House Churches In Post Communist Europe

This is an exploration of house churches, especially in Poland. The book begins with a review of literature about the “global house church movement” and continues with an article on the early Christian transition from house churches to purpose-built buildings for churches. Next is an article regarding the concept of “sacred space” in relation to house churches. The first half concludes with a chapter on methodology of research for a qualitative interview approach to studying house churches. The thesis then presents a theological method for using the qualitative interviews to develop ecclesiology. Sixteen interviews from thirteen house churches are presented. The thesis continues the theological method by attempting to answer the question “why is it going on” and presents a thematic analysis from the qualitative interviews that includes input from sociological research done in Poland. The thesis concludes by using scriptural and academic sources in conversation with house church interviews from the interviews and global house church literature to present four primary conclusions in a practical-prophetic ecclesiology.

This is an exploration of house churches, especially in Poland. The book begins with a review of literature about the "global house church movement" and continues with an article on the early Christian transition from house churches to purpose-built buildings for churches. Next is an article regarding the concept of "sacred space" in relation to house churches. The first half concludes with a chapter on methodology of research for a qualitative interview approach to studying house churches. The thesis then presents a theological method for using the qualitative interviews to develop ecclesiology. Sixteen interviews from thirteen house churches are presented. The thesis continues the theological method by attempting to answer the question "why is it going on" and presents a thematic analysis from the qualitative interviews that includes input from sociological research done in Poland. The thesis concludes by using scriptural and academic sources in conversation with house church interviews from the interviews and global house church literature to present four primary conclusions in a practical-prophetic ecclesiology.

This book is the first comprehensive description of the Church-State systems that are in force in the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The reports it contains are structured along similar lines, so that analogies and differences of the national legal systems can easily be identified and no significant profile of Church and State relations is overlooked. After a short historical and sociological introduction, each report deals with issues like registration of religious organizations, financing of Churches, religious education in public schools, etc.

This book is the first to systematically examine the connection between religion and transitional justice in post-communism. There are four main goals motivating this book: 1) to explain how civil society (groups such as religious denominations) contribute to transitional justice efforts to address and redress past dictatorial repression; 2) to ascertain the impact of state-led reckoning programs on religious communities and their members; 3) to renew the focus on the factors that determine the adoption (or rejection) of efforts to reckon with past human rights abuses in post-communism; and 4) to examine the limitations of enacting specific transitional justice methods, programs and practices in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union countries, whose democratization has differed in terms of its nature and pace. Various churches and their relationship with the communist states are covered in the following countries: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus.

In the post-communist era it has become evident that the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe will be determined by many factors, only some of them political. Throughout the region, the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Greek Catholic churches have tried to impose their views on democracy through direct political engagement. Moreover, surveys show that the churches (and the army) enjoy more popular confidence than elected political bodies such as parliaments. These results reflect widespread disenchantment with a democratization process that has allowed politicians to advance their own agendas rather than work to solve the urgent socio-economic problems these countries face. In this penetrating study, Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu investigate the interaction of religion and politics in one such country, Romania. Facing internal challenges and external competitions from other religions old and new, the Orthodox Church in Romania has sought to consolidate its position and ensure Romania's version of democracy recognizes its privileged position of "national Church", enforcing the Church's stances on issues such as homosexuality and abortion. The post-communist state and political elite in turn rely on the Church for compliance with educational and cultural policies and to quell the insistent demands of the Hungarian minority for autonomy. Stan and Turcescu examine the complex relationship between church and state in this new Romania, providing analysis in key areas: church collaboration with communist authorities, post-communist electoral politics, nationalism and ethno-politics, restitution of Greek Catholic property, religious education, and sexual behavior and reproduction. As the first scholars to be given access to confidential materials from the archives of the communist political police, the notorious Securitate, Stan and Turcescu also examine church archives, legislation, news reports, and interviews with politicians and church leaders. This study will move the debate from common analyses of nationalism in isolation to more comprehensive investigations which consider the impact of religious actors on a multitude of other issues relevant to the political and social life of the country.

Reiterated international comparative surveys offer evidences about developments of religion-related scene in Central and Eastern Europe. The present volume is the first one, which presents an extensive and detailed cross-national analysis of sociological data comparing extensively countries, regions and denominations in the past two decades. It displays achievements and shortages of a religious revival in the post-communist region, as well as religion’s role in family life, social responsibility and public commitment. It proves the combination of de-Christianization based on previous persecution of religion and an ongoing modernization and the rise and the transformation of religion. In some countries popular religiosity of traditional social strata is dominant. In other countries there is a visible transition from old and low strata religiosity to a more restricted but socially more influential religiosity of young middle and upper strata groups. In final outcome the volume substantiates the growing public role of religion in Eastern and Central Europe as well as the distinct impact of religiosity on individual behaviour. These results contradict the idea of an overwhelming secularization but argue for a more complex process overcoming the communist past.

Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu examine the relationship between religion and politics in ten former communist Eastern European countries, showing church-state relations in the new EU member states through study of political representation for church leaders, governmental subsidies, registration of religions by the state, and religious instruction in public schools.

This book is the first to systematically examine the connection between religion and transitional justice in post-communism. There are four main goals motivating this book: 1) to explain how civil society (groups such as religious denominations) contribute to transitional justice efforts to address and redress past dictatorial repression; 2) to ascertain the impact of state-led reckoning programs on religious communities and their members; 3) to renew the focus on the factors that determine the adoption (or rejection) of efforts to reckon with past human rights abuses in post-communism; and 4) to examine the limitations of enacting specific transitional justice methods, programs and practices in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union countries, whose democratization has differed in terms of its nature and pace. Various churches and their relationship with the communist states are covered in the following countries: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. Lavinia Stan is Jules Leger Research Chair in Political Science and Coordinator of the Public Policy and Governance Program at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada. A comparative politics specialist, she has done work and published mainly on transitional justice, as well as religion and politics, with a focus on post-communist settings. Some of her most recent publications include (co-edited with Cynthia Horne) Transitional Justice and the Former Soviet Union: Reviewing the Past, Looking toward the Future (2019) and (co-edited with Nadya Nedelsky) Post-Communist Transitional Justice: Lessons from Twenty-Five Years of Experience (2015). Lucian Turcescu is Professor, Graduate Program Director, and past Chair (2011-2016) of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University Montreal, Canada. He has done research, published, and taught in several areas, including early Christianity, religion and politics, and ecumenism. Some of his recent publications include (co-edited with L. Stan) Justice, Memory and Redress in Romania (2017), (co-authored with L. Stan) Church, State, and Democracy in Expanding Europe (2011).