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This paper aims to uncover a hidden history of Cantonese Christian literature. Written Cantonese has been present since the late Ming dynasty in parallel to the emergence of a distinct Cantonese identity. Western missionaries, for the sake of evangelism, facilitated the development of written Cantonese in South China since the mid-nineteenth century. At that time, missionaries put a lot of effort into translating religious leaflets and booklets, the Bible, the book of prayers, and even Cantonese–English dictionaries. These works contributed to standardizing written Cantonese and indirectly helped to develop Cantonese identity. I will critically examine how Cantonese Christian literature declined for the sake of nationalism, as the first publication of Heheben 和合本 (Mandarin Union Version) in Protestant Christianity in 1919 represented the unification of the Church by using written Mandarin. After elaborating on the unintentional alliance of missionaries with Cantonese in the nineteenth century, in conclusion, I will make a brief comparison of Hong Kong Church in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, which is inactive in the continuous written Cantonese movement in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) has established a strategic initiative to help all students identify their unique gifts and gain tools for living their personal vocations on a daily basis and throughout the course of their lives. As a Catholic institution of higher education, FUS is actively building an institutional culture that will enable "an ever clearer discovery of one's vocation and the ever greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one's mission" (John, 1988, para. 58). This paper summarizes various initiatives underway at FUS related to personal vocation formation, especially those related to engaging first-year students. There are three categories of personal vocation development activities that FUS has developed: institutional-level, cohort-oriented, and classroom-based activities. Five of the initiatives described are co-curricular, while four are integrated into for-credit coursework. These different types of student interventions are distinguished both in method and audience but share the same goal of engaging students and empowering them toward a Christ-centered direction in their personal vocation. This paper presents the foundations for personal vocation, arguing for why this topic is essential for a Christian education, and it presents an overview of eight different personal vocation approaches taken at FUS, how each of the approaches have been instantiated, and a summary of their achievements as of the 2021–22 academic year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research on the lives of Christian elite athletes has focused primarily on their appropriation of faith-based behaviours and practices, and the ways in which their value and belief systems impact their performance. While these accounts provide useful insight into personal experience and practical application, they are largely devoid of theological underpinnings. Drawing on the findings of a small-scale qualitative study of the faith journeys of 15 ex-professional footballers, this paper seeks to present a theologically informed understanding of identity formation within elite sport. We begin by problematising the disjuncture between theocentric and anthropocentric approaches to the ways in which the specific identities of Christian elite athletes are often formed. We then explore the key issues that shaped the contours of the respondents' experiences as they sought to negotiate their faith amidst the harsh realities of professional footballing life. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of appropriate support networks to identity formation in Christian elite athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies indicate that Pentecostal teachings center the egalitarian move of the Holy Spirit with empowering effects on the social lives of the Dalits in the South Indian Pentecostal landscape, the persistence of ethnocentric behavior from "Syrian Christian" Pentecostals continues. Hence, this paper focuses on exploring the historical development of a Syrian Christian identity marker as a privileged one that became prefixed by the Pentecostals in Kerala, especially in Travancore. In this regard, this paper seeks to answer questions such as: How did caste dynamics structure the formation of Christian communities in Kerala? How did the historical Western missionary interactions deal with local caste-influenced distinctions (especially between the "Syrian Christian" and Dalit communities)? How did Pentecostalism challenge and perpetuate the Syrian Christian caste identity? Through an intersectional (religion and caste) historical analysis, this paper shows that the Syrian Christian community has been integrated into the caste system for the last two thousand years of Christian history in Kerala. At the same time, via a more inclusive historical narrative, the paper highlights Dalit conversions to Christianity since the sixteenth century as a critique against the privileged status of Syrian Christianity, even more so when Pentecostalism arrived at its shores, impacting the emergence of Dalit Pentecostalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radical Right-wing populism frequently involves 'divide and rule' strategies as a means to attain and consolidate political power. In the cases of Viktor Orban's political regime in Hungary and Donald Trump's four-year presidency (and its aftermath), we find a pronounced attempt to create narrative hegemony of a sense of nation built upon Christian civilization and foundationalist understandings of national identity. Moreover, both cases reveal processes of social border-making that are reflected in norming and the creation of distinctions based on