Protestantism And Politics In Eastern Europe And Russia

Coming at a time of enormous transformations in the one-time Communist bloc, this volume provides a much-needed perspective on the significance of church-state relations in the renaissance of civil society in the region. The essays collected here accentuate the peculiarly political character of Protestantism within Communist systems. With few identifiable leaders, a multiplicity of denominations, and a tendency away from hierarchical structures, the Protestant churches presents a remarkably diverse pattern of church-state relations. Consequently, the longtime coexistence of Protestantism and Communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union affords numerous examples of political accommodation and theological adaption that both reflect and foreshadow the dramatic changes of the 1990s. Based on extensive field research, including interviews with notable figures in the Protestant churches in the region, the essays in this volume address broad topics such as the church's involvment in environmentalism, pacifism, and other dissident movements, as well as issues particular to Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, (1949-1989), Hungary, Yugoslavia (1945-1991), Bulgaria, and Romania. The final volume in the three-volume work "Christianity Under Stress," Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia will prove invaluable to anyone hoping to understand not only the workings of religion under Communism, but the historical and contemporary interactions of church and state in general. Contributors. Paul Bock, Lawrence Klippenstein, Paul Mojzes, Earl A. Pope, Joseph Pungur, Sabrina Petra Ramet, Walter Sawatsky, N. Gerald Shenk, Gerd Stricker, Sape A. Zylstra

This book explores the relationship between Orthodox religion and politics in Eastern Europe, Russia and Georgia. It demonstrates how as these societies undergo substantial transformation Orthodox religion can be both a limiting and an enabling factor, how the relationship between religion and politics is complex, and how the spheres of religion and politics complement, reinforce, influence, and sometimes contradict each other. Considering a range of thematic issues, with examples from a wide range of countries with significant Orthodox religious groups, and setting the present situation in its full historical context the book provides a rich picture of a subject which has been too often oversimplified.

This book deals with a turning-point in European history: the dramatic struggle between the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and between princely rulers and landed nobles in sixteenth and seventeenth-century central and eastern Europe. It brings together the results of the latest research by leading scholars from North America and Europe and it throws new light on the victory of the Church and the rulers over Protestantism and the nobility which had such profound long-term consequences.

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Theology - Historic Theology, Ecclesiastical History, grade: 1,0, Trinity College Dublin (Irish School of Ecumenics), course: Fluid Religion and Orthodoxy, language: English, abstract: Not only historically speaking but also from a religious point of view the communist era is an interesting and highly influential period of time for Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. This age has significantly changed the relationship between church and state in Eastern Europe and Russia from a balanced condition to a rather hostile and combating relation. The reason for this is not only the unconditional adoption of the Marxist ideal of atheism, but primarily a struggle of powers. In the communist era, Religion was perceived as a disturbing factor regarding the political system and the communist government felt questioned and weakened by the influence and authority of the ecclesial institution. Hence, one of the main aims was to weaken and minimize the churches’ impact on society. However, there are two questions that arise within the analysis of the relationship between church and state during the communist era. The first question is culturally related and queries the equality of the relation in every Eastern European country and Russia. However, since it would be far too complex to answer the inquiry whether every Eastern European government treated the churches the same way or at least similarly, in this essay I am going to focus on a specific Eastern European country. Hence, I am going to analyze the situation in a country which is especially exemplary for the effects of the communist regime, namely Romania. The second question related to this analysis is whether the relationship between state and church can be defined holistically by referring to the term “church” in general. Was the relationship between the state and the Romanian Orthodox Church as the national church similar to the relation between the state and smaller churches? Since Sabrina Petra Ramet pointed out, the “[...] Protestant churches were more ‘troublesome’ for the communists than the Orthodox Church or Catholic Church.” . Therefore I consider it most interesting to compare the ecclesial situations of the Orthodox Church and the Protestant churches in Romania during the communist era and under the communist regime.

Specialists from Europe and the US investigate the current and changing role of religion in post-communist Russia. Drawing upon Eastern Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic points of view, they examine the Russian religious attitudes, activities and institutions, and explore the ways in which religion will significantly impact emerging social and political questions there. The volume should be of use to scholars of Russian politics, society, and religion and for anyone interested in the emerging culture of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

"Anyone trying to understand... the recent history of Eastern Europe (including the Soviet Union) will find this book... extremely useful.... a common sense view of theory and historical study.... a successful product that both enlightens and informs." --American Historical Review "... valuable reading." --Journal of the American Academy of Religion "... welcome and insightful... " --Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists "It is an important study that produces a fairly rich bounty of information about political-religious relationships, the tie between the church and state, and the influence of religious beliefs on society." --Slavic Reviww "... deserves intensive attention by scholars... " --Journal of Church and State "The book's strengths lie in its range, documentation, strongly analytical, and subtly nuanced treatment, consistent awareness of the complexity and dynamism of the various church-state relationships, and its generally judicious blend of theoretical and empirical aspects." --History "Cross and Commissar is a sober, richly documented analysis that is useful and fascinating. It is well written, researched, and organized and fills an unfortunate lacuna in the literature in the area of church-state relations." --The Annals of the American Academy "This monograph is a tour de force... " --Modern Greek Studies Yearbook Communist regimes take an active stance vis-à-vis religion, framing religious policies with an eye toward broader political objectives. Cross and Commissar provides the first systematic, comparative attempt at applying social-scientific theories to illuminate the nature of church-state interaction and the contemporary religious scene in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Examines the meanings and sources of various social currents - intellectual dissent, feminism, religious activism, the formation of independent youth cultures and movements, and trade unionism - in seven communist countries.

The recent global expansion of Protestant Christianity, and the increase in multiparty democracies, has led to the multiplication of Protestant political parties. One cannot talk of Protestant parties today without mentioning countries as diverse as Norway, Latvia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Zambia and Nicaragua. Whilst the well-established parties of the Netherlands and Scandinavia have long been studied, Paul Freston's groundbreaking book is the first global survey of this phenomenon. After looking at the traditional Protestant heartlands of Europe and the English-speaking world, Freston traces the spread of the Protestant party model to post-communist countries, the Pacific, the Muslim world, southern Africa and Latin America. He examines the circumstances favouring such parties, and the political projects they represent. The conclusion analyses the diversity of Protestant parties due to different interpretations of Christian politics and varied contexts. This unique book will interest specialists and non-specialists, across disciplines and in many parts of the world.