Search Results (686)

Avery Dulles, in The Catholicity of the Church, conceptualizes catholicity in terms of its vertical dimension and its horizontal dimension, articulating the principles necessary to preserve catholicity in ecumenical contexts. His work redefines the relationship between catholicity and Catholicism. In Models of the Church, Dulles integrates these two aspects through a dual ecclesiological model: the Church as Sacrament and as Community of Disciples. His ecclesiology enables the Church to engage with the secular society through concrete discipleship and public witness. Dulles’s vision, when expanded through Moltmann’s insights, offers a compelling theological model for contemporary ecumenism. Transcending mere doctrinal convergence, this model fosters a united Christian witness against secular atheism. This integrated approach advances a renewed understanding of ecclesial identity, rooted in discipleship, sacramentality, and social responsibility. Full article

The liturgical and juridical regulation of papal funerals is coeval with the existence of the Church. The perspective that the funeral should also promote unity among Christians appeared early on. Later, it became a stage for political encounters. The Second Vatican Council’s understanding of society also permeated papal funerals. The juridical and liturgical regulations were inherently built upon a philosophy of encounter and dialogue, as they conveyed the Church’s social teaching and its commitment to those living on the peripheries of society, regardless of their religious affiliation. This was further supported by the homily at papal funerals, which discussed issues concerning the good of all humanity, based on the teachings of the respective Pope. The funeral rites of the post-conciliar Popes have eminently demonstrated that the burial ceremony serves as a vital bridge between different religions and countries with diverse political systems. That, contrary to Huntington’s central thesis, which is based on the clash of civilizations, the starting point can be dialogue, gestures, and the promotion of peace. The study employed a qualitative methodology, processing and confronting primary and secondary sources, from which conclusions were drawn. Full article

This study examines the phenomenon of “foolishness for Christ” as reflected in the contemporary Orthodox figure of Elder Gerontius of Tismana. Starting with a general review of the diverse phenomena of divine madness present in various world religions, we then move onto the Orthodox Christian tradition, where such apparent eccentric behavior is interpreted as an expression of deep asceticism and spiritual insight. Based primarily on memorial and testimonial sources (oral accounts, written recollections, and biographical notes), the research employs a hermeneutical and phenomenological approach to interpret how such figures are perceived within ecclesial life. Using Christos Yannaras’ theological criteria for discerning authentic “holy folly”, our paper argues that Elder Gerontius convincingly fits this ascetic paradigm. The study further suggests that the presence of such charismatic and unconventional figures may signal a form of spiritual renewal within contemporary Orthodoxy, revealing the dynamic interplay between prophetic charisma and institutional order in the life of the Church. Full article

Migration is as old as human history. Over the centuries, there was never a time when migration stopped. The nineteenth century was characterised by the migration of Europeans to Africa. These movements were attributed to colonisation, commerce, and Christianisation. Christianity was used as a conduit of colonisation and the deculturation of the recipients of the missionary gospel. At the turn of the twenty-first century, there was a significant influx of Africans migrating to Europe. Among these migrants were worshippers from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (WMCZ). Using a missiological framework, this paper employs a qualitative research methodology to argue that the establishment of the WMCZ Fellowship, grounded in the mission and ecclesiology of the home church in the United Kingdom, is both a reverse and distant mission. To achieve this aim, this paper unpacks the methodology and the theoretical framework. It will also trace the development of the WMCZ in the United Kingdom (UK), discuss the hybridisation of Christianity, and justify the notion that the Fellowship is both a reverse and distant mission. The study makes recommendations that support the growth of the Fellowship. It concludes by arguing that the development of migrant churches in the UK can turn the MCB into a church with a white history, a black/multiracial face, and a white head that will eventually use a multiracial mind to survive in a white historical ecclesiology. Full article

