Ecclesiology and Ministry as Reflected in Contemporary Ordination Rites

(Excerpt) The ministry is a problem and the doctrine of the ministry has been, for Lutheran theology, an insoluble problem. Perhaps the root of the problem is more ecclesiastical than ecclesiological. Robert Paul has suggested that for every kind of ecclesiology there is a related form of ordained ministry. 1 The Lutheran doctrine of the church is clear (although we have some problems defining and numbering sacraments and thus the marks of the church); but our church polity is confused --to say the least. Current discussions of Lutheran unity and possible merger under three different types of organization reflect that lack of .clarity

Against the Stream, How Karl Barth Reframed Church-State Relations (Chapter 3 of Keine Gewalt! No Violence!)

Excerpt: Defenders of the Barmen Declaration\u27s apolitical tone remind us that it was never intended to establish a program of political protest, that Karl Barth and the others were pastors not politicians; that the goal was to reassert the integrity of the gospel in the face of the attempted subversion by the German Christians. On the one hand, the soundness of this interpretation is self-evident. And yet it should surprise no one that an apolitical strategy would have little political impact on the German state. It is also true that Barth\u27s views on church and state relations changed after Barmen; that afterward he expressed remorse over his own sins of omission. If we explore Barth\u27s writings over a twenty-year period, the change will become evident and so also his impact on the emerging political theology in Eastern Europe. The next two chapters will chronicle this development

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 3, no. 4

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. Paul David Zakayo Kivuli. 2. Successors to the Aladura Trailblazers of Nigeria. 3. Christianah Abiodun Emmanuel Akinsowon. 4. Timothy Oluwole Obadare. 5. Emmanuel Adleke Adejobi. 6. Alexander Abiodun Bada. 7. Recent Print and Digital Resources Related to Christianity in Africa

The political influence of the Church of Scotland, post-devolution: public policy-making and religion in Scottish politics

The research is an in-depth, empirical study of the political behaviour of the Church of Scotland; it is primarily intended as a contribution to the territorial field of Scottish politics. The most important aim of the thesis is to assess the overall effectiveness of the Church of Scotland when it takes part in political activities. More generally, the research has three key themes: first, it examines the place of religion in politics by analysing churches as political pressure groups rather than simply looking at voting behaviour; second, it looks at the development of the new Scottish political system, post-devolution; third, it explicitly compares the political behaviour of the Church of Scotland with the Scottish Catholic Church. Chapter two focuses on the political behaviour of the Church and Nation Committee of the Church of Scotland and concludes that its effectiveness is limited, primarily due to a shift in societal values. Chapter three focuses on the political behaviour of the Board of Social Responsibility of the Church of Scotland and concludes that is possesses more potential for influence than the Committee, due to the nature of the issues it is concerned with. Chapter four compares and contrasts the political behaviour of the Church of Scotland with the Scottish Catholic Church, and concludes that the latter is often more effective than the former when they act as political pressure groups. Chapter five analyses the results of the elite survey questionnaires and interviews; one of its main conclusions is that while most Scottish politicians believe the Church of Scotland to be influential, they do not perceive themselves to be personally influenced. The thesis argues that the political influence of the Church of Scotland is varied, depending on which area of policy is being addressed, and the place of religion generally in Scottish politics is becoming increasingly peripheral