Search

The paper compares compares two books that focus on mapping the spiritual life of the two greatest Inklings, Tolkien and Lewis. One of them is Holly Ordway's newest publication, Tolkien's Faith, and the other William Griffin's C. S. Lewis: Spirituality for Mere Christians. The paper emphasizes the fact that despite being different in style and structure and published more than 20 years apart, both the publications are essentially similar in nature and content. Additional Keywords Tolkien; Lewis; spirituality; biography, TOLKIEN'S FAITH: A SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY. Holly Ordway. Elk Grove Village, IL: Word on Fire Academic, 2023. 544 p. 978-1-68578-991-6. $35.00; also available for Kindle. C.S. LEWIS: SPIRITUALITY FOR MERE CHRISTIANS. [...]

Camilo Peralta's The Wizard of Mecosta gives the first detailed look at Russell Kirk's fiction, from his ghost stories to his three gothic novels. While the work particularly emphasizes Kirk's gothic influences, Peralta also explores references to T.S. Eliot and Charles Williams in his fiction, as well as comments in his nonfiction about Lewis and Williams writing 'tales of the preternatural.' The discussion provides important material for seeing Kirk as an Inklings-influenced author. Additional Keywords russell kirk; t.s. eliot; ray bradbury; stephen king; j.r.r. tolkien; c.s. lewis; charles williams; lord of the hollow dark; old house of fear; creature of the twilight his memorials; evelyn waugh; gothic fiction; horror; fantasy, READERS FAMILIAR WITH RUSSELL KIRK'S groundbreaking political study The Conservative Age are often surprised to learn it wasn't his most successful book. His greatest seller was his novel Old House [...]

Dignitas Infinita highlights "the indispensable nature of the dignity of the human person in Christian anthropology" and warns of "ambivalent ways in which the concept is understood today." Among those "ambivalent ways" are plural definitions of human dignity in official Catholic teaching. There is ambivalence in definitions of Catholic sexual human dignity and Catholic social human dignity, which lead to inconsistencies in the foundation and justification of moral doctrine. In this article, we first present Catholic definitions of social and sexual human dignity. Second, we explain Pope Francis's anthropological nuances that provide an alternative definition of human dignity, which we label holistic human dignity. Third, we evaluate and describe the harm deriving from statements in the document and by Pope Francis, a harm that results from inconsistent definitions of human dignity in doctrinal teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their response to the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, many African bishops used culture as an argument to reject the possibility of blessing same-sex couples. This article probes and shows the extent of the inconsistency of the appeal to culture by the African bishops. It uses the issue of polygamy as a point of contrast: appeals to African culture are never used to justify this widespread practice among Africans or any pastoral flexibility toward it. The article also compares Vatican II's understanding of culture (Gaudium et Spes) with that of the African bishops. It shows that the African bishops' understanding of culture tends to be narrow and focused on the past. Finally, the article looks at culture as a source of Christian morals and demonstrates that culture can be only a secondary source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In AD 33 the Christian Church of Jerusalem was born, fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This was the starting point of a long history of religious minorities in Jerusalem: Christians, Jews, and Muslims were majorities or rulers or minorities in different time periods. Armenians were always a religious minority in the city. In this paper we highlight the main turning points of the history of the religious minorities in Jerusalem and the unique advancement of the Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Today, Christians of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate are under the Custodianship of the Hashemite King of Jordan. A Muslim King guarantees the religious rights of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem Holy Site since 1917. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do queer Christians navigate the tensions between faith and sexuality? This article points to the spirituality of struggle as an answer. In the context of the Philippines, a society known for its religious and moral conservatism, we define this spirituality as an ongoing process in which queer Christians aspire to discover and fulfill God's will for their lives. We explain this spirituality in the form of three questions we gathered from our interlocutors: Who am I? Whom can I love? And why me? Taken together, these questions reflect the deepest concerns they have about faith and sexuality. Recognizing the spirituality of struggle offers significant contributions to studying religion and gender in the Philippines: by recognizing queer religious identities as dynamic, negotiated acts steeped in ambivalence and by serving as an empirical counterpoint to the militant Christianity in the country. These insights are drawn from semi-structured interviews with sixty-six young adults who self-identify as non-heterosexual men. They are also from different Christian denominations in the Greater Manila Area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spirituality discourse within social work has been developing for several decades, albeit more in the USA than in the states of the EU. Europe or the countries of the EU were characterised as an exceptional case because of their secularity. Social work in Europe is also typically secular. Nevertheless, the spirituality