degrees of national authenticity. Applying an ontological security and critical borders studies approach, this paper will specifically focus on the different ways in which border-making processes, or bordering, are implicated in the exercise of illiberal political power in the Hungarian and US cases. Despite many similarities, the actual mobilization of popular support reflects local conditions and has resulted in rather different political outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the legacy of the ecclesiastical community preserved in the ecclesial memory (tradition) intended for all times, and therefore also for the "challenges of today" inscribed in the particular "signs of the times". Without a doubt, this includes the desire of western man for a content, happy, and fulfilled life in all aspects of human life. The main aim of the article is to provide the most plausible answer about the meaning of man's existence and the paths to its fulfilment not only to the believer living in a certain cultural framework, but also to everyone who asks this question. Our answer cannot help but emerge from the Trinitarian mystery, which was, still is and will always be the foundation of proclamation and of all new pastoral paths, even for the twenty-first century Church, world and man. After all, if it is true that the essence of the triune God is both universal union and unification, it is the trinitarian relational Being that establishes the foundations for a new humanity. The mystery of the divine Trinity is thus implicit in both chapters of the lecture, in which we speak of a new Christian identity, of the phenomena of "the silent God", and of the mission of practical theology as a theology of life, that is to say, a theology that makes man's encounter with God possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of one's identity in late modernity is sometimes viewed as a project of the autonomous self in which one's identity may shift or change over the course of one's existence and development. For the Christian, however, one's identity is both a divine gift, and a task of ecclesial formation, and for both the gift and the task, Christian baptism is fundamental. Baptism represents the death of the self and its rebirth in Christ, a decisive breach with the life that has gone before. Baptism establishes a new identity, a new affiliation, a new mode of living, and a new life orientation, direction, and purpose. This paper explores the role of baptism in the formation of Christian identity, finding that Christian identity is both extrinsic to the self and yet also an identity into which we are called and into which we may continually grow. The essay proceeds in three sections. It begins with a survey of recent philosophical reflection on the concept of identity, continues by reflecting on the nature of Christian baptism in dialogue with this reflection, and concludes by considering in practical terms how baptism functions in the process of conversion–initiation toward the formation of mature Christian identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To inform its readership and potential contributors, this paper revisits and builds on the work of Dulaney's (2014) study of the Christian Business Academy Review (CBAR). In this article, the researchers analyze CBAR titles and abstracts and titles from the Academy of Management Learning and Education (AMLE) for the period from 2014 to 2023 and compare those results to Dulaney's original findings. To further name the specific discourse of the journal, the researchers conducted a thematic analysis of the CBAR's abstracts. The results of this study show the CBAR to be a dynamic and growing venue for both single and multiple authors to engage in the sharing of ideas and resources related to the teaching of a great variety of business topics from a Christian worldview and to college teaching as a profession. Perhaps most importantly, the CBAR has remained true to its stated purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scholarship on the Bodmer Miscellaneous Codex (BMC) has analysed various features of the manuscript, mostly attempting to answer questions like "Why was this codex created?" and "What purpose did it serve?" Some have given more specific answers, while others believe the document to be largely enigmatic. To further the academy's understanding of this ancient codex, this paper will examine the BMC, which comprises 11 different writings, for evidence of early Christian social identity formation. More specifically, it will heuristically apply Social Identity Theory (SIT) and Social Identity Complexity Theory (SICT) to reflect on identity and boundary construction in the BMC. It will be argued that various features of this ancient codex reveal a process of social identity formation, specifically an emerging orthodox Christian identity that is seeking positive distinctiveness and striving to reinforce the boundaries between an ingroup and various other outgroups. Furthermore, it is argued that the evidence of these features, in the context of persecution and competing Christianities, denotes a lower level of social identity complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Syrian uprising and subsequent civil war have been extensively studied with a predominant emphasis on sectarianism between the Sunni and Alawite sects. This narrow focus overlooks the profound influence of other religious and ethnic elements within Syrian society. This article aims to broaden the analytical lens by examining the position and attitudes of Christians in the Al‐Hasakah governorate regarding the Syrian uprising and opposition forces. The article addresses two key inquiries: first, the factors influencing Christians' position in Al‐Hasakah regarding the Syrian uprising, and second, the ramifications of these positions on intercommunal relationships in the region. The paper argues that the collective