scholarly journals The diverse and contested diaconate: Why understanding this ministry is crucial to the future of the Church

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-284
Author(s):  
Andrew Orton
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Methodist Church ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Gender Status ◽  
Theological Debate ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Contemporary Context

Abstract The diaconate has attracted widespread renewed interest in the contemporary context, whilst being the focus of considerable international ecumenical, social and theological debate. This article shows how the deacon’s role embodies many of the pressing issues facing churches across the world today, particularly through its position as a ministry at the interface between church and wider society. These issues include debates over the nature of ministry, the relationship between different lay and ordained ministries, issues of gender, status and power, and how churches should relate to wider society. To explore these issues, the article draws on research into the diaconate in one particular denomination, the Methodist Church in Britain, and sets this in a wider comparative ecumenical and historical context. The resulting analysis shows how it is crucially important for churches to reflect internationally on diverse experiences and understandings of deacons’ ministry, and own collectively the inherent challenges that this ministry can present. Deacons are shown to have a liminal ministry that through its very existence and practice can challenge understandings of status and power that can exist between different groups such as those who are lay and ordained, those in the church and those in the wider community. Reflecting on this liminal ministry can help churches as they seek to make connections between worship, mission and service, by enabling the whole Church to put their faith into practice in their everyday lives as they engage with wider society. This is especially important in terms of reflecting carefully on the Church’s response to those who are suffering, disadvantaged or marginalised.

Editors' Introduction

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Bloxham ◽  
A. Dirk Moses
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The State ◽  
Historical Understanding ◽  
World Today ◽  
Genocide Studies ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship

This article describes the state of genocide studies, historicization, and causation, placing genocide into its historical context, and genocide in the world today. ‘Genocide’ is unfortunately ubiquitous, all too often literally in attempts at the destruction of human groups, but also rhetorically in the form of a word that is at once universally known and widely invoked. The comparative scholarship of genocide began with Raphael Lemkin and through the later Cold War period was continued by a small group of dedicated scholars. The discussion also opens the probing of the limits and the utility of the concept of genocide for historical understanding, and placing this crime back in its context that may often include mass non-genocidal violence. It also reflects on the debate about the relationship between individual acts of genocide and the wider political economy and norms of the worlds in which they occur.

Virginia Woolf and Being-in-the-world

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Simone
Keyword(s):  
Virginia Woolf ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Political ◽  
Cartesian Dualism ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
The World ◽  
Binary Oppositions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Existential Perspective

Virginia Woolf and Being-in-the-world: A Heideggerian Study explores Woolf’s treatment of the relationship between self and world from a phenomenological-existential perspective. This study presents a timely and compelling interpretation of Virginia Woolf’s textual treatment of the relationship between self and world from the perspective of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Drawing on Woolf’s novels, essays, reviews, letters, diary entries, short stories, and memoirs, the book explores the political and the ontological, as the individual’s connection to the world comes to be defined by an involvement and engagement that is always already situated within a particular physical, societal, and historical context. Emma Simone argues that at the heart of what it means to be an individual making his or her way in the world, the perspectives of Woolf and Heidegger are founded upon certain shared concerns, including the sustained critique of Cartesian dualism, particularly the resultant binary oppositions of subject and object, and self and Other; the understanding that the individual is a temporal being; an emphasis upon intersubjective relations insofar as Being-in-the-world is defined by Being-with-Others; and a consistent emphasis upon average everydayness as both determinative and representative of the individual’s relationship to and with the world.

A.I. Solzhenitsyn Apropos of Russia’s Future: Specific Outlook Features Depending on Different Historical Context

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 327-334
Author(s):  
Inga V. Zheltikova ◽  
Elena I. Khokhlova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Future ◽  
Pessimistic Attitude ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Images Of The Future ◽  
The Church

The article considers the dependence of the images of future on the socio-cultural context of their formation. Comparison of the images of the future found in A.I. Solzhenitsyn’s works of various years reveals his generally pessimistic attitude to the future in the situation of social stability and moderate optimism in times of society destabilization. At the same time, the author's images of the future both in the seventies and the nineties of the last century demonstrate the mismatch of social expectations and reality that was generally typical for the images of the future. According to the authors of the present article, Solzhenitsyn’s ideas that the revival of spirituality could serve as the basis for the development of economy, that the influence of the Church on the process of socio-economic development would grow, and that the political situation strongly depends on the personal qualities of the leader, are unjustified. Nevertheless, such ideas are still present in many images of the future of Russia, including contemporary ones.