discourse within social work is slowly developing also in Europe. In social services, chaplains, pastoral workers and assistants, and similar professions are often more responsible for spiritual care than social workers. Should social workers approach spiritual issues from the client's point of view or from a theological stance or rather just from the social work perspective? What reasons and arguments can we formulate and express? This text will discuss both these questions and their context as well as the possible answers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas research has documented how atheists are perceived, none has considered their perceptibility. Atheists must first be identified as atheists in order to experience the stigma associated with them (i.e., as distrusted, disliked, and widely maligned). Although atheism is considered a concealable aspect of one's identity, substantial research has found that a variety of ostensibly concealable attributes about a person are indeed legible from small and subtle cues. We merged these lines of inquiry here by considering the perceptibility of religious and spiritual (dis)belief. Studies 1A-1B showed that atheists could be reliably discerned from Christians based on brief glimpses of 100 standardized male faces. Experiment 2 replicated these results using female faces. Experiments 3 A-E then interrogated the facial features that support perceivers' detection of atheism, showing that various parts of faces suffice for independently conveying atheism. Experiment 4 investigated and showed a potential mechanism for atheism detection – expressive suppression. Thus, across nine studies (N = 677), these data show robust evidence that atheists can be categorized from facial cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnographic research examined post-migration changes in the religious affiliation and the frequency of church attendance and private praying of sixteen female and fourteen male (N = 30) Nigerian Christians who are long-term residents of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Participants reported changes in their Christian denominational affiliation, their church attendance frequency, and the regularity of their private praying following their residential migration from Nigeria to Britain. Various contextual and individual factors influenced these changes, such as conditions in British society and "work", which was the most reported cause of a decline in participants' religious activity. This research suggests that it is more common for first-generation Nigerian Christian immigrants in Britain to experience a decline than an increase in their religious commitment as they live in the UK, which is much less religious than Nigeria. More testing with broad samples is required to evaluate the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legend of the old man Simeon, who received Jesus in his arms and was one of the Septuagint translators, is almost unknown in Western Christianity but is very popular today among Orthodox Christians. The version circulating in Orthodox churches is based on the account in Demetrius of Rostov's Lives of the Saints. The article explores the occurrences of the legend in modern, medieval Slavonic, Byzantine, and oriental writings and attempts to identify the stages of the transmission of the legend from antiquity to modern times. The historical analysis and the comparison of the motifs found in these writings make the hypothesis of a Byzantine archetype of the legend plausible. This writing has been lost, but it was previously translated into Syriac, Arabic, and Slavonic, contributing to the spread of the legend in Eastern and Slavic Christianity. The legend builds on the identification of Simeon in Luke's Gospel with Shimʿon ha-Tsaddiq. It interprets Luke 2:26 by constructing a pre-history of the episode that places Simeon into the time of the Septuagint translation. The miracle of prolonging Righteous Simeon's life functions as a reconfirmation of the fundamental character of Isaiah 7:14 for Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural logic of slavery as an extension and expression of "just war" shaped the possibilities open to enslaved Muslims in the late medieval Midi, and it shaped how Muslims in French‐ruled territories across the Mediterranean were understood. Although there were likely fewer enslaved people in the Midi than in Iberia or Italy, slavery played an important role in the cultural imaginary of the Midi's cities, as it did in the broader Mediterranean world—including the extensive Angevin realm that connected Provence to Naples. Indeed slavery, as a component of crusading and expression of Christian victory, was vital to communal self‐definition in what is now southern France. The sexual coercion and commodification of enslaved women in particular tied the Midi and the Francophone Mediterranean cultural zone of which it was an integral part to a broader culture of slaving and crusading, and it helped define the communal integrity and identity of cities across Languedoc and Provence. Rather than being the exclusive preserve of elites and aristocrats and therefore largely insignificant for the cities of the Midi, slavery played a pivotal role in delineating the boundaries of the Christian community and shaping sexual ethics in cities where enslaved people were present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the level of implementation of the salt of the earth and the light of the world, the most dominant dimensions and backgrounds that influence the level of implementation of the salt of the earth and the light of the world based on Matthew 5:13-16, in order to realize religious moderation for the administrators of the Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) and Christian Leaders in Banyumas Regency. From the results of the