memory of fear experienced by Christians, manipulated by the Syrian regime, has contributed to the emergence of "sectarianism from below" and "sectarianism from above." The former reflects the construction of sectarian identities by Christians in response to discrimination and marginalization, while the latter pertains to influential institutions perpetuating sectarian identities and divisions. The findings highlight the complex interplay of factors shaping communal attitudes and relations during times of upheaval and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to argue for the necessity to preserve the Christian identity in the secular world, in which the believer is called to live in. The manifestation of this identity is seen especially in the area of ethics. It is analysed the way ethics is interpreted in postmodernism and in Christianity. On the one hand, the postmoderns want to equalize the biblical perspective on ethics, which supports the good and evil antithesis. Stanley Hauerwas talks about differences between Christian and Postmodern perspective in the area of ethics. The reader is invited to compare the two systems of moral values, and come up with some conclusions. It is demonstrated that Christianity bases its morality on Scripture. On the other hand, the postmodern perspective allows all the voices in the society to support their own view. The author presents the actual tendency to ignore the classical values, such as good and evil. There is also a tendency to remove guilt. In this paper it is argued that from the biblical perspective of moral antithesis is rooted in creation. The sacred text argue that because man ignored the divine commandment from Genesis 2:16-17, he committed a moral action with dramatic consequences for all human race. The biblical books written by the so called "Deuteronomistic School", are guided by the central idea of "blessings and curses". By doing good, man is expected to be blessed, and by doing evil, he is expected to be punished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the experience of negotiating the identity of Indonesian Orthodox Christians in the context of inter-religious communication in Depok. The discussion is intended to find out the identity negotiations carried out by the Orthodox Christian Community during the presence of religious people in Depok so that differences of opinion and understanding between religious communities can be mediated and to find out the obstacles in maintaining communication between Indonesian Orthodox Christians and Protestant, Catholic and Muslim Christians. This research uses qualitative methods which are carried out using a phenomenological approach, while phenomenological research is a type of qualitative research that sees and hears closely and in detail regarding individual understanding of the experiences needed. So, this study aims to find out and confirm the 10 main assumptions in negotiating identity in the context of inter-religious communication in Depok and knowing the obstacles to maintaining inter-religious communication in Depok. Data were collected by interview, observation, and document methods. The validity of the data was obtained by means of triangulation, examination of respondents, and assessments from supervisors. Data were analyzed by (1) data reduction, (2) data presentation, and (3) drawing conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-semitism, racism, pro-life beliefs, and extreme Christian ideology have long been acknowledged to be a feature in far-right terrorist violence in the United States. However, what has been less acknowledged is the underpinning element of misogyny. This paper aims to reflect on why this is. First, it looks at the chronological trajectory of "common-couple violence" to "patriarchal terrorism" to "misogynistic terrorism." Even though scholarship on this form of terrorism can be traced back to the 1970s, mainstream Terrorism Studies has never fully engaged with the idea. This is echoed in a recent assertion that misogyny and violence against women is not political and therefore not terrorism. Second, this paper aims to demonstrate that this lack of engagement works in tandem with the bare minimum of acknowledgement of misogyny in the far-right. Explicitly, it argues that it is hard to see misogyny in a largely patriarchal and masculinist system. This is even more important today with the rise of Incels and the manosphere, especially in how these support the US's flirtation with Trump's misogynist and racist driven neo-fascism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central European countries with a historically dominant Roman Catholic heritage belong to a particular cluster in respect to the governance of religion. This paper focuses on Hungary and Slovakia and addresses the effect of religious nationalism on the regimes of governance of religion in the two countries. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, there was a brief period of neutral stance towards religion, which was characterized by liberal values. With the introduction of the bilateral Concordat agreements with the Holy See, both countries started to treat traditional Christian Churches preferentially. By the 2010s legislation in both countries created restrictive entry barriers for "new" religions. This created two or multi-tiered systems for "old" and "new" religions, in which the former enjoyed closer relationship with the state. As a result, the separation of church and state has become blurred. Preferentially treated churches reappeared in the public space as providers of certain educational and social services. Preferentially treated churches and the state developed asymmetrically interdependent relationships, the state having the upper hand. Meanwhile, increasingly populist and nationalist parties instrumentalized religion by involving Christianity in their nationalistic political discourse. This helped