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An examination of the political roles played by African American clergy since emancipation emphasizes the importance of historical context & specific social circumstances. Political choices made by African American clergy have varied according to immediate need & the national mood, & have evolved through theocratic, prophetic, electoral, & ecumenical stages. Sanctuary & survival were black clergy's main tasks during the decades of Jim Crow segregation but they later assumed a prophetic posture by pursuing justice through the transformation of a nation. African American clergy became increasingly involved in electoral politics after the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s, as evidenced by the key role of churches in Rev. Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign. A primary task of the Theological Commission of the National Conference of Black Churchmen was to formulate a black liberation theology that would unite the entire black nation. Although it fell short of its ecumenical goal, it inspired cooperative, interdenominational activism in many communities. Future prospects for the political activism of African American clergy are discussed. J. Lindroth

An examination of the political roles played by African American clergy since emancipation emphasizes the importance of historical context & specific social circumstances. Political choices made by African American clergy have varied according to immediate need & the national mood, & have evolved through theocratic, prophetic, electoral, & ecumenical stages. Sanctuary & survival were black clergy's main tasks during the decades of Jim Crow segregation but they later assumed a prophetic posture by pursuing justice through the transformation of a nation. African American clergy became increasingly involved in electoral politics after the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s, as evidenced by the key role of churches in Rev. Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign. A primary task of the Theological Commission of the National Conference of Black Churchmen was to formulate a black liberation theology that would unite the entire black nation. Although it fell short of its ecumenical goal, it inspired cooperative, interdenominational activism in many communities. Future prospects for the political activism of African American clergy are discussed. J. Lindroth

In this paper, I seek to prove that although liberation theology has significantly declined in the last two decades, it remains an active movement that has left a lasting mark on Latin America and is ultimately only one part of a social justice initiative within Christianity that will inevitably continue in the future. First, I give a basic overview of liberation theology's ideology, history, and relationship to the Vatican during liberation theology's "golden age," which lasted from the 1960s to the mid-1980s. Second, I explain the decline of liberation theology in the 1990s and 2000s, focusing particularly on repression from the Vatican, changes in the political climate of Latin America, and the rise of Evangelical Protestantism. Third, I discuss the present-day state of liberation theology and its impact on Latin America, looking at social, political, and religious developments that in one way or another are related to liberation theology. Fourth and last, I analyze liberation theology's roots within Christianity and its significance as a part of the Christian initiative for social justice.

An important genre of the theological area, spiritual autobiography is currently undergoing a rediscovery process, because of recent research on this topic. Written by important mystical personalities belonging to different Christian traditions (such as Saint Silouane the Athonite or Saint John of Kronstadt for the Orthodox area, Saint Teresa of Avila for the Catholic one and Dag Hammarskjöld for the Lutheran one), spiritual autobiographies can constitute a valuable source for the understanding of their authors' thinking and perception of fundamental topics such as ecumenism. Being aware of this aspect, we will start from a case study, namely that of Dag Hammarskjöld, and we will try to see how this category of texts can be used in order to understand the attitude of the authors of spiritual autobiographies and their motivation in the ecumenical space. CONTRIBUTION : The research helps the reader to see how the spiritual autobiographies can be a source of understanding the ecumenism of mystical vocations, using as example Dag Hammarskjöld's Markings. ; Rev. Iuliu-Marius is participating in the research project, 'Political Theology', directed by Dr Tanya van Wyk, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria. ; http://www.hts.org.za ; am2022 ; Dogmatics and Christian Ethics

An in-depth study of 10 churches in African American neighborhoods of North Philadelphia examines the use of either church-based community organizing or a "traditional" (entrepreneurial leveraging) approach to enhance community economic development. In spite of sharing the same time, space, ideology, & social history, five clergy elected to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods by joining a broader group that challenged the system, while the other five chose to work within the system by accessing the existing power structure to gather resources. The community-organizing approach emphasizes shared leadership, broad parameters, the use of power to produce change, & political change. With the traditional approach, leadership rests almost totally with the pastor; the project's parameters are narrower; & political change is not a goal. Although the 10 projects were similar physically, significant differences in conceptualization & action corresponded with the two different strategies. It is shown that the pastor's personal history, as well as the context created by subcultures within their congregations, affects the social theology that determines which strategy is chosen. J. Lindroth

An in-depth study of 10 churches in African American neighborhoods of North Philadelphia examines the use of either church-based community organizing or a "traditional" (entrepreneurial leveraging) approach to enhance community economic development. In spite of sharing the same time, space, ideology, & social history, five clergy elected to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods by joining a broader group that challenged the system, while the other five chose to work within the system by accessing the existing power structure to gather resources. The community-organizing approach emphasizes shared leadership, broad parameters, the use of power to produce change, & political change. With the traditional approach, leadership rests almost totally with the pastor; the project's parameters are narrower; & political change is not a goal. Although the 10 projects were similar physically, significant differences in conceptualization & action corresponded with the two different strategies. It is shown that the pastor's personal history, as well as the context created by subcultures within their congregations, affects the social theology that determines which strategy is chosen. J. Lindroth

Maurizio Lazzarato argues that contemporary capitalism functions through two central apparatuses: Social subjection and machinic enslavement. Social subjection equips individuals with a subjectivity, assigning them identities, sexes, bodies, professions, and other markers of identity, along with a sense of their own individual agency within society. Machinic enslavement arises out of the growing reliance of capitalism on what Lazzarato calls "asignifying semiotics"—processes of production that function increasingly independently of human awareness or intention. Drawing on this analysis of the contemporary functioning of capitalism, this paper will explore the concepts of individuals and society at work in recent Anglican social theology. Focusing on two recent texts which attempt to give an overview of Anglican social thinking—Eve Poole's The Church on Capitalism: Theology and the Market and Malcolm Brown's Anglican Social Theology—it will suggest that, within the contemporary Church of England, mainstream attempts to reckon with political questions tend to understand the role of individual agency and ethical behaviour in ways which prop up existing social, political and economic structures rather than disrupting them.

Maurizio Lazzarato argues that contemporary capitalism functions through two central apparatuses: Social subjection and machinic enslavement. Social subjection equips individuals with a subjectivity, assigning them identities, sexes, bodies, professions, and other markers of identity, along with a sense of their own individual agency within society. Machinic enslavement arises out of the growing reliance of capitalism on what Lazzarato calls "asignifying semiotics"—processes of production that function increasingly independently of human awareness or intention. Drawing on this analysis of the contemporary functioning of capitalism, this paper will explore the concepts of individuals and society at work in recent Anglican social theology. Focusing on two recent texts which attempt to give an overview of Anglican social thinking—Eve Poole's The Church on Capitalism: Theology and the Market and Malcolm Brown's Anglican Social Theology—it will suggest that, within the contemporary Church of England, mainstream attempts to reckon with political questions tend to understand the role of individual agency and ethical behaviour in ways which prop up existing social, political and economic structures rather than disrupting them.