pre-survey, indications were found that there are still Christian leaders who have not implemented the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This study uses a quantitative method, by measuring Two Dimensions (D) in the concept of implementing the salt of the earth and the light of the world based on Matthew 5:13-16. The results of the study show that first, the level of implementation of the salt of the earth and the light of the world is in the moderate category. Second, the most dominant dimension is becoming the Light of the World (D2). The third dominant background category is the Length of Time as an Administrator / Serving (I10). Therefore, the level of implementation of the salt of the earth and the light of the world among the administrators of the Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) and Christian leaders in order to realize religious moderation in Banyumas Regency needs to be increased, so that in the future it can be higher, and produce better quality of religious moderation for Christians and society in Banyumas Regency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Theodicy is often rejected because a suffering person is hardly interested in abstract arguments—even if these arguments were convincing, they might not change the suffering she is experiencing. I propose a twofold theodicy. First, Christians are invited to promote positive apologetics—they should show the internal consistency of divine revelation, which recommends that they should alleviate suffering and promote flourishing. Second, Christians should develop negative apologetics and show the untenability of objections to the Christian view of evil and suffering, including the seemingly uncontroversial objection that a world without innocent suffering would be better in terms of justice than the one we live in. My argument is that in both positive and negative apologetics believers should be guided by devotion and commitment to God. The more they love and trust God, and consequently believe what God has revealed, the more they are expected to encourage both flourishing and rational confrontation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doughnut Economics is an economic model designed to overcome the negative impact that the crude use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can have on both society and the environment. As the model becomes more widely adopted it is important to explore the model from a theological perspective. Early Christian economic thought provides a way of exploring and challenging many of the fundamental ideas and conceptualisations of the DE model. DE has much to learn from early Christian thinkers. Firstly, a non-absolutist understanding of property can fuel calls for a more radical distribution of wealth than called for in DE, with an even greater emphasis on the process and benefits of individual almsgiving. Secondly, it shows how the limitations of the social foundation of DE has much to learn from the positive value of the ascetic lifestyle promoted by some early Christian thinkers. Finally, at a time when there are understandable concerns about the limits of the ecological ceiling, early Christian thought offers both hope and a call to action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent US court decision and political debates have highlighted both the popularity of and the ethical uncertainties surrounding in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a means of achieving pregnancy. This article provides an overview of IVF and a disciplined scientific and theological analysis of how Christians should approach the practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the emergence of World Christianity as a distinct academic discipline in the 1980s. Topics include the critique of Western Christian missions and their impact on indigenous populations; the role of global conversations among Christian scholars from the Global South and their influence on mission studies; and the broader transformations in Western academia that encouraged interdisciplinary research and challenged traditional area studies.

Spiritual pride is a threat to all who take spiritual formation seriously, but it is often difficult to discern. Reflecting on this vice within the revivals of the First Great Awakening and in his own life, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) both diagnosed the symptoms of spiritual pride and addressed its potential cures. This article looks specifically at Edwards's analysis of spiritual pride and his perspectives on the pathways to overcoming its power. In the end, Edwards proposed that Christians could pursue spiritual formation and yet remain humble if they would develop a new perspective of "comparative meanness" and develop new postures of "self-examination" and "glorying." Edwards's vision for a humble spiritual formation provides helpful insights both for locating spiritual pride in the Christian life and for severing its varied roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary conspiracism draws on both long-standing traditions and the current cultural and political environment as it constructs mythic knowledge that often includes apocalyptic prophecies. Such knowledge is constantly altered and reinterpreted by the conspiracy activists who invest in its transmission and reproduction. This article examines how conspiracist mythologies emerge in the use of these activists as mythic discourse that fluidly adapts both to include past sources and to comment on late modern phenomena. Illustrative cases of Christian and popular millennial conspiracist narratives are analyzed in terms of how they construct the actors, organizations, power positions, and historical trajectories of the world. The article highlights how different conspiracist myths share features and stances, influenced by the currents of late