Suchergebnisse

Are we called to be prophets or pragmatists? Voices crying in the wilderness, or whisperers in the corridors of power? Radicals in every generation have to face the question. Gerrard Winstanley, "True Leveller" leader & Christian communist, faced it in the English revolution of 1649. Was he a utopian prophet or an early practitioner of critical engagement?" He was sometimes one, sometimes the other, & often both at the same time. As such, he speaks to our postmodern condition, where pragmatism is the life of all.". Adapted from the source document.

The issue of the Islamic state has been at the forefront of Malaysian public discourse, but even more so since the announcement by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in September 2001 that Malaysia was already an Islamic state. The issue has evoked consternation and debate that is not reflected in the mainstream media, and which is symptomatic of the disjuncture between perceptions in public discourse and realities on the ground. This article examines this disjuncture through the symbiosis of the Islamic state issue with its context the state of Islam in Malaysia. It also provides an analysis of the government's text outlining why its administration qualifies as an Islamic state, against one of the main sources used, which is the Shafi'i jurist Al-Mawardi's A-ahkam as-sultaniyya. (Contemp Southeast Asia/DÜI)

It has been argued that "perhaps no single separatistic convert augured larger consequences for New England church history" than MA Baptist pastor Isaac Backus. This paper examines the principles of liberty put forth by Backus, attempting to isolate a particular framework within which Backus's theory of liberty would be able to survive. Though Backus has been criticized for failing to adequately support his thoughts pertaining to the relationship between democratic, liberal impulse & his debate concerning the liberty of conscience, this essay contends that in reality, Backus was deterred in his efforts by a reliance on biblical ideology & a failure to resolve the church state relationship. The essay concludes that the fate of Backus's theology remains unsure: either it will fall even deeper into oblivion or aspects of the pastor's arguments will be deemed worthy of preservation. K. A. Larsen

Analyzes data from J. Howard Kauffman's 1989 survey of five Anabaptist denominations to determine the impact of clergy peace advocacy. Anabaptist churches are members of the "historic peace churches" that emphasize pacifist/nonresistant views. A model was designed that included variables likely to affect the degree to which pastors influence their parishioners' views on war. The results of multivariate regression indicated a pastor's views strongly influence those of the congregation whether the pastor was recently hired or if he/she had been in place for a long time. Persuasion effects also persisted when parishioners were permitted to choose a church based on the pastor's view of war although views of the congregation did not affect attitudes of the clergy. It is emphasized that a pastor's ability to influence the moral attitudes of parishioners does not necessarily imply an identical political orientation; however, there was a strong linkage between core values like pacifism, & preferences for specific foreign policy issues like US military involvement in other countries. Advocacy efforts of North American Anabaptists are described. 1 Table. J. Lindroth

Examines political participation among pastors of the evangelical Christian Reformed Church & the more liberal Reformed Church in America. The focus is on the nature & extent of political involvement across time & during the 1966 presidential election. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 520 ministers equally divided between the two denominations. The results showed different patterns of clerical involvement in politics depending upon mode of activity & theological orientation. Theological orthodoxy made pastors more likely to refer to political issues in a sermon, take a public stand on issues, or publicly endorse a candidate. Although clergy exhibiting high levels of theological orthodoxy were more likely to make political pronouncements than more modernist ministers, theological orthodoxy was less strongly related to voting, financially supporting political groups, contacting public officials, & circulating petitions. Political activities associated with theological modernists included organizing political groups within the church. A dominant trend over time was greater involvement by orthodox pastors in political activities that were once the province of more modernist clergy. 5 Tables. J. Lindroth

A concluding chapter stresses that the political choices of American clergy have ramifications for both democratic citizenship & studies of politics. Each chapter is summarized, pointing out that the authors all emphasize that understanding the choices clergy make, & their consequences, requires analyzing the personal & theological backgrounds of clergy, as well as the contexts in which they work. The findings are related to existing research on the influence of context on clergy's choices & their consequences, noting that studying choices is easier than investigating the political consequences of clergy action, an area in dire need of more research. Attention is also called to the lack of research on the contemporary political choices of American clergy of non-Christian faith traditions. The importance of understanding the religious dimensions of American politics is discussed & it is hoped that this volume will generate interdisciplinary discussions that will add to bodies of knowledge on broader social phenomena like social movements, opinion leadership, & organizational politics. J. Lindroth

Examines political participation among pastors of the evangelical Christian Reformed Church & the more liberal Reformed Church in America. The focus is on the nature & extent of political involvement across time & during the 1966 presidential election. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 520 ministers equally divided between the two denominations. The results showed different patterns of clerical involvement in politics depending upon mode of activity & theological orientation. Theological orthodoxy made pastors more likely to refer to political issues in a sermon, take a public stand on issues, or publicly endorse a candidate. Although clergy exhibiting high levels of theological orthodoxy were more likely to make political pronouncements than more modernist ministers, theological orthodoxy was less strongly related to voting, financially supporting political groups, contacting public officials, & circulating petitions. Political activities associated with theological modernists included organizing political groups within the church. A dominant trend over time was greater involvement by orthodox pastors in political activities that were once the province of more modernist clergy. 5 Tables. J. Lindroth

Data for an analysis of political participation among South Baptist ministers were drawn from a 1996 survey completed by 361 ministers that addressed 24 activity items & various perspectives. Special attention was given to four sources of activism: personal resources; professional ideology; issue mobilization; & organizational activity. A series of multiple ordinary least squares regression analyses, followed by a final regression analysis, showed that social class background, current social class, & educational attainment had no impact on political activism. A minister's approval of political activity was the factor that contributed the most to clergy activism; however, concern about moral issues, political interest, strength of conservative convictions, & strong preference for the Republican party were contributory factors. There was also indication of organizational influences, especially on the part of members of the Christian Coalition, & greater political participation by ministers from larger churches or those whose members approved of their political involvement. 2 Tables. J. Lindroth

A concluding chapter stresses that the political choices of American clergy have ramifications for both democratic citizenship & studies of politics. Each chapter is summarized, pointing out that the authors all emphasize that understanding the choices clergy make, & their consequences, requires analyzing the personal & theological backgrounds of clergy, as well as the contexts in which they work. The findings are related to existing research on the influence of context on clergy's choices & their consequences, noting that studying choices is easier than investigating the political consequences of clergy action, an area in dire need of more research. Attention is also called to the lack of research on the contemporary political choices of American clergy of non-Christian faith traditions. The importance of understanding the religious dimensions of American politics is discussed & it is hoped that this volume will generate interdisciplinary discussions that will add to bodies of knowledge on broader social phenomena like social movements, opinion leadership, & organizational politics. J. Lindroth