Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Esther Chung-Kim
Keyword(s):  
Church Leaders ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Lay Leaders ◽  
Poor Relief ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Mass Influx ◽  
Religious Ideals ◽  
The Way

During the Reformation, religious leaders took a more decisive stance on the way that churches should deal with poverty. This study examines the role of church leaders in the development of poor relief reforms to provides a greater understanding of how religious ideals and rationales fueled the changes in church and society.While Catholics generally emphasized interpersonal charity, early Protestant reformers sought to eliminate begging by setting up or supporting poor relief institutions. Pastors and lay leaders helped to create and establish various approaches to alleviating poverty. While some church leaders sought to drive their local magistrates to deal with poverty within their communities, others initiated change mainly within their own churches. However, poor relief faced many practical challenges like raising money, new outbreaks of the plague, and the mass influx of religious refugees. Hence for minority Reformed and Anabaptist communities, church leaders had to find new ways to build and support their fledgling religious communities.

Economics of Faith

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Chung-Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Poor Relief ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Religious Reform ◽  
City Councils ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Religious Piety ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Relief System

This book addresses the role of religious reformers in the development of poor relief in the sixteenth century. During the Reformation, religious leaders served as catalysts, organizers, stabilizers, and consolidators of various programs to alleviate poverty. Although once in line with religious piety, voluntary poverty was no longer a spiritual virtue for many religious reformers. Rather, they imagined social welfare reform to be an integral part of religious reform and worked to modify existing common chests or establish new ones. As crises and migration exacerbated poverty and caused begging to be an increasing concern, Catholic humanists and Protestant reformers moved beyond traditional almsgiving to urge coordination and centralization of a poor relief system. For example, Martin Luther promoted the consolidation of former ecclesiastical property in the poor relief plan for Leisnig in 1523, while Juan Luis Vives devised a new social welfare proposal for Bruges in 1526. In negotiations with magistrates and city councils, reformers shaped various local institutions, such as hospitals, orphanages, job creation programs, and scholarships for students, as well as developed new ways of supporting foreigners, strangers, and refugees. Religious leaders contributed to caring for the vulnerable because poverty was a problem too big for any one group to tackle. As religious options multiplied within Christianity, one’s understanding of community would determine the boundaries, albeit contested and sometimes fluid, of responsible poor relief.

Leading the Faithful: Religious Authority in the Contemporary Middle East

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-115
Author(s):  
Mehran Kamrava
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
The State ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Almost All

The post-2011 Middle East has witnessed an increasing politicization of religious authority across the Middle East and among almost all faith communities. Unfolding political and social developments, along with steadily shifting posture and functions of the state vis-à-vis the various religious communities has propelled religious leaders into the role of their communities’ political protectors as well as chief liaisons with state leaders and institutions. This has occurred simultaneous with a diffusion of authority within majoritarian religious communities (in both Sunni and Shiʿa majority societies), along with an inverse centralization of religious authority among minority communities such as the Zaydis, the Maronites, and Chaldians.

scholarly journals When Piety Is Not Enough: Religio-Political Organizations in Pursuit of Peace and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joram Tarusarira
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Political Dynamics ◽  
Speaking Out ◽  
Peace And Reconciliation ◽  
Religious Actors

In post-independence Zimbabwe, religion has been associated with piety and acquiescence rather than radical confrontation. This has made it look preposterous for religious leaders to adopt seemingly radical and confrontational stances in pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Since the early 2000s, a new breed of religious leaders that deploy radical and confrontational strategies to pursue peace has emerged in Zimbabwe. Rather than restricting pathways to peace and reconciliation to nonconfrontational approaches such as empathy, pacifism, prayer, meditation, love, repentance, compassion, apology and forgiveness, these religious leaders have extended them to demonstrations, petitions and critically speaking out. Because these religious leaders do not restrict themselves to the methods and strategies of engagement and dialogue advocated by mainstream church leaders, mainstream church leaders and politicians condemn them as nonconformists that transcend their religious mandate. These religious leaders have redefined and reframed the meaning and method of pursuing peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe and brought a new consciousness on the role of religious leaders in times of political violence and hostility. Through qualitative interviews with religious leaders from a network called Churches in Manicaland in Zimbabwe, which emerged at the height of political violence in the early 2000s, and locating the discussion within the discourse of peace and reconciliation, this article argues that the pursuit of peace and reconciliation by religious actors is not a predefined and linear, but rather a paradoxical and hermeneutical exercise which might involve seemingly contradictory approaches such as “hard” and “soft” strategies. Resultantly, religio-political nonconformism should not be perceived as a stubborn departure from creeds and conventions, but rather as a phenomenon that espouses potential to positively change socio-economic and political dynamics that advance peace and reconciliation.

