scholarly journals The Pilgrimage Landscape in Contemporary Estonia: New Routes, Narratives, and Re-Christianization

Numen ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 586-612
Author(s):  
Tiina Sepp ◽  
Atko Remmel
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Camino De Santiago ◽  
The Church ◽  
Christian Denomination

Abstract This article is the first attempt at mapping the pilgrimage landscape in contemporary Estonia, reputedly one of the most secularized countries in Europe. Based on fieldwork on three case studies — the Estonian Society of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago, the Pirita-Vastseliina pilgrim trail, and the “Mobile Congregation” — we have identified three distinctive features that shape the Estonian pilgrimage scene. The processes of Caminoization and heritagization characterize pilgrimage on a European scale, while the phenomenon that we call “bridging” has a more local flavor. Bridging refers to using pilgrimage to create connections between the Church (of any Christian denomination) and “secular” people. Historically a Christian practice, pilgrimage has transformed into something much more ambiguous. Thus, people often perceive pilgrimage as religion-related but still inherently secular. As the relationships between institutionalized religion and the vernacular world of beliefs and practices are multivalent, there is evidence of an ongoing “re-Christianization” of pilgrimage.

scholarly journals Free Zone Scientology and Other Movement Milieus: A Preliminary Characterization

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Preliminary Characterization ◽  
Free Zone ◽  
The Church ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Do So

Free Zone refers to the subculture constituted by people and organizations that adhere to the beliefs and practices of Scientology but who do so outside of – and without the sanction of – the Church of Scientology. The analysis in the present article uses the Free Zone plus a selection of comparable subcultures associated with other religious groups as case studies to explore the nature and structure of movement milieus. The notion of a movement milieu is derived from Colin Campbell’s influential formulation, though certain significant features of movement milieus serve to distinguish them from – and to make them more than simply subsets of – the cultic milieu.

TIMELESS BUILDINGS AND THE HUMAN BRAIN: The Effect of Spiritual Spaces on Human Brain Waves

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Sally M. Essawy ◽  
Basil Kamel ◽  
Mohamed S. Elsawy
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Brain Wave ◽  
Human Comfort ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Brain Waves ◽  
Space Design ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
The Brain

Some buildings hold certain qualities of space design similar to those originated from nature in harmony with its surroundings. These buildings, mostly associated with religious beliefs and practices, allow for human comfort and a unique state of mind. This paper aims to verify such effect on the human brain. It concentrates on measuring brain waves when the user is located in several spots (coordinates) in some of these buildings. Several experiments are conducted on selected case studies to identify whether certain buildings affect the brain wave frequencies of their users or not. These are measured in terms of Brain Wave Frequency Charts through EEG Device. The changes identified on the brain were then translated into a brain diagram that reflects the spiritual experience all through the trip inside the selected buildings. This could then be used in architecture to enhance such unique quality.

LEXICOGRAPHICAL PORTRAIT OF THE LEXEME «POGRYAZNUT’» (X - XVII CENTURIES)

2021 ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Е.Ю. Долгова
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Old Russian ◽  
Slavonic Language ◽  
Abstract Nouns ◽  
Derivatives Of ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Russian Language

