By Whose Authority? Sexual Ethics, Postmodernism, and Orthodox Christianity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary S Ford
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Sexual Ethics ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Christian Teaching ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Church ◽  
True Alternative

Abstract The traditional Christian teaching is that engaging in sexual activity, whether heterosexual or homosexual, outside the marriage of one man and one woman is sinful (as distinct from having thoughts about illicit sexual desire, which need not be sinful as long as they are not meditated and/or acted upon—in the same way that the Church teaches about any “logismoi”). In direct contrast, there are those in the Church who quite recently have begun to insist that the traditional teachings concerning sexual sin need to be changed. In particular, the effort is being made to have the Church accept homosexual behavior as not sinful or problematic in any way—at least not for committed homosexuals, as comparable to committed heterosexuals in a marriage. As we all know, this relatively recent view has been promoted heavily in the media and popular culture, and even by our national government. As we make our observations, we will particularly focus on traditional Orthodox Christianity as the fullness of the truth and, thus, the source of the true alternative to this “new” outlook that is gripping much of popular Western culture today.

scholarly journals The psychology of breakup sex: Exploring the motivational factors and affective consequences of post-breakup sexual activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470492093691
Author(s):  
James B. Moran ◽  
T. Joel Wade ◽  
Damian R. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Media ◽  
Affective Consequences ◽  
The Relationship

Popular culture has recently publicized a seemingly new postbreakup behavior called breakup sex. While the media expresses the benefits of participating in breakup sex, there is no research to support these claimed benefits. The current research was designed to begin to better understand this postbreakup behavior. In the first study, we examined how past breakup sex experiences made the individuals feel and how people predict they would feel in the future ( n = 212). Results suggested that men are more likely than women to have felt better about themselves, while women tend to state they felt better about the relationship after breakup sex. The second study ( n = 585) investigated why men and women engage in breakup sex. Results revealed that most breakup sex appears to be motivated by three factors: relationship maintenance, hedonism, and ambivalence. Men tended to support hedonistic and ambivalent reasons for having breakup sex more often than women. The two studies revealed that breakup sex may be differentially motivated (and may have different psychological consequences) for men and women and may not be as beneficial as the media suggests.

The Church on the World's Turf

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Bramadat
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Sexual Ethics ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Conservative Protestant ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Christian Fellowship ◽  
The University ◽  
The Church

Is it possible for conservative Protestant groups to survive in secular institutional settings? Here, Bramadat offers an ethnographic study of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) at McMaster University, a group that espouses fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible, women's roles, the age of the earth, alcohol consumption, and sexual ethics. In examining this group, Bramadat demonstrates how this tiny minority thrives within the overwhelmingly secular context of the University.

Entertainment publics in the Philippines

2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2098596
Author(s):  
Anna Cristina Pertierra
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Political Capital ◽  
Martial Law ◽  
Entertainment Media ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
The Media ◽  
Entertainment Television

Since the late 1980s, Filipino entertainment television has assumed and maintained a dominance in national popular culture, which expanded in the digital era. The media landscape into which digital technologies were launched in the Philippines was largely set in the wake of the 1986 popular movement and change of government referred to as the EDSA revolution: television stations that had been sequestered under martial law were turned over to family-dominated commercial enterprises, and entertainment media proliferated. Building upon the long development of entertainment industries in the Philippines, new social media encounters with entertainment content generate expanded and engaged publics whose formation continues to operate upon a foundation of televisual media. This article considers the particular role that entertainment media plays in the formation of publics in which comedic, melodramatic and celebrity-led content generates networks of followers, users and viewers whose loyalty produces various forms of capital, including in notable cases political capital.