create a normative space, in which the state is able to give further preferential treatment to certain religious groups over others. The emphasis on Christian national identity underpinned these governments' narratives that conflates migration with security and Islam, which pushed those religious groups on the margins, which do not fit in the religious nationalist narrative of the increasingly right- and populism-leaning governing elite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to highlight the importance of internalizing Christian religious doctrine in strengthening Christian identity, due to the declining faith among Indonesian Christian youth, which was reflected in the increasing number of members exiting from the church. Therefore, this research attempted to strengthen the identity of Indonesian Christian youth by developing what is termed the Moses internalization model. Social research methods and hermeneutics were used in order to achieve appropriate results. The results could be used to develop the Moses internalization model in order to teach Christian religious doctrine to young Indonesians in churches and schools, thereby strengthening their level of identity. The paper demonstrates the centrality of the example posed by Moses which serves as an internalization process, which has four stages. The first is doctrinal information, the second stage comprises doctrinal application exercises or training, the third is identity formation, and the fourth stage is the crystallization and strengthening of identity. Moses informed the Israelites through doctrines that God is One and God is God. The people were to fear the Lord and keep all the given statutes and commandments. They were taught to love the Lord God with all their heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The model or framework of Moses for a Christian's identity can be applied to pastoral ministry. This model is thus is offered as a support for pastors in the important aspect of forging and internalizing strong Christian identities in their adherents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the career of Pedro Augusto del Valle as a lens through which to explore Puerto Rican responses to U.S. colonialism, and the islanders' influence on mid-twentieth century domestic politics, both of which are often elided in the literature. Most of the scholarship on Puerto Rico focuses on pro-independence or autonomist figures and movements. In contrast, Del Valle embraced Americanization and American Empire, before becoming an influential figure in the U.S. far right in the mid-twentieth century. Though Del Valle was an outlier, he was not unique. Rather, this study contends that he is one example of a group of Puerto Rican elites and military officers who embraced a white, American, and Christian identity. Moreover, it argues that the omission of these figures from the historical record has produced an overly simplified narrative of the evolution of Puerto Rican nationalism and obscured both Puerto Ricans' contributions to U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and the diverse origins of the U.S. Far Right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that Chinese Australian Christians have unaddressed wounds of internalized racism and a colonized and colonizing mentality that adversely impacts their evangelistic witness and mission work by elevating Anglo-centric Christianity and subordinating their own ethno-racial status. Drawing on theoretical analyses, the sources of internalized racism and colonial mentality in Chinese Australians are first outlined within their ancestral countries of Hong Kong and Malaysia, and then their host country of Australia. Second, the essay explains how Anglo-centric Christianity impacts Chinese Australian Christians in the academy and then in missions, perpetuating prejudice towards one's own ethnic group, complicity in racialized systems, as well as elevating Anglo-centric Christian thought as biblically normative. Third, the paper shows how the rise of Asian Christianity could further privilege Anglo-centric theologies at the expense of indigenous and/or Asian theologies. Consequently, internalized racism and a colonial mentality negatively affect the mission endeavours of Chinese Australians, particularly to new Chinese migrants and other people of colour. Finally, proposed ways to combat internalized oppression will be offered so that Chinese Australian Christians and other diasporic Christians living in the West do not perpetuate systems of racial injustice in the name of Christ locally or overseas through mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the question of whether Christians perceived themselves as a distinct ethnicity in the first centuries and to discuss the relationship between Christian identity and ethnic/national identity, especially in the context of church organization. In the first part of this paper, we are going to present the arguments of the two ecclesiological conceptions as well as the historical circumstances that induced the formulation and systematization of their argumentation. The jurisdictional disputes of the 20th century were the factors that intensified the controversy over national identity as a factor in church jurisdiction. In the second part of the paper, we are going to discuss the concept of Christians as the "third race" in early Christian and pagan sources, in order to answer the question whether, according to early Christian theology, church identity was excluding ethnical identity. It is concluded that Christians were a "third race" exclusively in religious terms, in relation to Greeks and Jews, and that they were not summoned to reject their own ethnicity and to form a new nation on religious grounds. Organizing dioceses on a national basis, being in a collision with the canonical territorial principle, was thought to serve the Church's main purpose - the salvation