modernity, but also contest each other based on what their sources and purposes are, and how they differ in their evaluation of the apocalyptic event's nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Routledge) is the property of Routledge 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 festive entry of a monarch into medieval cities was an elaborate social drama involving the whole urban population. This article investigates how Jews were involved in these ceremonies in medieval France and the Holy Roman Empire, refuting previously held assumptions of their forced and marginalised roles. By demonstrating that Jews were actively included in these urban rituals, embracing local customs to welcome Christian rulers and using an array of distinctive objects to express their identity, much like other civic groups, this study argues that medieval Jews were part of an elaborate choreographed performance through which civic belonging was expressed. As Jewish participation spanned both the formal and logistical aspects of these events, medieval urban processions provide an effective case study on how religious minorities were woven into both the social and ceremonial fabric of medieval urban life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Humanities Institute of Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara (Mexico), has carefully crafted its own reading canon by incorporating in to its course design a learning outcomes framework that mirrors its Christian institutional mission. The paper presents an overview of this framework and of its implementation within the University's Gen Ed reading canon selection. It uses an excerpt of Bartolomé de las Casas' Apology as a case example of the practice. This text is used within a course of introductory Ethics delivered to 30 different student groups per year. The criteria used in its selection and suggested practices are detailed. Overall, the text shows the value of a learning outcomes approach to text selection in a core-text-based course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay offers a framework for understanding the change that occurred in the contacts between Jews and Christians between the latter decades of the Ottoman Empire and the early decades of the Turkish nation-state. Through analysis of a legal translation from Ottoman Turkish into Ladino from the early 1880s and a journal article in Ladino on a shared Jewish-Greek sports activity in the late 1940s, it shows how Jewish elites perceived Greeks and Armenians as role models because of their strong integration in Ottoman state and society and, later,the power of the local Christians became closer to that of the Jews, expanding. the possibilities for cooperation between the two minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay treats a fascinating aspect in the life of Solomon Yom Tov Bennett (1767–1838), a Polish-Jewish immigrant trained as a copper engraver but also a gifted Hebraist and biblical exegete who lived in London from 1800 until the year of his death. Despite his many intellectual and artistic talents, the elites of Bennett's own community rejected him while he was embraced by an impressive number of powerful cultural and political figures from all corners of London's Christian community. Bennett took full advantage of the opportunities London afforded him to interact with all kinds of Christian patrons, clergy, and literary figures spanning a wide range of political and religious persuasions. While almost all his Christian associates in London were men, two were women. This essay is devoted to these latter two individuals and their unusual relationships with Bennett. Rachel Fanny Antonina Lee (1773?–1829) and Catherine Housman (1770–1855) both employed Solomon Bennett as a copper engraver, but both ultimately developed long-term relations with him that were primarily based on his Hebraic and biblical expertise. But both were radically different individuals. Rachel Fanny Antonina Lee was a well-known public figure tarred in her youth by the allegation she had run away with two brothers who had taken advantage of her, for which she was subsequently scandalized and satirized in the press for indiscretion. In contrast, Catherine Housman, a pious Christian devoted to Bible study, was little known outside her city for her generous acts and literary activity. Bennett's close relations with both offer a window into the possibilities and limits of Jewish-Christian encounter in nineteenth-century England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a court case of the Erivan Uezd of the mid-19th century, involving a Molokan woman Lukeriya Korsakova. The lawsuit "Case of Lukeriya Korsakova's settlement among the Molokans of the Erivan Uezd, March 7, 1847–May 21, 1848" was initiated as a result of the woman's transition from Orthodoxy to the Molokan sectarianism, what was punishable by exile. The trial lasted from 1844 to 1848, and the case passed through several instances. The authors try to reconstruct the details and specifics of the case of the defendant Lukeriya Korsakova on the basis of archival documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study ascertained the association between the religious affiliation of social work students and their experience in social work classrooms. Students (n = 507) representing 30 accredited public social work programs across the United States responded to a survey. Primary independent variables included respondents' religious affiliation and religious commitment. The survey contained Likert scale items assessing classroom experiences related to intersections with religion, which were combined into a composite score for each respondent to create the dependent variable, classroom experience (α = 0.853). ANOVA was used to test the relationship between the independent variables and classroom experience, finding