The psalms as a mark of Protestantism: the introduction of liturgical psalm-singing in Geneva

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Trocmé-Latter
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Lutheran Church ◽  
Music Making ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The World ◽  
Congregational Singing ◽  
Musical Practices

ABSTRACTIt is widely believed that musical creativity suffered under the control of many sixteenth-century Protestant church leaders, especially in the Reformed (as opposed to Lutheran) branch of Protestantism. Such views are generalisations, and it is more accurate to say that music in Geneva and other Reformed strongholds developed in a very different way from the music of the Lutheran Church. The very specific beliefs about the role of music in the liturgy of Jean Calvin, Genevan church leader, led to the creation and publication of the Book of Psalms in French, in metre, and set to music. The Genevan or Huguenot Psalter, completed in 1562, formed the basis for Reformed worship in Europe and throughout the world, and its impact is still felt today. Despite the importance of the Psalter, relatively little is known about the precise liturgical musical practices in Geneva at the time of the Reformation, and little research has been carried out into the aspirations of either reformers or church musicians in relation to the Psalter. This article explores the significance of Calvin's interest in the Psalms as theological material, observing how this interest manifested itself, and outlines Calvin's views on music and the ways in which his plans for psalm-singing were implemented in Geneva from the 1540s onwards. After giving a brief explanation of the process through which the psalm melodies were taught and learnt, it also asks whether Calvin's vision for congregational singing would, or could, have been fully realised, and to what extent the quality of music-making was important to him. This article suggests that in the Genevan psalm-singing of the sixteenth century, matters of spiritual significance were most important.

scholarly journals Objects, Words, and Religion: Popular Belief and Protestantism in Early Modern England

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-145
Author(s):  
Joanna Ludwikowska
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Fifteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern England ◽  
Popular Belief ◽  
Popular Imagination ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Reformation England ◽  
The Way

Abstract This article deals with selected aspects of popular belief in post-Reformation England as compared to the pre-Reformation popular tradition of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Through a discussion of the politics of superstition and religiously-shaped concepts of reason in Early Modern England, this article discusses medicinal magic, and the power of objects and words in the context of religion and popular belief, focusing in particular on leprosy and exorcism. By examining the Protestant understanding of the supernatural as well as its polemical importance, the article investigates the perseverance of popular belief after the Reformation and outlines some of the reasons and politics behind this perseverance, while also examining the role of the supernatural in the culture of belief in Early Modern England by tracing the presence and importance of particular beliefs in popular imagination and in the way religion and confessional rhetoric made use of popular beliefs.

scholarly journals MERAWAT KEBERAGAMAN MENJAGA TOLERANSI MENEROPONG PERAN FORUM KERUKUNAN UMAT BERAGAMA KABUPATEN SIKKA

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-181
Author(s):  
M. Harudin ◽  
Khaidir Khaidir ◽  
H. Rodja Abdul Natsir
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Operational Cost ◽  
The Government ◽  
Cost Factors

The government has the duty and obligation to protect every citizen from embracing their respective religions and providing teaching guidance that can be carried out safely and in an orderly manner, based on applicable laws. This study aims to determine the role of religious harmony forums in maintaining tolerance between religious communities in the Sikka Regency. This research uses a qualitative approach data collection using observation techniques, interviews, and study documentation. The informants in the interview are religious leaders. The results obtained are: FKUB has carried out various activities following the duties and functions of other mediators and motivators, FKUB conducted socialization, values in each religion, held dialogues with religious leaders and community leaders, accommodated and channeled the aspirations of religious organizations and goals society but is constrained by operational cost factors.

scholarly journals POTRET PLURALISME AGAMA DALAM MASYARAKAT DI KOTA KUPANG

Dialog ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
Rinto Hasiholan Hutapea ◽  
Iswanto Iswanto
Keyword(s):  
Field Observation ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
The People