A considerable portion of the Armenian population living in the Armenian highland and the South Caucasian region was subject to the Iranian dynasties of the Safavids, Afsharids and Qajars in the period from the 16th till the beginning of the 19th centuries. The rulers of Iran often initiated and stimulated processes of conversion to Shi̒i Islam among its subjects with the purpose of increasing the religious and cultural homogeneity of the society. Apart from some forced methods of conversion applied by different rulers of Iran, there existed a number of factors stimulating the conversion of Christian Armenians and their assimilation in Iran in the early modern period. After a review over the various factors stimulating this process, author focuses on the law of Shi̒i Islam practiced in the hereditary matters of Armenians since the 1620s. It became a major factor leading to the conversion of Christian Armenians not only in the inner provinces of Iran but also in their native settlements in the regions of South Caucasus and Anatolia subordinated to the rule of Iranian states. The article considers the consequences of the implementation of this law for the Armenians living under the rule of Iran, as well as the ways they used to avoid the claims of their relatives who had adopted Islam and to bypass its harmful effects. The data and information of the contemporary sources have also allowed us to reveal the legal ways used by the Armenians during the purchase and transmission of property in order to protect it from various encroachments of their Muslim relatives. The article elucidates likewise the attempts of the leaders of the Armenian Church to withstand the harm caused by the implementation of the law and stop it with royal decrees. Full article

This article undertakes a cross-cultural comparative inquiry into the motif of “women’s weaving” in medieval Daoism and Christianity. Although the two traditions developed with minimal historical contact, both elevate women’s textile labor into a central metaphor for cosmogenesis, sacred order, and individual salvation. Nevertheless, their hermeneutic trajectories diverge in essential ways. Working within a tripartite analytical framework (intellectual roots, artistic images, ritual practices) to argue that Daoism interprets “women’s weaving” as a proactive technique of transformation and nurture, based on a cosmology of immanent huasheng lun. In this reading, the image is affiliated with the cosmic creativity of nüxian, the inner transformation of their body, and the autonomous pursuit of transcendence. By contrast, within Christianity’s transcendent theological horizon of creatio ex nihilo, “women’s weaving” is configured primarily as an ethical discipline of responsive obedience, closely tied to the mystery of the Incarnation, the imitatio Dei, and communal spiritual exercises and charity under monasticism. The cross-cultural resonance of this motif, I contend, is grounded in the “men’s ploughing and women’s weaving” economic formation, patriarchal gender order, and shared symbolic cognition; its decisive bifurcation arises from contrasting deep cultural structures—namely, cosmology, conceptions of the body, soteriology, and church–state arrangements. Through this micro-case, the article further argues that the sacralization of secular gender roles constitutes an agentic cultural choice, one that indexes distinct civilizational pathways in understanding creation, nature, the body, and freedom. Full article

This study examines the theological and liturgical significance of the biblical injunction to “sing a new song,” tracing its deployment across eras of Christian history as both a symbol of renewal and a tool of doctrinal contestation. Focusing on key moments of schism—the early Church’s response to Gnostic and Arian hymnody and Ambrose’s adoption of Eastern antiphonal singing, the article explores how musical form, meter, and performance practice became markers of orthodoxy and heresy long before Reformation-era musical reforms. Drawing on patristic commentary, heresiographical sources, and hymnological analysis, the study highlights how the popular style in various guises was alternately condemned and reclaimed. This suggests that Christian music has consistently evolved through interaction with popular and heterodox forms and that the “new song” in its exegetical form has functioned as a recurring strategy of theological self-definition. Ultimately, the paper argues that disputes over musical style mirror broader tensions between innovation and authority and that the history of hymnody offers a unique lens into the formation of Christian identity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Prolonged fasting—defined as voluntary abstinence from caloric intake for periods exceeding 24 h—is increasingly recognized not only as a metabolic intervention but also as a psycho-behavioral modulator. According to the 2024 international consensus, intermittent fasting encompasses diverse temporal patterns including time-restricted feeding, alternate-day fasting, and periodic fasting of multi-day duration. While metabolic benefits are well documented, the psychoneurobiological and psychiatric consequences remain incompletely characterized. This review critically appraises current evidence on the psychological and psychiatric effects of prolonged and intermittent fasting, including both secular and religious practices. Methods: A narrative synthesis was conducted on clinical trials, observational studies, and translational research published between January 2010 and June 2025 in PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Search terms included combinations of “prolonged fasting,” “intermittent fasting,” “psychological,” “psychiatric,” “religious fasting,” “Ramadan,” and “Orthodox Church.” Eligible studies required explicit evaluation of mood, cognition, stress physiology, or psychiatric symptoms. Data were analyzed qualitatively, with particular attention to study quality, fasting regimen characteristics, and participant vulnerability. This is a non-registered narrative synthesis drawing on clinical trials, observational studies, and preclinical evidence published between January 2010 and June 2025. Results: Eighty-seven studies met inclusion criteria (39 human; 48 preclinical). In metabolically healthy adults, short-term time-restricted eating and supervised prolonged fasting were associated with modest reductions in depressive symptoms and perceived stress, with small improvements in executive functioning—typically observed in small samples and with limited follow-up. Religious fasting during Ramadan and the Orthodox Christian fasting periods demonstrated similar neuropsychological effects, including greater perceived spiritual meaning and affective modulation, though cultural context played a moderating role. Potential adverse mental-health impacts included mood destabilization, anxiety exacerbation, and rare psychotic or manic decompensations in vulnerable individuals. Randomized trials reported few adverse events and no signal for severe psychiatric harm, whereas observational studies more often noted symptom exacerbations in at-risk groups. Patients with eating disorder phenotypes exhibited increased cognitive preoccupation with food and a heightened risk of behavioral relapse. Methodological heterogeneity across studies—including variation in fasting protocols, psychological assessments, and follow-up duration—limited cross-study comparability. Conclusions: Evidence indicates a bidirectional relationship wherein fasting may foster psychological resilience in select populations while posing significant psychiatric risks in others. Inclusion of religious fasting traditions enriches understanding of culturally mediated outcomes. To enhance rigor and safety, future studies should incorporate clinician-rated outcomes (e.g., HDRS-17, CGI-S/CGI-I), standardized adverse-event tracking using validated psychiatric terminology, and prospective safety monitoring protocols, with ≥6–12-month follow-up. Full article