that Christian students (F(2, 195) = 11.0, p <.001) and students highly committed to their faith (F(4, 55.3) = 4.05, p =.006) were more likely to report negative experiences related to religion in the classroom. Predictive variables on classroom experience were identified using Hierarchical Linear Regression. A student's perception that their instructors and peers viewed their religious beliefs as incompatible with social work was the strongest predictor of negative experiences intersecting with religion in the classroom. The values of social work and the principles of critical pedagogy can provide a framework for social work instructors to create classroom environments that engage all students, including those with diverse religious beliefs and affiliations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the seventh and eighth centuries CE, Christians across the Mediterranean were experiencing the consequences of the rise of Islam and its expansion. With this challenge to Christian hegemony in the eastern Mediterranean, Christian writers began to ask about the effect of Islamic expansion on their own lives, practices, and worlds to come. In this article, I aim to contextualize two examples of how late ancient Christians questioned their ability to remain Christian in the face of both Islamic captivity and assimilation: 3 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (3 Apocr. Apoc. John) and Anastasius of Sinai's (d. ca. 700) Questions and Answers (Questions). I divide this article into three sections. First, I place Christian anxiety over Islamic rule in conversation with Stephanie Camp's concept of the "geography of containment" to explore how some late ancient Christians understood themselves to be geographically and spatially limited by imprisonment or enslavement. I also provide an overview of recent scholarship on Christian responses to early Islamic expansion and anxiety over enslavement, imprisonment, captivity, and assimilation to Islam. Finally, I turn to 3 Apocr. Apoc. John and Anastasius's Questions to analyze how late ancient Christians turned to monks and patriarchs to find answers regarding the uncertainty of Christian identity under Islamic rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Eastern Orthodox understanding of science—that of Christopher C. Knight—is presented as a contribution to science-engaged theology that has implications for western Christian reflection on science as a contemporary locus theologicus. Three areas of enquiry are discussed: natural theology, the human mind in its relationship to God, and divine action. It is suggested that in each of these areas, Orthodox perspectives can provide links between the differing perspectives to be found among western Christians and provide new pathways for theological exploration on an ecumenical basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE) among Korean Protestant Christians to determine its reliability and validity in South Korea considering the unique characteristics of Korean Protestant Christianity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 251) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 268) identified the original two-factor structure of the positive and negative religious coping subscales. Also, the scale exhibited robust reliability and construct validity. This study affirmed the scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring religious coping in Korean Christian adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated whether Latter-day Saints have more favorable perceptions and practices of food and water emergency preparedness than other households. Individuals across 46 states in the USA completed an online survey in 2014 (n = 572). Results indicated that Latter-day Saints, compared to Non-Latter-day Saints, were more likely to have a disaster supplies kit, to have long-term food storage, to have preserved food by canning/bottling, and to perceive neighborhood/community connectedness. Latter-day Saints had significantly lower odds of having less than one month of food storage available compared to Non-Latter-day Saints. Our findings suggest Latter-day Saints may be better prepared to handle a disaster than Non-Latter-day Saints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Church historians have long studied revivals, and this phenomenon has recently received renewed attention as a result of contemporary Western revivals. However, little interdisciplinary research within a theological framework has explored how revivals can lead to positive societal changes. The purpose of this article is to investigate this relationship from an Evangelical-Pentecostal perspective that draws on historical and organisational leadership studies. In part one, revival is defined theologically as a restoration of authentic Christian spirituality which consists of orthopathy, orthodoxy and orthopraxy. We then suggest a three-level quantitative conception of revivals as 1) individual renewal, 2) local revival, and 3) national awakenings. In part two, we study two particular cases, viz. the Haugean revival in the 1800s and the Norwegian Pentecostal movement in the 1900s, in order to identify key factors, mechanisms and conditions that may cause or prevent societal changes. In part three, we provide a tentative model that includes leadership and organisational perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores how to theologically reflect on the practices of spiritual direction, discernment, and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, considering these practices as potential sources for understanding God's work in the world. Topics include the role of the Holy Spirit in providing graces and gifts to Christians, the communal aspect of these gifts as described in the New Testament, and how discernment serves as a gift of the Spirit that fosters love.