The Role of the Christian Church in Combating 21st Century Racism

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-231
Author(s):  
Clara M. Austin Iwuoha ◽  
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The World ◽  
Racial Harmony ◽  
Race And Religion ◽  
The Church

The demons of racism, bigotry, and prejudice found in society at large are also found in the Christian Church. Despite the very nature of Christianity that calls on Christians to be a counter voice in the world against evil, many have capitulated to various strains of racism. Some Christian denominations have begun to explore racism in the Church and have developed responses to addressing the issues in both the Church and the world. This article examines the historical context of race and religion in the Christian Church, and addresses the current efforts of some Christian denominations to become proactive in the struggle against racism. Jesus, in His Word, calls believers to pursue peace and oneness. The paper holds that racial harmony and racial unity are possible, but there are many false, old and d beliefs that will have to be crushed under the hammer of God's Word in order to get to a place of real peace.

scholarly journals God en armoede in die Karoo – ’n Besinning oor ’n teologie van transformasie

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
PI Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Arid Area ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Social Involvement ◽  
Christian Humanism ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Church

<strong>God and poverty in the Karoo – A reflection on a theology of transformation</strong> <br /> The Karoo is an outstretched arid area characterised by poverty and underdevelopment. This article focuses on the poverty of the Karoo people and the effect of their faith in God on social development and transformation. The future of the Karoo is vested in its people and religious communities. Previous research indicated that believers’ image of God had an effect on their attitude towards social development and transformation. A small sample of women in a Karoo town experienced God as loving, but not as a God that inspired people towards transformation. The test for the church lies in her social involvement in the world as its salvation is God’s concern. In Christian humanism the integrity of creation in a world filled with injustice and poverty is emphasised. Churches in the Karoo are encouraged to utilise a theology of transformation that is developmentally driven and inspired by a transforming image of God.

scholarly journals Antroposeeni kansallisella näyttämöllä

2017 ◽  
pp. 45-63
Author(s):  
Elsi Hyttinen
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
National Theatre ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Theatre Production ◽  
Companion Species ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Relationship

Anthropocene on the National Stage: Maaseudun tulevaisuus (“Future of the Countryside”, The Finnish National Theatre 2014) and the Interregnum We Live in The article argues that entering the Anthropocene has pushed us into a cultural interregnum. However, the discussions of the Anthropocene and the concept of interregnum seldom meet. In this article it is assumed that this stems from the fact that the concept of interregnum pertains to the 20th century critical epistème and as such, it is a mismatch with the current theoretical impulse of turning toward affects, ontology and becoming. However, the case is made that we should not let go of the critical legacy altogether: to analyse struggle over and between epistemologies, we need critical concepts. Research material in the article consists of the manuscript of Leea Klemola’s 2014 Finnish National theatre production “The Future of the Countryside”, and nine articles from the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat’s digital archive, published during the play’s opening week. “The Future of the Countryside” asks what could the relationship between humans and their companion species be like, were it not based on the idea that it is legitimate for humans to treat the rest of the world as resources. However, the media brouhaha surrounding the play’s opening night hardly touches upon this theme at all. Instead, the nation and the limits of national culture are repeatedly evoked as the primary explanatory framework. In this way, the “Future of the Countryside” provides an illustrative case of the interregnum we live in, understood as old epistemologies losing ground but still keeping the new from emerging.

scholarly journals PKM KATEKESE TENTANG MENGHAYATI NILAI KERAJAAN ALLAH DALAM ERA DIGITAL BAGI ANGGOTA KMK. ST. MARTINUS PAROKI PERSIAPAN ST. MARINUS PU’URERE

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41
Author(s):  
Aurelius Fredimento ◽  
John M. Balan
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Flowing Water ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Church

The development and the progress of media communication at the present is a fact of the knowledge and the technology development that must be accepted. It presence like the flowing water which has a fast current that brings also two influences both positive and negative that must be accounted for the members of the Catholic Students Community Of St. Martinus Ende (KMK St. Martinus Ende). Both positive and negative influences the media community like a kinetic energy or a power attraction that attract  them in a tiring ambiquity. Let them walk alone without escort of a decisive compass where they should have a rightist attitude and responsible. On the point, the guidance and assistance of the church is an  offering  if the church will be born a generation  of the future  of the  church  that is mature and has a certain quality  based  on the growth  and the development  of acuteness and inner  to determine the attitude to the development of media communication. The process of sharpening of mind and the sharpeness of the participants can be realized by giving some activities such as: awareness, deepening and even  the sharpeness of the actor of  media communication as an  alternative of reporting work of the God Kingdom for human beings. It becomes the main moving spirit or activator  for the board of KMK Of St. Martinus Ende  to plan and boring  about the activity of catechism. The activity rise the method of Amos.  By this method, the participants are invited to build a deeply reflection that based on thein real experiences about the media communication, while keep on self opening to the God planning will come  to them  and  give them via  the commandment of God.  The commandment  of God  come to light, inspiration, motivate, power and critics to the  participants about the using of the media communication as a media of the commandment of the kingdom of God  to the world that is more progress and development lately.