of people, in the sense that believers had the opportunity to have bishops who could understand their mentality, language, and customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative article examines the making of a distinct Christian identity through confessional teaching of Christianity. As there had been very little empirical research on teachers of religious education and none on teaching Christianity in Israel, this pioneering paper investigates the teachers' views on their goals and challenges, while analysing how Christian identity is constructed, reworked and negotiated in their practice. In doing so, the article reflects on the meaning and implications of two moods of being a Christian in Israel: being a member of a Christian minority within the Arab minority in Israel (minority within minority), and being a member of a Christian minority of the Muslim and the Jewish majorities in Israel (minority of two majorities). The article examines how teachers educate for both moods and ponders over the sociopolitical interests served by the teachers in religious education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper follows on from the premise that humans are narrative beings, i.e. their identity is founded on stories. From a theological perspective, more importantly, Christian identity is founded on a particular story - the story of Jesus Christ. As a consequence, theology is the critical reflection of this story. Narrative theology is a school which emphasizes this point of departure. However, narrative theology also has its potential weaknesses. In the pursuit of their at least partial overcoming this paper suggests speaking about narrativist theology instead, drawing on from the difference between story and narrative. Subsequently, it argues for the need for the Christian church and theology to be involved in a generous and open dialog with various narratives of the Christian story and with various narratives of other stories. Finally, it suggests understanding (the Christian) story as something which must not be merely narrated, but also ritually enacted and embodied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the rededication of two formerly "Arian" churches, S. Severinus and S. Agata dei Goti, by Gregory I, Bishop of Rome from 590 until 604. These rededications are investigated from three perspectives. Part I sketches the historical and topographical context of the buildings. Part II considers Gregory's motives. Without denying the practical benefits of church restorations, rededication was an inexpensive way for Gregory to display papal authority during a time of diminished resources and an opportunity to publicly perform and reinforce Rome's orthodox Christian identity. The final part of this paper examines the rhetorical strategies employed by Gregory to describe the rededication of S. Agata in the Dialogues. Importantly, the story of S. Agata is part of a series of vignettes illustrating the victory of Christian orthodoxy over heresy, especially Arianism. This narrative took on added significance in the early 590s as the Lombards threatened the city of Rome. The saints chosen by Gregory to rededicate S. Agata and S. Severinus may have been intended to evoke both the Arian past and the orthodox present of these churches. And although the rituals used to make S. Agata fit for Catholic worship were not significantly different from those used to dedicate any church in late antique Rome, Gregory transformed the rededication ceremony into a dramatic story of the triumph of the city's orthodox community, its church, and its bishop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of paganism in Late Antiquity contributed to the transformation of culture of the roman society. With the victory of Christianity, which became firstly a dominant and later the only accepted religion, the objects of the classical culture became a problematic heritage. The aim of the paper is to present the Christians’ shifting attitude towards the material remains of the pagan culture and the way in which they influenced and shaped the identity of the Christian community. These processes are analyzed on the example of Rome in the period from the 4th to the 6th century. Special attention is paid to the area of the Roman Forum, which was characterized by exceptional accumulation and density of the monuments which constituted the pagan heritage. Since it was the central and representative space, the symbolical character of the forum was very important for the leaders of the local community and its transformations reflect very well the changing attitude of the Christians towards the pagan heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Interstudia is the property of Alma Mater and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper takes its departure from a concrete encounter on a bridge in Skopje, Macedonia as a symbolic instance of the boundary negotiations between sedentary Europe and the Roma and Sinti people. It argues that modern Europe is marred by a number of exclusionary discourses and that Europeans in the encounter with "the other" are in need of a new kind of border thinking that allows for a "pluritopic hermeneutic," which means an acknowledgement of the necessity of different hermeneutical perspectives on any given cultural encounter. The paper continues to argue for cultural boundaries as privileged places of insight and correlates this analysis with an understanding of Christian identity as boundary identity. In the second section of the paper, the eschatological significance of migrational boundaries is explicated on the basis of two biblical visions of redeemed community: a multilingual community (Genesis 11; Acts 2) and table fellowship (Luke 13:29). A third and final section of the paper suggests a rethinking of Christian eschatological imagination on the basis of migrant discourses. These discourses can help resist eschatological models that imagine spatial or temporal purity in the beyond. A theological eschatology in tune with migrant utopias can help Christian communities develop a new sensitivity both for its anticipation of the future (temporal boundaries) and its relation to its physical surroundings (spatial boundaries). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights in 1847, critics have debated the nature of Heathcliff's background. Overwhelmingly, they have viewed Heathcliff as the representation of an Irish, Black, or Roma individual. This paper argues that Brontë incorporated nineteenth-century stereotypes of Jews into her character. Brontë would have been familiar with these stereotypes through her reading of Blackwood's Magazine which regularly published articles that negatively depicted Jews. Heathcliff's physical characteristics, his initial inability to speak English, his lineage, and his eventual success all support my contention that Brontë used Jewish stereotypes to create Heathcliff. Additionally, Heathcliff wanders the earth after death, and he is denied access to the Christian afterlife, an idea that confirms his Jewish roots. Such a representation ultimately challenges configurations of Christian identity in Victorian England. By invoking these cruel and unflattering stereotypes, Brontë comments on English society. Heathcliff becomes a character who incorporates both positive qualities and negative stereotypes and allows us to rethink stereotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors considered the identity of Christian teachers to be an urgent matter because of rapid changes in society, and assumed that such a consideration could help to envision education in an authentic way. They recognised that the current understanding of Christian identity emphasises unity with Christ and, therefore, set out to demonstrate that this unity is not only a matter of private spiritual life, but must also be carefully considered in professional practice. This article is not a research paper per se, but rather an exploratory, constructive essay. The authors examined and elaborated on unity with Christ with the help of the so-called three offices of Christ: prophet, priest, and king. After interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism and bringing it into critical dialogue with contemporary voices, they identified the implications of the three offices for educational practice. The office of prophet was reflected in both the implicit and explicit messages of the teacher. The office of priest was observable in a teacher's compassionate behaviour, while the office of king was seen in the teacher's humble citizenship and struggle against evil, as well as in the ethical views that a teacher promotes in class. Three offices were found helpful in rethinking Christian teachers' role. The implications of this research included the potential for counterbalancing dualistic practices (role of the prophet), placing an emphasis on care instead of neoliberal pressures (role of the priest), and envisioning subject content within the coming of the kingdom (role of the king). Contribution: Through its consideration of the teaching profession in terms of the three offices of Christ, this article's research seeks to enhance the professional identity of faithful Christian teachers. While the focus is primarily on those employed in Christian schools and also intends to influence the identity of those working in secular settings. The authors argue that teachers are prophets in the messages they impart, priests when they act compassionately, and kings when they encourage dedicated and exemplary citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Theology / Roczniki Teologiczne is the property of Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawla II and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates the popularity of Christian videos among born-again Christians in Enugu, Nigeria. This study is anchored on the theoretical foundations of reception analysis. Following a qualitative research design, the research adopted a three- stage research method, namely, qualitative content analysis, focus group interviews, and in- depth individual interviews. The study found that because Christian videos are primarily embedded in the scriptures aimed at addressing various aspects of their lived experiences, their viewers see their portrayals as a true definition of reality. For this reason, the study established that Christian video consumers watch these videos in the hope of being strengthened, encouraged, challenged, and guided in their faith. From the study, Christian videos perform a political work in that it serves as an alternative domain of resistance against the hegemonic discourses advanced in secular Nollywood videos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gregory of Nazianzus is an important case study for the development of autobiography, not only because he is one of the first Christians to write extended autobiographical texts, but also because he does so in verse. This paper addresses two interwoven questions: which strategies does Gregory employ in his autobiographical poems in order to create credibility for his literary self, and which of the motifs that he uses are innovative or specific to his autobiographical poetry? I suggest that Gregory constructs credibility mainly through his relationships with different entities (persons, objects, ideas ...) represented in the poems. In some of the relationships (e.g., with his opponents) one can find clear parallels with pagan poets while in others, specifically Christian elements come into play (sometimes blended with pagan traditions). Gregory's most original idea appears in his relationship with his medium of communication, where one can find a justification for poetic autobiography as a genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the publication of Clement's letter to