The Protestant Church In The Netherlands Church Unity In The 21st Century

The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (Dutch: Protestantse Kerk in Nederland, abbreviated PKN) is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the Netherlands. This volume marks the 10th anniversary of the denomination, which occurred on May 1, 2014. The book outlines the long history that preceded the unification and the developments that occurred during the first decade of the church's existence. Furthermore, contributors from other countries share the stories of their united churches. Their contributions enrich the picture of what church unification may entail. Thus, the book contributes to the field of ecumenical theology. Additionally, theologians from different backgrounds share some reflections on the issues raised by the book's articles. (Series: Church Polity and Ecumenism. Global Perspectives - Vol. 4) [Subject: Religious Studies, History, Ecumenism]

What are the connections between the polity of the church and church unity - or division? Does the polity of churches serve or obstruct the missional nature of the church? These questions were the focus of the Third Conference of the International Protestant Church Polity Study Group (IPCPSG), held in Princeton, New Jersey in April 2016. The authors of the essays in this volume probe these questions from a variety of angles. The conference intended to model close attention to and reflection on the theological import and value of church order and polity. Attendees of the conference came from churches and denominations in the Reformed tradition, gathering from across the United States and around the world. They included scholars of church order and polity, and practitioners with depth of knowledge and experience gained through the exercise of polity in a variety of settings and contexts. Conference papers, discussions, and informal conversations turned from theological reflection to practice and back.

In the framework of the international academic dialogue on Reformed church polity this study focuses on the way the notion of authority is articulated in the church orders of three Indonesian churches with different historical and missionary backgrounds. The analysis deals with the main aspects of church polity that would articulate power: identity, assembly, and ministry. It shows resonances between the characteristic features of Reformed polity and the cultural context of Indonesia. Authority can be characterized as context-relevant, relational, and accountable. Roy Alexander Surjanegara (1979), serves an Indonesian congregation in Australia. He started his PhD research in church polity in Amsterdam in 2012.

This book compares historical and modern natural law ideas across global Christian traditions and explores their use in church law.

Written by experts from within their communities, this book compares the legal regimes of Christian churches as systems of religious law. The ecumenical movement, with its historical theological focus, has failed to date to address the role of church law in shaping relations between churches and fostering greater mutual understanding between them. In turn, theologians and jurists from the different traditions have not hitherto worked together on a fully ecumenical appreciation of the potential value of church laws to help, and sometimes to hinder, the achievement of greater Christian unity. This book seeks to correct this ecumenical church law deficit. It takes account of the recent formulation by an ecumenical panel of a Statement of Principles of Christian Law, which has been welcomed by Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, leader of the Orthodox Church worldwide, as recognizing the importance of canon law for ecumenical dialogue. This book, therefore, not only provides the fruits of an understanding of church laws within ten Christian traditions, but also critically evaluates the Statement against the laws of these individual ecclesial communities. The book will be an essential resource for scholars of law and religion, theology, and sociology. It will also be of interest to those working in religious institutions and policy-makers.

This collection presents critical environmental problems with respect to their intersection with culture and religion in Indonesia, such as water resource management, conservation, and political ecology. Scholars from the region ground investigation in ethnographic field studies that represent diverse communities, including Indigenous perspectives from across the archipelago. The discussion is forward-looking and sophisticated, offering a meaningful and critical engagement with the field of religion and ecology. Anna M. Gade, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States. Zainal Abidin Bagir, Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada; Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Michael S. Northcott is Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Frans Wijsen, Professor of empirical and practical religious studies, Radboud University, The Netherlands.

What binds contemporary Europeans together in terms of cultural values that go beyond a common interest in economic growth? In a time of resurging nationalist movements all over Europe, the need for what former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors called a "soul for Europe" has become more urgent than ever. In this volume, Delors's 25 years old appeal to the churches is taken seriously. In particular, contributions to a common sense of belonging that have been made by the traditions of European Protestantism are carefully investigated. In nineteen case studies, topics and areas as varied as theological identity, religious tolerance, political philosophy, ethics, the arts, the scientific mentality, and the economy are covered. It appears that despite the rise of religious pluralism throughout Europe, aspects of the Protestant ethos continue to be key to societal cohesion in many places. Mit Beiträgen von Ibolya Balla, Henk van den Belt, Jasper Bosman, Gijsbert van den Brink, Ad de Bruijne, Gerard den Hertog, Zsolt Görözdi, Theo L. Hettema, Hans-Martin Kirn, Jenö Kiss, Leo Koffeman, Henri A. Krop, Yelena Mazour-Matusevich, Olga Navrátilová, Henk P. de Roest, Herman Speelman, Willem van Vlastuin, Pieter Vos und Heleen Zorgdrager. [Protestantische Traditionen und die Seele Europas] Welche gemeinsamen Werte verbinden uns im heutigen Europa über ökonomische Interessen hinaus? Vor dem Hintergrund der heute vielerorts in Europa aufflammenden nationalistischen Bestrebungen ist der Bedarf nach einer "Seele für Europa", wie der frühere Vorsitzende der Europäischen Kommission Jaques Delors es nannte, drängender denn je. In diesem Band wird Delors' vor einem Vierteljahrhundert geäußerten Appell an die Kirchen darum ernst genommen. Besonders Beiträge zum gemeinsamen Bewusstsein der Zusammengehörigkeit in der protestantischen Tradition werden sorgfältig untersucht und geprüft. In neunzehn Fallstudien werden Themen und Bereiche wie theologische Identität, religiöse Toleranz, politische Philosophie, Ethik, Kunst, wissenschaftliche Haltung und Ökonomie in den Blick genommen. Es zeigt sich, dass trotz des Anwachsens eines religiösen Pluralismus überall in Europa, Aspekte des protestantischen Ethos wesentlich zur gesellschaftlichen Kohäsion beitragen.

This volume challenges the traditional low-key attitude towards the unity of the church within the Reformed tradition. It investigates theological aspects that contributed to a weak sensus unitatis and explores theological approaches that remedy this disease of division.