scholarly journals In good times and in bad: Die stormagtige verhouding tussen kerk en die orrel � is egskeiding onafwendbaar?

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ockie C. Vermeulen
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Pipe Organ ◽  
Worship Service ◽  
The Future ◽  
Role Players ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

In good times and in bad: The tumultuous relationship between the church and the organ - is divorce inevitable? Through the ages, a delicate relationship has existed between the church and the pipe organ. Since the 10th century, the organ established itself as a unique instrument in service of worship. This relationship was not always a steady one, and this article investigates the tumultuous affair between the two parties. In part one of the article, which is a historic perspective, the relationship is discussed by looking at different cultures and uses of the organ in the worship service. This gives a sense of when and how the relationship came into being and developed or deteriorated. In part two, the current situation in the Afrikaans Reformed service is explored by conducting several unstructured interviews with key role players in the theological and musical world of South Africa. In part three, the study ventures into speculating about the future of the organ in the worship service by briefly looking at the attitude of the organist and spirituality of the postmodern church goer. In essence, this article reflects on whether the marriage between church and music instrument is solid or on its way to the divorce court.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The relationship between organ and church has to be reconsidered. The use of the organ in the worship service has to be taken under scrutiny, and a new relationship agreement between the two partners has to be formulated.

scholarly journals Official Reporting of Religious Organizations as a Source of Empirical Data on the Activities of the Church: Some Questions of Theory and Practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden

2020 ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
O. A. Balabeikina ◽  
N. M. Mezhevich ◽  
A. A. Iankovskaia
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Partial Solution ◽  
The State ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Reference Case ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

The relevance of any material offered to the scientific and expert community depends on many factors. Objectively, the presence of this or that issue in the center of public attention has a positive effect on the actualization of this or that article. However, there is an obvious danger. Academic approaches that accidentally find themselves in resonance with global trends can fall victim to political conjuncture. Relevance in this case can fall victim to the political moment. Moreover, this or that topic, being in the center of public discussion, negatively affects the academic understanding of the problem. All this fully relates to the question of the relationship between the state and the church in modern Europe and Russia.A few words about global trends. Their essence boils down to the growing confrontation between supporters of new ideological approaches and traditionalists, among whom are many adherents.The relationship between religion and the state testifies to the fact that states and societies have not yet learned to draw an effective line between their interests and those of adherents. This fact presupposes careful state and public participation in the affairs of the church. However, acknowledging this circumstance is not enough. The state must clearly know what, where and how is happening in the church sphere of the life of society in cases where church affairs can affect public and state security.It is also known that almost all the leading churches, to a greater or lesser extent, provide official reporting to the state. However, working with this reporting, its scientific analysis is not always representative.Objective. The presented article is aimed at a partial solution of the problem of increasing the effectiveness of academic research of the church` activities. Moreover, it is made based on official church statistics.The author’s position is the following. States and societies have no right to let go of this vital sphere of life. The functions of the state, in this case, are at least controlling. The ineffective execution of its functions by the state can be revealed in many countries of the world. The situation in France is nothing more than a reference case of a problem that, to one degree or another, exists in most of the countries of the world, which are distinguished by ethnic and confessional heterogeneity.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Culture and Cult: An Orthodox Context

2005 ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
Valentyna Anatoliyivna Bodak
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Transformation Processes

In modern religious studies, there is no consensus as to how cult is related to culture, how it affects culture and personality, or whether changes in the cult sphere necessarily cause changes in dogma, human consciousness, and culture. This circumstance initiated the thematic orientation of this article on the problems of cult and culture in Orthodoxy, because Orthodoxy considers the cult to be the "focal point" (Rus. - Aut.) Place "of culture and the basis of religion. In the context of the transformation processes taking place in the world today, the question of the role of the cult in culture, the possibility or impossibility of changing it, the simplification becomes particularly relevant.

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