Theodore, discovered by Morton Smith at Mar Saba, there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding its authenticity. The main aim of the present paper is to weigh the linguistic evidence for and against Clementine authorship of the letter, also checking its alleged excessively Clementine nature in an objective manner, using a profile-based stylometric technique for authorship verification which has proven to be a valuable tool for text of relatively small size. The outcomes of the analysis tend to attribute the disputed letter to Clement but they also show its hyper-Clementine quality. Is this due to a forger, deliberately trying to imitate Clement's style or is it instead a feature characteristic of the epistolary style of Clement? Regrettably without further samples of Clement's letters to be used as terms of comparison it seems not possible to safely answer this question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teologia w Polsce is the property of Society of Dogmatic Theologians and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rise of the Alt-Right has changed the face of the American and international far-right. Although an online movement, it has shown a growing influence on political discourse. One puzzling and understudied aspect of this movement is its relationship to religion. Stanchly anti-Muslim and heavily reliant on Christian identity and iconography, it is nevertheless made-up of a significant number of avowed atheists. A desire to protect Christendom from outside influences is combined with a focus on rationalism and anti- Christianity drawn from the writings of the new atheists. This paper will combine preliminary content analysis of online comments with an examination of prominent altright YouTube videos in order to understand the role of these competing ideological strands within the movement. YouTube has become a particularly fertile group for the Alt- Right, with many prominent commentators achieving popularity on the site. Crucially, these mediums allow for the candid observation of deliberation on religious and ideological issues between members of the Alt-Right. This methodology will allow for an understanding of how this group perceives and constructs its own relationship to religion, rather than simply how it presents itself. This paper will therefore seek to make a contribution which is both theoretical and methodological. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its existence for over a century in Africa and statistics putting the Christian populations at average 80 percent mostly in sub-Saharan African countries, Christianity has not managed to provide an alternative identity to ethnicity as issues of identity continue dogging the continent. Many African societies remain divided and at war on the basis of identities, be they racial, tribal, creedal, gender, class, language or other identities. Surprisingly, this state of affairs is also found even within the precincts of the church. Many churches remain divided along racial, ethnic, tribal, and other identities. One does not need to look far and wide to acknowledge this reality. Does Christianity have an identity? Could the writings of Paul address the issues of Christian identity? Or do the writings address this problem at all? These are the questions at the heart of this paper. Making use of Pauline texts such as Galatians 3:28 and scholarly works such as those of Buell and Hodge (2004:237), I discuss Paul's understanding of Christian identity and its implications for Christian identity in Africa today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late nineteenth century, the Phrygian funerary imprecation, known as the Eumeneian formula, has been considered one of the clearest indicators of Christian religious identity on inscriptions from Roman Asia Minor. After a brief précis of the early scholarly history of interpretation of this formula and the historiographical assumptions which underpinned its identification as Christian, this article attempts to reframe how we understand the specific context out of which these inscriptions emerge—that of the wider socio-religious context of Roman Asia Minor—and to examine the degree of continuity which these inscriptions have in terms of religious sentiment with similar pagan examples from wider Anatolia. The central contention of this article is that the Eumeneian formula inscriptions, quite apart from what they can tell us about the socio-political status of early Christians and their relationships with their wider civic environment, are also an important index for understanding early Christian popular religion in the pre-Constantinian period and how ordinary Christians expressed their religious identity in a potentially hostile environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of identity (tautotes) was discussed, often in contrast to its opposite “otherness” (heterotes), not only during Classical Antiquity but also by Christian and Byzantine authors since Late Antiquity. Fundamental manifestations of every dimension of Byzantine identity – and in particular of collective identity – are language (including culture), religious (and political) commitment, space and time; these phenomena are deeply rooted in human consciousness. This paper deals with the relation between identity and time (temporality). This relation is analysed on the basis of key terms like aion, kairos and chronos and the relations among them; the individualization of temporality becomes manifest in combinations of the mentioned terms with adjectives like emos or hemeteros. Not surprisingly, Byzantine authors – referring to passages in the Old and the New Testament – dealt mainly with eschatological (cosmic) time in relation to individual and collective identity, whereas the interest in the historical dimension of time was limited to authors of a small educated class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]