A theology of gratitude for rising generations

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-359
Author(s):  
Stephanie Townes
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Practical Theological ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

Rising generations (Millennials and Gen Z) already have a solid understanding of gratitude from gratitude’s pervasiveness in popular culture, and because of this, gratitude is an opportunity for the Church to reach rising generations where they already are. To do this, the Church should underscore a theological why of gratitude and a practical theological how of gratitude. The theological why of gratitude is based on Kathryn Tanner’s gift-giving nature of God, from her book Jesus, Humanity, and the Trinity. The practical theological how of gratitude will rise up from our holy habits of gratitude, both personal and collective, reinforced by the Eucharist, and taught through discipleship and practices of stewardship.

Eschatology and Religiosity of the People in Russia in the 17th Century

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 23-33
Author(s):  
Natalya S. Gurianova
Keyword(s):  
17Th Century ◽  
Church Reform ◽  
Christian Teaching ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Spiritual Crisis ◽  
Time Of Troubles ◽  
Early Modern Era ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
The Church

The article studies the religiosity of Russian population in the 17th century in order to find out the type of this state of public mind. Special attention is drawn to the acuteness of eschatological expectations in society, which intensified during periods of crises. After the Time of Troubles (Smuta), the Church, trying to bring society out of the spiritual crisis, had been exploiting the “end of the world” topic through publishing relevant texts. This trend was especially noticeable during the time of Patriarch Joseph. The decision of the Moscow Printing House (Pechatnyi Dvor) to extend the amount of eschatological publications was determined not only by the direction of church policy, but also by the request in society, the desire of the population to get a more complete picture of the Christian teaching about the ultimate destinies of the world and man, since the spiritual crisis had presupposed an increase of apocalyptic moods. This desire indicates that the population was characterized by the religiosity of the medieval type. The article scrutinizes in particular the 2nd half of the 17th century, which modern researchers rightly designate as the early Modern era. In a society with such a keen perception of the time, the church reform, initiated in the middle of the century by Patriarch Nikon, was naturally not supported by a part of the population. In the interpretation of the defenders of the Old Belief, the actions of the reformers turned into clear signs of the advent of the kingdom of Antichrist, as it was prophesied in Christian teaching. It was not some peculiarity of the worldview of the opponents of church reform, their behavior adjusted the religiosity of the epoch. To justify these thoughts the position of Patriarch Nikon could be mentioned. Nikon found himself in a situation of disapproval and, arguing to be wrongfully convicted and misunderstood, he also used the eschatological doctrine. Based on the analysis of such facts, the article concludes that the 2nd half of the 17th century was characterized by religiosity of the medieval type.

Magic in the Russian Marketplace: Creating Trust

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 568-586
Author(s):  
Faith Wigzell
Keyword(s):  
Social Trust ◽  
Traditional View ◽  
Negative Image ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

Focussing on a commercial magic specialist (mag) well-known in Petersburg today, the article examines the strategies adopted by her and others to gain the confidence of their clientele. It opens by examining the levels of social trust in Russia, arguing that distrust and feelings of defenselessness encourage a sizeable proportion of Russians with the traditional view that problems are externally generated, to think of turning for help to magic practitioners. With magic services derided in the media and condemned by the Church, the magic specialist NPP must counter this negative image as well as promote her services above those of her competitors. Whereas in 2006 she relied on press advertising and recommendation by satisfied customers, in 2012 her main promotional tool is her website. The article examines the specific ways in which she tackles the creation of a trustworthy image. Since magic services offer a kind of therapy, another aspect examined in detail is the relationship with psychology and psychotherapy. It is suggested that from the early 1990s to around 2005 magic specialists sought to hijack psychotherapy, but that more recently links have been played down as magic practitioners define their potential clientele more clearly. The article offers reasons for this, and speculates on future developments.

scholarly journals Resensi Buku: Liquid Ecclesiology—The Gospel and The Church

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Haleluya Timbo Hutabarat
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Young People ◽  
Church Building ◽  
Interesting Discussion ◽  
The Church ◽  
Spiritual Attitude ◽  
Gospel Narratives