The present study seeks to trace the relationships among six versions of the Passio Ioannis—the account of Saint John of Trebizond, whose relics were transferred to Suceava—and to highlight the differences that emerge across the roughly four centuries separating them. Each version reflects the Orthodox Church’s attempt to communicate a particular message and to project signals intended to resonate as deeply as possible within the consciousness of the Christian communities of that era. By examining these hagiographic sources from a diachronic perspective, the study brings into focus a message imbued with pronounced political, theological, and moral dimensions. In addition to the broader challenges confronting Eastern Christianity at various historical moments, the texts also disclose the authors’ personal experiences and preoccupations, subtly interweaving allusions to contemporary realities with the narrative of the suffering and martyrdom of Saint John, the merchant of Trebizond. Through this comparative and contextually grounded analysis, it becomes possible to discern the diverse functions the same text has fulfilled over the centuries, thereby underscoring the distinct meanings attached to each edition of the hagiographic narrative—whether Slavonic, Romanian, or Greek. Full article

Moving beyond the debate on cultural continuity, this article investigates the micro-mechanisms by which charismatic experiences are produced and authenticated in a True Jesus Church (TJC) community in Southern Fujian. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2022 and 2024, the study proposes the concept of “making testimonies” to trace the social production of charisma. The analysis identifies three consecutive stages in this mechanism: (1) in everyday interaction, pastoral rhetorical prompting anchors believers’ scattered sensory experiences to church-recognized experiential types; (2) in ritual settings, complex life histories are disciplined into standardized narratives of “grace and conversion” to align with communal identity; and (3) through mediatization, oral accounts are verified, edited, and fixed into an authoritative archive of collective memory. The study argues that these practices are not expressions of “indigenization” but are strategically employed to construct an authenticity that validates the TJC’s theological claim as the “exclusive church of salvation.” By revealing how modern organizational power and media technologies configure the local “landscape of the Spirit,” this research offers a dynamic, practice-oriented framework for understanding Chinese Christianity. Full article

This article focuses on the religious processes in Russia over the last fifteen years. The author has two objectives: on the one hand, to describe processes that can be called the second stage of the “religious revival” in contemporary Russia, and on the other hand, to place them within the context of theoretical discussions on secularization/desecularization. To achieve this goal, this article first examines the question of what secularization and, accordingly, desecularization are. Next, it describes the main trends in Russia’s religious life since 2012 at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Then, the author examines numerous academic strategies aimed at “explaining religion away,” that is, proving that there has been no increase in the social significance of religion. Among these strategies, the following are considered in detail: (a) mixing empirical statements and value judgments; (b) instrumentalization of religion; and (c) religion finding “other work” to do. Finally, this article offers both a general evaluation of the Russian case from the perspective of secularization theory and broader reflections on the theory itself—for instance, it examines whether the theory is, in principle, falsifiable. Full article