Статья посвящена описанию глагола «погрязнуть» по лексикографическим источникам, фиксирующим словарный состав русского языка X - XVII вв. В работе используется метод лингвистического портретирования, позволяющий объединить данные этимологических и исторических словарей и увидеть динамику развития семантического, словообразовательного, сочетаемостного и стилистического потенциала языковой единицы в диахронии. В статье подробно изложены материалы этимологических и исторических словарей русского языка, приведены и описаны многочисленные варианты употребления имперфектива грязнуть и перфектива погрязнуть, зафиксированные в словарях, содержащих лексику древнерусского и старорусского периодов: гр#зъти, гр#зhти, гр#зити, гр#знqти, погрязати - погр#зти, погр#зити, погр#знqти. Установлено, что в древнерусском языке глагол гр#зноути (гр`t#знuти) имел прямое номинативное значение «погружаться, тонуть» и редко употреблялся в памятниках письменности. Многозначным и наиболее частотным был положительный, результативный член глагольной видовой пары перфектив погрязнуть (погр#зноути). В статье приведены все лексико-семантические варианты глагола и примеры словоупотреблений, зафиксированные в словарях, отражающих лексику X - XVII веков. В статье приведены синонимы и многочисленные дериваты глагола погрязнуть , в том числе рассмотрена семантика абстрактных существительных, образованных от глагола погрязнуть ( погрязение, погрязнение, погрязновение ) и отражающих влияние церковнославянского языка на книжно-письменный литературный язык древнерусского и старорусского периодов. Лексикографический портрет лексемы погрязнуть проявляет неоднозначность в трактовке некоторых значений в разные исторические периоды. Проведенный анализ позволяет сравнить значения лексемы, увидеть их отличительные особенности и сделать вывод о существовании самостоятельных стереотипных образов, существующих в сознании носителей языка в X - XVII веках. The article is devoted to the description of the verb "to wallow" from lexicographic sources that fix the vocabulary of the Russian language of the X - XVII centuries. The method of linguistic portraiture is used to combine data from etymological and historical dictionaries and see the dynamics of the development of the semantic, word-formation and stylistic potential of the language unit in the diachrony. The article details the materials of etymological and historical dictionaries of the Russian language, presents and describes numerous variants of the use of an imperfective “gryaznut’” and a perfective “pogryaznut’”, recorded in dictionaries containing the vocabulary of the Russian language of the X - XVII centuries. It has been established that in the ancient Russian language, the imperfective “gryaznut’” had a direct nominative meaning of "dive, sink" and was rarely used in monuments of writing. The multi-valued and most frequency used was the positive, effective perfective “pogryaznut’”. The article presents all lexical and semantic variants of the verb and examples of word usage recorded in dictionaries that reflect the vocabulary of the X - XVII centuries. The article presents synonyms and numerous derivatives of the verb, including the semantics of abstract nouns formed from the verb “pogryaznut’” and reflecting the influence of the Church Slavonic language on the book-written literary language of the old Russian period. The lexicographic portrait of the lexeme “pogryaznut’” shows ambiguity in the interpretation of certain meanings in different historical periods. The analysis allows us to compare the meanings of the lexeme, see their distinctive features and conclude that there are independent stereotypical images that exist in the minds of native speakers in the X - XVII centuries.

V. Models of Dissent: The Chicano Movement in the Roman Catholic Church

Horizons ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-149
Author(s):  
Jason Steidl
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
The Other ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Chicano Movement ◽  
Catholic Priests ◽  
The Church ◽  
Successes And Failures ◽  
The Catholic Church

This contribution to the roundtable will compare two forms of protest in the church—one that is radical and challenges the church from the outside, and the other that is institutional and challenges the church from the inside. For case studies, I will compare Católicos Por La Raza (CPLR), a group of Chicano students that employed dramatic demonstrations in its protest of the Catholic Church, and PADRES, an organization of Catholic priests that utilized the tools at its disposal to challenge racism from within the hierarchy. I will outline the ecclesiologies of CPLR and PADRES, the ways in which these visions led to differing means of dissent, and the successes and failures of each group.

scholarly journals To Leave Your Kindred and Your Father’s House. Contemporary Dutch Christian Border Narratives

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 174-196
Author(s):  
Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar ◽  
Krina Huisman
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Life Writing ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Border Crossings ◽  
Border Narratives ◽  
The Church ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Dutch People ◽  
Christian Denomination

In this article the authors analyse a collection of essays written by young Dutch people who grew up in the Reformed Liberated Church, a small Christian denomination in the Netherlands. Traditionally, this church is characterised by its inwards nature: members strive to live their lives within the confinements that the church and its institutions stipulate. This has changed over the last few decades and the essays attest to the effects these changes have had on individual lives. We discuss the underlying narrative structure of their accounts and how the authors negotiate different lifestyles and interpretations of the Christian faith on either side of the borders that demarcate the Reformed Liberated tradition. We discuss if – and how – the essays work towards an outcome of ‘discordant concordance’ (Ricœur) where narrative identities remain whole, despite relatively drastic border crossings in the course of the lives that formed them. We address how these stories give insight into how people use the stories they tell to define what needs to be remembered and forgotten when we cross borders. Finally, we discuss the relevance of these essays and our analysis of them for our understanding of today’s globalised and multicultural societies in which many are in a permanent state of transition. This article was submitted to the European Journal of Life Writing on February 17th and published on August 28th 2017.

