and youth ministry has a more pastoral than missional approach, not always taking cognisance of contexts like globalisation. Thus, the purpose of the book is to address the sometimes unintended and unnoticed influence of globalisation on the mission of the church, with a specific focus on children, youth and family. For this purpose, the International Association for Mission Studies study group for children, youth and families coming from different parts of the world decided to describe the powers, inequalities and vulnerabilities of children, youth and families in a globalised world from their specific contexts. Although the most prominent research methodology was critical literature studies, methods like autoethnographic, and empirical methods were also used. No decisions were made on a specific method of research for this publication. This publication can be viewed as an interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary, because it deals with social sciences, anthropology, psychology, missiology, systematic theology and practical theology.

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This research addresses the gap that is present in both missiology and family and youth ministry. Missiology does not focus on children and youth specifically, while this is the largest population in the developing world. On the other hand, family and youth ministry has a more pastoral than missional approach, not always taking cognisance of contexts like globalisation. Thus, the purpose of the book is to address the sometimes unintended and unnoticed influence of globalisation on the mission of the church, with a specific focus on children, youth and family. For this purpose, the International Association for Mission Studies study group for children, youth and families coming from different parts of the world decided to describe the powers, inequalities and vulnerabilities of children, youth and families in a globalised world from their specific contexts. Although the most prominent research methodology was critical literature studies, methods like autoethnographic, and empirical methods were also used. No decisions were made on a specific method of research for this publication. This publication can be viewed as an interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary, because it deals with social sciences, anthropology, psychology, missiology, systematic theology and practical theology.

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Seit Jahrzehnten setzen sich Menschen für die Gleichstellung von LSBTIQ* in der Evangelischen Kirche ein. In großen Teilen, wenn auch nicht in allen Landeskirchen, ist deren Durchsetzung gelungen. Diesem Erfolg aktivistischen Engagements steht eine überwiegend von heteronormativen Traditionen geprägte Praktische Theologie gegenüber, welche die Ausbildung und Berufspraxis von Pfarrer*innen weiterhin prägt. Die Beiträger*innen zeigen unter Berücksichtigung aktueller Forschungsergebnisse professionstheoretische Herausforderungen und Potenziale für die Bereiche Seelsorge, Gottesdienst, Pastoraltheologie sowie Ökumene auf. Zusätzlich reflektieren sie die Befunde queertheologisch und geben so neue Impulse für die Praxis.

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This book is unique and of great importance for theologians from diverse traditions but who all share the relevance of the academic Reformed discourse. The book focuses on, and forms part of celebrating 500 years since the start of the Reformation during the 16th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the quincentenary anniversary of the Reformation in Europe and to indicate the way in which the rich legacy of this important period in the history of the church and society still influences globally the theological landscape in the fields of Practical Theology, Missiology and Ethics. Specific attention is given to the manner in which the core principles of the Reformation can be utilised for these disciplines and applied in a contemporary context. The Reformation changed the ecclesiastical landscape of the day and still provides the benchmark for theological principles and praxis in many Protestant denominations. This book illustrates and underscores the practical-theological legacy and importance of the Reformation for church and society. The collected works by various theologians reflect on the impact of Reformed Theology on their respective fields of expertise. The original research is based on literature studies and has not been published previously in any form. Its aim is to stimulate discourse in Theology and related disciplines. Although the chapters represent different perspectives, the collective aim is to propose the vast impact of the Reformational views as they relate to the current context. The target audience is Reformed theologians. This book focuses on ways in which the legacy of the Reformation addresses practical and relevant issues for 21st-century believers, scholars and churches. It explores inter alia important homiletical and liturgical aspects of the Reformation and contemplates the importance of continual reformation in this regard. Furthermore, it discusses a Reformed approach to apologetics, evaluates the driving forces behind the Reformation of the 16th century and its relevance to missions today as well as examines the sola Scriptura principle of the Reformation and provides a critical perspective on Prosperity Theology. Several pastoral themes take centre stage before various aspects of xenophobia and civil prejudice are being investigated – both being very relevant topics throughout the world today. The book also focuses on hermeneutics and ethics in a quest for a biblical ethical approach as well as congregational hymns in the Reformed churches of South Africa today. The research outcomes are relevant not only for the South African context, but also globally.

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Wie kann der Glaube an Kristalle einer Ministrantin dabei helfen, durch die »harte Schale der Kirche« wieder zum Glauben an einen liebenden Gott zu finden? Martina Reiner schlüsselt religiöse Diskrepanzerfahrungen von Jugendlichen und ihren Umgang damit auf. Anhand von narrativen Biografiekarten und den dazugehörigen Erzählungen macht sie deutlich, dass religiöse Aneignung ein Prozess ist, der in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Parametern höchst individuell und dynamisch gedacht werden muss. So entsteht eine inhaltlich aufschlussreiche und methodisch innovative Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema, die auch über die Grenzen der Religionsforschung hinaus Interessierte anspricht.

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Restaging the Past is the first edited collection devoted to the study of historical pageants in Britain, ranging from their Edwardian origins to the present day. Across Britain in the twentieth century, people succumbed to ‘pageant fever’. Thousands dressed up in historical costumes and performed scenes from the history of the places where they lived, and hundreds of thousands more watched them. These pageants were one of the most significant aspects of popular engagement with the past between the 1900s and the 1970s: they took place in large cities, small towns and tiny villages, and engaged a whole range of different organised groups, including Women’s Institutes, political parties, schools, churches and youth organisations. Pageants were community events, bringing large numbers of people together in a shared celebration and performance of the past; they also involved many prominent novelists, professional historians and other writers, as well as featuring repeatedly in popular and highbrow literature. Although the pageant tradition has largely died out, it deserves to be acknowledged as a key aspect of community history during a period of great social and political change. Indeed, as this book shows, some traces of ‘pageant fever’ remain in evidence today.

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By the early ninth century, taking responsibility for aseriesof social, religious and political transformations had becomean integral part of running the Carolingian empire. This booktakes a fresh look at these transformations during theoptimistic first decades of the ninth century. Extrapolatingfrom a series of detailed case studies rather than presentinga new grand narrative, it offers new interpretations ofcontemporary theories of personal improvement andinstitutional reforms, and shows the self-awareness of its main instigators as they pondered what it meant to be agood Christian in a good Christian empire.

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Some of the studies in this publication excavate lost or disappearing indigenous toponyms. Those researchers contribute in a very concrete way to the preservation of indigenous toponyms, and thereby also the associated cultural heritage. The other papers explore how place naming functions as a mechanism with which to create mental maps and exert socio-political power.

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