Abstrak Latar belakang masalah buku ini adalah fenomena gereja yang kaku. Menggunakan metode etnography, buku ini merupakan sebuah bahan diskusi yang menarik tentang gereja, anak muda dan budayanya. Penulis menghubungkan budaya (populer), anak muda, dengan narasi Injil untuk menghasilkan apa itu gereja. Ia menawarkan eklesiologi gereja yang lebih cair, adaptif dan responsif terhadap akar-akar budaya sehari-hari yang dihidupi. Bagian-bagian setelahnya berisi diskusi tentang bentuk-bentuk praktis yang sangat memungkinkan dari konsep gereja yang cair. Akhirnya, anjuran sikap mental dan spiritual agar sebuah gereja tetap cair dan freshbagi komunitas di dalam dan di sekitarnya adalah keterbukaan. Buku memperkaya diskusi di ranah eklesiologi, liturgi, pembangunan jemaat, pastoral, budaya populer, dan intergenerasional.   Abstract Rationale background of this book is the solid phenomenon of church. Using ethnography methods, this book is an interesting discussion about the church, young people and its culture. The author associate (popular) culture, young people, with gospel narratives to produce what the church is. He offers a more fluid, adaptive and responsive ecclesiology as the roots of everyday culture of church that is lived. This study also recommends the very practical forms of a liquid church. The final suggestion as a mental and spiritual attitude so that church remains liquid and fresh, is openness. This book shares a rich discourse in the field of ecclesiology, liturgy, church building, pastoral, popular culture, and intergenerational culture.

scholarly journals Catholic Church and the Italian public television. An enduring relation with an interlude: the Council

2015 ◽  
pp. 179-199
Author(s):  
Federico Ruozzi
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Public Television ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The article presents the entanglement of the Catholic Church and the media by focusing on the case of the Second Vatican Council and the television broadcast of its events. The mass media attention of the council stimulated, according to the author, a double level: the media conveyed more information about the church event than it had ever done before, but at the same time, the mass media influenced the discussion of the council fathers. The article also analyzes, through the lens of the Council, the recent relationship between the Catholic Church and the Italian television.  

scholarly journals List apostolski Duodecimum saeculum Ojca Świętego św. Jana Pawła II z okazji tysiąc dwusetnej rocznicy Soboru Nicejskiego II. Miejsce ikony w wierze i rozumieniu św. Jana Pawła II

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4 Zeszyt specjalny) ◽  
pp. 57-71
Author(s):  
Urszula Mazurczak
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practice ◽  
Virgin Mary ◽  
Religious Art ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Many ◽  
The One ◽  
Spiritual Expression ◽  
The Church

The letter of the Holy Father John Paul II written in Rome in 1987, in the tenth year of His pontificate, on December 4th, on the day of memorial of Saint John Damascene, the doctor of the Church, on the Twelfth Centenary of finishing the controversy over the icon, is of great importance for the Pope’s program of ecumenism. The Holy Father indicated various directions of the dialogue, however, the one of the utmost importance concerned the agreement with the Orthodox Church, which was confirmed in the letters and in His other documents quoted in this paper. The image used to be essential for religious practice, for illustrating the word of prayer and of the song, in order to preserve the tradition of the Church. The strict prohibition introduced by the iconoclasm depreciated not only the artistic tradition of paintings but also the basic dogmas of Christ’s Incarnation and the one which introduced Virgin Mary as the Theotokos (the God-bearer). The ban constituted a threat not only for the icons but also for the Christian faith. In His Letter, the Pope underlined the important role of the Second Council of Nicaea which reintroduced icons and maintained and deepened the meaning of the cult in the faith of believers. Furthermore, the Holy Father indicated the connection with the Second Vatican Council in understanding the function and form of images in contemporary Church. Contemporary trends are overwhelmed by the impotence of the spiritual expression of sacral art, which is a great concern for the Pope. The Letter is, therefore, a dramatic warning of the threats for religious art in contemporary time, expressed by the Holy Father with these words: ‘The rediscovery of the Christian icon will also help in raising the awareness of the urgency of reacting against the depersonalizing and at times degrading effects of the many images that condition our lives in advertisements and the media.’ (DS, 11).

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