scholarly journals Postmodernism, identity and mission continuity in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gift Masengwe ◽  
Francisca H. Chimhanda
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
University Education ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Church Of Christ ◽  
Religious Consciousness ◽  
Conference Centre ◽  
The Church ◽  
Christian Denomination

The Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (COCZ) is a Christian denomination with its own internal substance and purpose in life. However, postmodernist changes have affected the Church’s operation with religious, ethical and spiritual implications. The COCZ engaged in conference centre construction (at Somabhula, Gweru South, Zimbabwe), constitution making (adopted 2014) and further ministerial formation through university education. The study was conducted among the Lukuluba people of Somabhula using qualitative research methods. Activities among the Lukuluba people need to be done in critical review of the church’s ideological duty, discovery of the Lukuluba people’s religious consciousness and development of a contextual pedagogy that appeals to the people’s religious spirituality. The study found the need to review the modes of Lukuluba cultic practices of the Shona Mwari religion for purposes of attaining mission continuity within the community and being mindful of the need to continue in the founding identity of the COCZ.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Identity and mission continuity of the Church of Christ in contemporary Zimbabwean society relates to human creation, baptismal dignity and vocation as systematic theology has ecclesiological, soteriological, incarnational, existential, ecological, biblical, inculturational and missiological implications.

scholarly journals Developing training for pioneer ministry in the Church of Scotland: Reflections on grounding pedagogy and lessons in practice from abroad

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-27
Author(s):  
Alexander Forsyth
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Church Of Scotland ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Historical Tradition ◽  
Training And Support ◽  
The Church

This article focusses on the formation and delivery of training and support for pioneer ministry in the Church of Scotland, by (i) reflecting on recent thinking on the place of theological education in enabling missional vocation; and (ii) presenting three case studies of approaches taken by denominations (in the Netherlands, Germany and Aotearoa New Zealand) which share a similar historical tradition with the Church of Scotland and which have seen similar trajectories of decline.

scholarly journals Some Distinctive Features of Narrative Environments

Interiority ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia Austin
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Public Realm ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
The Public ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
The World ◽  
Narrative Practice ◽  
Narrative Medium

This paper explores key characteristics of spatial narratives, which are called narrative environments here. Narrative environments can take the form of exhibitions, brand experiences and certain city quarters where stories are deliberately being told in, and through, the space. It is argued that narrative environments can be conceived as being located on a spectrum of narrative practice between media-based narratives and personal life narratives. While watching a screen or reading a book, you are, although often deeply emotionally immersed in a story, always physically ‘outside’ the story. By contrast, you can walk right into a narrative environment, becoming emotionally, intellectually and bodily surrounded by, and implicated in, the narrative. An experience in a narrative environment is, nonetheless, different from everyday experience, where the world, although designed, is not deliberately constituted by others intentionally to imbed and communicate specific stories. The paper proposes a theoretical framework for space as a narrative medium and offers a critical analysis of two case studies of exhibitions, one in a museum and one in the public realm, to support the positioning of narrative environments in the centre of the spectrum of narrative practice.

Being Done: Why People Leave the Church, But Not Their Faith

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Packard ◽  
Todd W. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Religious Congregations ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Iron Cage ◽  
Meaningful Relationships ◽  
Push And Pull ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
The Church ◽  
Unique Dataset

Institutionally organized religious life in the United State is undergoing a dramatic transformation. While individual beliefs and practices remain relatively stable, institutional affiliation and participation has declined dramatically. In this article, we explore the religious “Dones”—those who have disaffiliated with their religious congregations but, unlike the Nones, continue to associate with a religious tradition. Drawing on a unique dataset of 100 in-depth interviews with self-identified Christians, we explain the “push” and “pull” factors that lead a person to intentionally leave their congregations. We find that a bureaucratic structure and a narrow focus on certain moral proscriptions can drive people away, while the prospect of forming more meaningful relationships and the opportunities to actively participate in social justice issues draw people out. From these factors, we show that an “iron cage of congregations” exists that is ill-suited to respond to a world where religious life is increasingly permeable as people enact their spirituality outside traditional religious organizations. We conclude by questioning whether the spiritual lives of the Dones are ultimately sustainable without institutional support.

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