This paper examines the intersection between Christian theological principles and contemporary cybersecurity challenges, with a focus on the specific vulnerabilities and responsibilities of faith-based organizations. Recognizing that digital threats emerge not only from technological weaknesses but also from human motives and ethical failings, this study introduces a Biblically Framed Cybersecurity (BFCy) Model that integrates scriptural ethics with established security practices. Through a narrative literature review and comparative analysis, the research synthesizes Christian concepts, such as stewardship, vigilance, and integrity, with technical standards (including the CIS Controls v8, NIST CSF 2.0, and ISO 27001:2022), mapping biblical narratives to contemporary risks like social engineering, insider threats, and identity theft. The findings underscore that robust cybersecurity requires more than technical solutions; it also demands a culture of moral accountability and spiritual awareness. Practical recommendations, including tables linking biblical values to operational controls, highlight actionable steps for church leaders and faith-based organizations. This study concludes that effective cybersecurity in these contexts is best achieved by aligning technical measures with enduring ethical and spiritual commitments, offering a model that may inform religious and broader organizational approaches to digital risk and resilience. Full article

This paper seeks to study the religious persecution faced by Indian Christians. To address the topic, the researcher interviewed 30 members of the Indian Christian community living in Canada. The participants were asked questions about their familiarity with anti-Christian discrimination followed by questions on whether they had experienced discrimination, felt pressure to convert away from Christianity, or seen vandalism against churches and other sites. The participants were also asked whether they believe Christians are a forgotten minority. Results showed that while participants were aware of anti-Christian discrimination in the country, few experienced it, witnessed vandalism, or felt pressure to convert. The participants were divided on the question of being a forgotten minority in India. The paper revealed that tensions between Indian Christians and the government appear centred more on political issues rather than religious differences. Full article

This study reinterprets Father Rodrigues’s apostasy in Endō Shūsaku’s Silence not as a religious failure, but as a process of Christianity’s “Japanization,” analyzed within the context of postwar Japanese intellectual history. Where existing criticism often falls into the binary opposition between martyrdom and betrayal, this study introduces the perspective of individual conviction versus organizational authority. First, Rodrigues’s act resonates with Yoshimoto Takaaki’s tenkō (ideological conversion) theory, specifically defined as the “third form of tenkō.” This form represents the choice to pursue the integrity of personal conviction over obedience to an organization. This links Rodrigues’s action to the spiritual continuity of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians), arguing that the essence of his apostasy is a betrayal of the Church institution, not of faith itself. Furthermore, through the theme of the dialectic of everyday life, the study demonstrates that salvation is discovered not in the glorious death of martyrdom, but within the secular fabric of daily existence. Rodrigues’s paradoxical condition of being both weak and strong as Okada San’emon after the fumie is an extension of the Kakure Kirishitan’s survival, who maintained their faith amid secular labor. In conclusion, Endō’s literature serves as a testimony for the “cowards” and a plea for the grace to go on living. It illuminates the process through which individual faith transcends institutional authority and takes root in the indigenous Japanese way of life, thereby completing the vision of Christianity’s “Japanization.” Full article

Plainchant has formed a core sacred vocal repertory for Western Christianity for over a millennium, and following a surge of interest in chant as an early music repertory over the twentieth century and beyond, it has accrued particular significance for amateur choral singers involved in church music. This paper is based upon an exploratory qualitative study carried out in 2024, which examined attitudes to learning and performing chant among Irish community and church choirs, and sought to establish levels of interest in performing chant, awareness of resource availability, and perceived barriers to learning. Methods used for the study include an online questionnaire for choral practitioners, with an option for participation in focus group discussions to explore themes raised in questionnaire responses. Thematic analysis was used to explore opinions and experiences of participants as offered in open-ended questionnaire responses and focus group discussions, triangulated by quantitative data provided by closed-ended questionnaire responses. One of the major challenges iterated by choral practitioners in our study was the issue with reading square notation, a version of French thirteenth-century notation developed by the monks of Solesmes Abbey and standardised as liturgical chant notation by the beginning of the twentieth century. This issue is explored in detail in the present paper. Full article