The ideas about religious, sexual, gender, ethnic, urban, moral, and family decay that underlie "Make America Great Again's" message have notable antecedents in ancient Greek and Roman mythologies about societal degeneration. Roman writers promoted a Romo-nationalist version we can call "Make Rome Great Again" that served to make the patriarchal, exploitative, and imperial power of elite Roman men seem like the solution to societal crisis. Biblical writers like Paul did not subvert these harmful Romo-nationalist logics but instead participated in them to describe gentile degeneration and sexual sin. Recognizing this troubling zone of contact between the Bible and MAGA-like ideologies can reveal the harm they cause and explain the depth of their attractiveness to White Christian nationalists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian nationalism is not a new phenomenon in American political and cultural life, nor is the invocation of the Bible in pursuit of power. This essay surveys the use of the Bible in Christian nationalist rhetoric in the United States, particularly in the context of American populism. The manner in which Donald Trump and his enablers employ the Bible as a political tool is a primary focus, particularly the comparisons to King David and Cyrus the Great. Both analogies reflect a concern with propagating a highly militant, masculine Bible in the service of White, Christian nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the prophetic vocation vis-a-vis the challenge of contemporary Christian nationalism by reading the book of Jonah in the Hebrew Bible in conversation with what Jesus says about the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12. This essay puts two readings of Jonah into dialog—one for womanist prophets and one addressed to White Christian nationalists. These texts reveal God's relentless mercy for the outsider and God's unwavering love for the prophet of the oppressed. The essay considers what the sign of Jonah means for race relations and the troubling rise of White Christian nationalism in the United States today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, I wrote Preaching in the Era of Trump, in which I proposed a conversational, prophetic approach to challenging Donald Trump's attacks on immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, women, and Muslims. This essay revisits the question of whether such a conversational approach can be effective in response to Christian nationalist support of Trumpism and an effective mode for social change. The essay proposes that preachers take a strong stand in the pulpit against injustice while doing so in a manner that invites instead of shuts down dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant scholarship on anti-Christian violence in India is scant and predominantly focuses on physical violence. To address this gap, this article explores Freedom of Religion laws (also referred to as anti-conversion laws) as an example of structural violence faced by India's Christians. Thus far, scholars have studied these as a constitutional violation that denies a Christian's freedom of religion. Using Johan Galtung's violence framework, this article seeks to recast these laws as a form of structural violence against Christians. In doing so, it will show how Hindutva's anxieties about the demographic and political 'Christian threat' have become embedded into the law. Through an exploration of the southern state of Karnataka, where the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion was passed in 2022, this article seeks to show how this structural violence interacts and reinforces forms of direct and cultural violence, creating a system of anti-Christian violence designed to maintain India's 'Hindu majority'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the striking elements in proto-ethnographic literature is the attention given by colonial writers to child-rearing practices around the world. This article revisits the early modern "discovery of childhood" by analyzing case studies in which religious writers documented the experience of growing up in non-European societies. Taking examples from Spanish America and North Africa, I argue that missionaries of various confessions raised awareness about the diversity of childhood experiences and lifestyles, and in so doing, exposed the multiple ways by which children were expected to integrate into their societies as they grew. I further claim that documenting the different ways of nurturing children opened new paths to conceptualize childhood and education, and helped to expose the socially constructed nature of human values and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alphonse Desjardins, a devout Quebecois Catholic, established North America's first cooperative bank in 1900. The first English-language attempt to grapple with Desjardins' faith, this article is an important addition to the many new studies of North American Christians and economics in Desjardins' period, nearly all of which focus on Protestants. More particularly, it contributes to this historical conversation through conceptual models drawn from anthropologies of religion related to sacrifice, credibility, and monetary circulation. Ultimately, this case study prompts us to ask anew: how do people of faith shape, and redefine, capitalist structures? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group threat theories postulate that when majority group members feel threatened by minority racial groups, they develop prejudice. However, it is possible that feeling threatened by those perceived as outgroups of racial minorities can lead to support for racial minorities. The threat offered by conservative Christians to progressives can lead those progressives to become more supportive of racial minorities, perceiving those minorities as allies. Data from the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey examined the predictive power of feeling threatened by Republicans, African Americans, conservative Christians, Muslims, atheists, and Buddhists on progressive racial attitudes. After basic social and demographic controls, feeling threatened by conservative Christians and political conservatives was associated with higher support for progressive racialized attitudes, while feeling threatened by Muslims and blacks was associated with lower support for progressive racial attitudes. This research extends theories about group threat theory by focusing on the symbolic threat tied to our current culture war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evangelical Christians constitute one-quarter of the U.S. population and can present challenges to mental health treatment, such as beliefs that psychiatric problems result from personal sin and that secular professionals pose a threat to their faith. Understanding the origins of the tensions between evangelical faith and psychiatric practice as well as the interrelated nature of many evangelical Christians' emotional and spiritual lives can help clinicians understand how to more effectively treat this population. Strategies that build on common ground provide opportunities for establishing trust and navigating differing viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]