Abstrak – Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan potret pluralisme agama dalam masyarakat Kota Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa masyarakat Kota Kupang memiliki pemahaman yang baik akan pluralisme agama. Hal ini tercermin dalam kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat yang menghargai perbedaan dan kemajemukan agama, suku, dan ras. Kerukunan umat bergama juga terjalin dengan baik. Hal ini dapat terjadi oleh karena peran pemerintah, tokoh agama, dan masyarakat yang membangun dialog dalam menyelesaikan konflik yang terjadi antar umat beragama. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi pustakan dan observasi lapangan.   Abstract – This study aims to find a portrait of religious pluralism in the people of Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara. The results showed that the people of Kupang City had a good understanding of religious pluralism. This is reflected in the daily lives of people who respect the diversity and diversity of religious, ethnicities, and races. Religious harmony is also well established. This can happen because of the role of government, religious leaders, and the community that builds dialogue in resolving conflicts that occur between religious communities. The method used in this study is a qualitative method with a library study and field observation approach.

scholarly journals TOLERANSI KEAGAMAAN MASYARAKAT DI DESA GUWA LOR KECAMATAN KALIWEDI KABUPATEN CIREBON

Harmoni ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-390
Author(s):  
Akhsin Ridho
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Phenomenological Research ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Religious Understanding

The study, which begins with the existence of differences in religious rituals in rural areas, a tradition that is maintained from time to time, is tolerant, religious, and inclusive aims to determine the process of forming harmony in different communities in religious understanding. Religious spirit is an important reason for this research, which is researched using descriptive qualitative methods through observation of the role of religious leaders who are randomly selected in the phenomenological research area. In this study, it was found that there was a strong interaction between religious leaders and the community through messages to maintain mutual attitudes and speech was the key to establishing a harmonious relationship. The practice of different religious rituals for society is common. These differences are found at the level of branching, not in the main things such as tahlilan, syukuran, mapag sri, sedekah bumi, selametan and other religious rituals. It can be concluded that the role models of regigious figures are the main key to maintaining harmony in the life of religious communities. They provide direct demands on attitudes and actions in society. They educate the community which is internalized through actions on religious practices that are assimilated in customs, culture and rituals related to the needs of religious communities in rural communities and provide new knowledge for the community to maintain mutual religious harmony, side by side in diversity.

The Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Marital Conflict Resolution: A Perspective of Congolese Migrants’ Families Living in Durban, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-419
Author(s):  
Beatrice Umubyeyi ◽  
Oliver Mtapuri ◽  
Maheshvari Naidu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Marital Conflict ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Role Of Religion

The central aim of this study is to explore and examine the role of religion and religious leaders in marital conflict resolution through perspective of Congolese migrants’ families living in Durban, South Africa. In order to achieve the objectives qualitative study, employing an interpretive approach was used in data collection. The finding from this study revealed that religion and religious leaders play a very critical role in marital conflict resolution among Congolese migrant families living in Durban. While marital conflict resolution is settled through extended family structures headed by the head of the family in the country of origin, church leadership has replaced this in the host country. It was apparent that when people are in a foreign country they try to find people whom they can rely on, trust, and seek advice during difficult times such as in times of economic difficulties and family conflicts. The findings shown that church leaders and church counselors were seen as most trusted persons who can give lasting solution to marital conflict. Not only are they able to provide advice, but according to these participants, they also offer counseling and follow-up on progress of marital and relationship. The study has also shown that mediation and communication was identified as the major approaches used by these church leaders and church counselors to resolve marital conflict.

scholarly journals THE MAINTENANCE STRATEGY OF MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY IN THE MALAY WORLD OF INDONESIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Ismail Sukardi
Keyword(s):  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Social Cooperation ◽  
Multicultural Society ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Democratic Principles

The fact that Indonesia's Malay world is a very multicultural country is often the reason for the emergence of various conflicts in the name of ethnicity, religion, and race (SARA), such as the Poso, Ambon, Papua, Kalimantan, Ahmadiyah, and so on. This paper explains about various efforts that can be sought to maintain stability and harmony in pluralism of Indonesian Malay world. Existential awareness as a multicultural nation is a social and ideological capital that must continue to be grown, developed, and maintained so that Indonesia is more just, prosperous, safe, peaceful, and prosperous. Therefore the strategic agenda that must be carried out is to encourage increased strategic role of religious leaders, encourage the growth of mutual understanding between religious communities, seek social cooperation between religious groups, promote multicultural education, and incorporate elements of democratic principles and human rights (HAM) in curriculum.

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