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For the last decades, the Yezidi identity whose main marker was for centuries based on a unique religion, the Sharfadin, has undergone specific transformations. One of the most stable trends playing a crucial role in the mentioned process, is the spread of Orthodox Christianity, particularly among the Yezidis of Georgia and Russia. This phenomenon is especially interesting regarding the fact that, unlike neo-Protestant missions, Orthodox Church has never been active in proselytism particularly among the Yezidis; no Orthodox mission has ever focused its activities on this group. Yet, the number of the Yezidis converting to the Orthodox Christianity gradually grows. The paper is an interim result of a project on the modern transformations of the Yezidi identity. Compiled on the materials collected by the author through interviews and questionnaires among the converted Yezidis of Georgia and Russia, it focuses on several particular cases reflecting the shaping of a principally new identity, when Christian mentality replaces the Yezidi eclectic religious outlook.

How rational is the heart? How natural is reason? How universal is faith? / Adriaan T. Peperzak -- Naturae desiderium : the desire of nature between history and theology / Peter J. Casarella -- Athens, Jerusalem, and-- : overcoming the exclusivist paradigms of the past / Kevin Corrigan -- Kant : boundaries, blind sports, and supplements / Cyril O'Regan -- On knowing God through loving Him : beyond "faith and reason" / Jean-Yves Lacoste -- Phenomenality and Christianity / Kevin Hart -- Making the resurrection reasonable, or reason "resurrectional"? / Anthony J. Kelly -- Habermas, religion, and a postsecular society / James Swindal -- "Transcendence from within" : Benedict XVI, Habermas, and Lonergan on reason and faith / Frederick G. Lawrence

It finally happened. Stung by gadflies such as William Stringfellow and John Yoder and obviously moved by the tumultuous I 960's, American evangelicals hammered out a" Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern" last year in Chicago. The result? The self-critical, prophetic logic of biblical Christianity has been stated clearly, with appropriate urgency, in language that anyone can understand. Idolatrous justifications of political inactivity so rampant in "orthodox" Christian communities from New York to Garden Grove (and beyond) have been exposed and crisply rejected by Christians themselves. And by respectable conservatives at that: Carl F. H. Henry (see Coughenour essay) and Frank Gaebelein, for example.

The four classical elements of earth, water, air and fire are present in Genesis and continue to be significant throughout Christianity. Different streams of thought, such as the School of Chartres, and Celtic Christianity, have emphasised them in different ways. In this unique book, Bastiaan Baan, an experienced spiritual thinker, brings these elements together with ideas from Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. He considers, in particular, how elemental beings -- nature spirits -- relate to the four elements, and explores the role of elemental beings in our world. This is a fascinating an

In Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church, Matthew J. Tuininga explores a little appreciated dimension of John Calvin's political thought, his two kingdoms theology, as a model for constructive Christian participation in liberal society. Widely misunderstood as a proto-political culture warrior, due in part to his often misinterpreted role in controversies over predestination and the heretic Servetus, Calvin articulated a thoughtful approach to public life rooted in his understanding of the gospel and its teaching concerning the kingdom of God. He staked his ministry in Geneva on his commitment to keeping the church distinct from the state, abandoning simplistic approaches that placed one above the other, while rejecting the temptations of sectarianism or separatism. This revealing analysis of Calvin's vision offers timely guidance for Christians seeking a mode of faithful, respectful public engagement in democratic, pluralistic communities today. --

The struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa, as many have argued, is theological as well as political. This is so, in the words of Ben Marais, because 'Apartheid erodes the very basis of humanity'. It is also because the great majority of South Africans have some Christian identity and church affiliation, yet their faith commitments are heavily conditioned by class interests and particular ideologies. Consequently, prophetic Christianity, in relating biblical values to the analysis of society and the search for justice, has divided Christian communities by confronting the established churches as well as the state.