Suchergebnisse

Developments in church-state relationships in north-western Europe between 1780 and 1920 had a substantial impact on reformist ideas, projects and movements within the churches. Conversely, the dynamics of ecclesiastical reform prompted the state itself to react in various ways, through direct intervention or by adapting its policies and/or promulgating laws.To which extent did church and state mutually influence each other in matters concerning ecclesiastical reform? How and why did they do so? These are the central questions posed in The Churches, the second volume in the series 'Dynamics of

The development of the doctrine of the church in the west is, unsurprisingly, profoundly indebted to Augustine. But that is not to say that thinking on it was completed in 430. Rather the Middle Ages witnessed considerable alteration, renewal, and change in regards to ecclesiology. This was particularly apparent during the late Middle Ages when the subject moved from the domain of the canon lawyers to that of theologians (So, for instance, although Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologicae contains no material on the doctrine of the church, Jan Hus would write a sizeable tome dedicated to the locus just 200 years later). Deeply influenced by things like the Avignon papacy, the Renaissance, the blossoming of apocalyptic thought, and the arrival in Europe of the 'Turks,' theological reflection on the nature of the church occupied a prominent place in the labours of Protestant Reformers eager to attack the Roman Catholic church as the Anti-Christ and synagogue of Satan. These early and enthusiastic attacks invariably met with serious intellectual engagement from seasoned Catholic polemicists forcing later evangelicals like Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, and Theodore Beza to reframe and reassert their positions for a new generation of Europeans following the death of Ulrich Zwingli, Johannes Oecolampadius, and in the waning years of other important thinkers such as Wolfgang Capito and of course Martin Luther. All of this was, in the case of Geneva, taking place within a city which, though important in its own right, was nonetheless negotiating its position within the wider world. Berne influenced it significantly and it enjoyed good relations with Swiss cities like Zurich. Yet much of Geneva's attention faced westward towards France from which not only all of its important ministers but also a sizeable amount of its population came, fleeing persecution from the French (Catholic) government. Accordingly, not only Geneva's theological reflections but also its social and political musings on the church were being inspired and constrained by a Gallican influence. This chapter will attempt to set out the thought on the church which these influences produced.

Church asylum, or sanctuary, is a practice to support, counsel and give shelter to refugees who are threatened with deportation to inhumane living conditions, torture or even death. This practice can be located at the interface of benevolence and politics.

Jesus was cruelly executed as the alleged "king of the Jews" because of his efforts for grassroots religious renewal and resistance to Roman rule in Palestine through local religious-political elites. By the fourth century ce, however, Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman imperium. An ambiguous account of both resisting and supporting imperialism has shaped all church history. Today the United States of America is widely recognized as the central power in a new global empire. In this article I wrestle with the huge challenge of engaging the forces of empire in our global era. The free-church ecclesial model of an alternative community offers powerful resources that can inform such efforts. Related tasks include: (1) recognizing how American nationalism often supports imperialism, (2) identifying religious support for imperialism in America, and (3) understanding the democratic forces that resist imperialism. All the above are necessary tools for authentic and effective strategies of religious and social transformation. Adapted from the source document.