http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/issue/feed Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 2025-05-26T18:54:55+03:00 Роман Соловій roman.s@eeit-edu.info Open Journal Systems <p><em>Theological Reflections: The Eastern European Journal of Theology</em> is a peer-reviewed, open access journal founded as a forum for open discussion of current theological issues, especially but not exclusively concerning the Evangelical Protestant tradition in Central and Eastern Europe. The journal publishes original theological research in biblical studies, systematic, historical and practical theology, missiology, public and political theology, ecumenical studies, etc.</p> http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/330277 The Hope of History: Paul Ricoeur’s Philosophy on the Uses and Abuses of History 2025-05-19T23:55:23+03:00 Dan Stiver stiverstiver@gmail.com <p>This&nbsp;article&nbsp;investigates Paul Ricoeur’s thought on the interrelations between history, memory, and ideology, with a particular focus on the contemporary challenges of historical interpretation. It draws on Ricoeur’s hermeneutical methodology to argue that history is not a neutral or objective recounting of the past but is inevitably shaped by present perspectives and ideological forces. Central to this inquiry is the role of memory—both personal and collective—in constructing identity and informing ideological narratives, which may function either as instruments of emancipation or mechanisms of domination. The study offers a critical analysis of the ideological distortions that can arise from historical narratives, especially within contexts of political power. Furthermore, it proposes that a Christian hermeneutic contributes valuable insights into the ethical dimensions of historical engagement, particularly through the lenses of truth, justice, and reconciliation. The article ultimately advocates for a redemptive and dialogical approach to history, one that affirms the potential of narrative identity and collective memory to serve as agents of healing and social transformation in fragmented societies.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Dan Stiver http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/324086 The Concept of Memory in the Work of Miroslav Volf: A Critical Survey 2025-02-28T23:03:15+02:00 Vasyl Matsyuk vasylvmatsyuk@hotmail.com <p>Miroslav Volf’s concept of memory is deeply connected to his broader theological vision, shaped by his understanding of grace, reconciliation, and eschatological hope. This article surveys how memory fits within Volf’s Christian framework, particularly its relationship to atonement and divine generosity. In <em data-start="419" data-end="438">The End of Memory</em>, he argues that while memory is essential for justice and identity, it must ultimately be transformed by grace. In the eschaton, the memory of wrongdoing will gradually fade as a gift from God, making perfect communion with God and one another possible. This study explores how Volf’s eschatology informs this claim and considers whether his framework sufficiently accounts for the moral weight of past suffering and the need for recognition. Engaging with critiques of his position, the article examines how his reflections on forgiveness, justice, and reconciliation shape his approach to remembering rightly. By situating his concept of memory within his larger theological project, this survey provides an overview of its role in his vision of redemption and the world to come.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Vasyl Matsyuk http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/330092 The Relationship Between the Motif of Memory/Remembrance and One of Its Aspects Concerning the Command to Exterminate the Canaanites in Deuteronomy 7 2025-05-18T05:13:08+03:00 Volodymyr Lukin glory2jf@gmail.com <p>This article explores the specific features of the theological connection between the motif of memory/remembrance and one of its aspects, namely, the command to exterminate the seven nations of Canaan. It is argued that viewing the world through the lens of covenant doctrine, which defines the foundation and essence of the connection itself in the book of Deuteronomy, is imperative in nature. As a result, the study does not dispute the legitimacy of violence. Instead, it reasserts necessity for this practice in the context of God's evolving relationship with His people at specific border periods of the event-time continuum. That means that the violence mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy 7 is theologically vindicated. Also, for the first time in a discussion of this kind, the necessary negative and positive elements (destruction and freedom) that shaped the content and form of corporate memory generated by two fundamental events in the history of the people of Israel (Egypt and the conquest of Canaan) were identified. The text highlights both the theoretical and practical nuances of “remembrance,” and the specifics of its worldview theological adversary — the motif of forgetting.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Volodymyr Lukin http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/318618 The Pentecost Narrative as a Guiding Light for Transforming Social Narratives 2024-12-22T23:46:35+02:00 Eugene Utkin gars46@gmail.com <p>The article explores the event of Pentecost through the hermeneutical approach of Paul Ricoeur, applying the concept of productive-prospective imagination. This idea integrates memory, forgetting, and the creative potential of imagination, enabling the formation of a new vision of reality and the reinterpretation of the past. The author seeks to analyze the relationship between narrative and imagination, demonstrating how they contribute to the creation of essential personal, religious communities, and societal narratives. Using the story of Pentecost as an example, the article highlights its role as a point of interaction between memory and forgetting, opening a perspective for a new future for the faith community and society. Particular attention is given to the interpretation of the “corrupt generation” as a false narrative and the transition towards a “fellowship” as an alternative model for the future. This transformation is possible only through a conscious approach to leadership and a deep reflection on the traumatic experience of war. A crucial aspect of this process is the ability to hear one another, symbolized by the phrase “speak in his own language” as a metaphor for unity and mutual understanding. Thus, the story of Pente-<br />cost serves as a guide for shaping new societal narratives.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Eugene Utkin http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/330290 Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians’ Conflicting Theologies of the Land: Is Reconciliatory Theological Dialogue Possible? 2025-05-20T03:11:02+03:00 Yuriy Mark nowomannocry2@gmail.com <p>This article examines theological positions by some of the most prominent Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian authors, who have contributed in significant ways to their respective communities’ theological understanding of the land most commonly referred to as Israel-Palestine. Based on selected representative works, the author’s goal is to assess the potential, or lack thereof, for fruitful dialogue and theological reconciliation that these theological positions have in themselves. The focus, therefore, is on moral and practical aspects of these theologies, particularly whether they create space for the “other” and relate to them as a brother/sister in Christ and as a legitimate neighbor in the land.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Yuriy Mark http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/328647 Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 80 Years Since His Passing 2025-05-03T01:22:05+03:00 Anatoliy Denysenko anatoliy.denysenko@gmail.com <p style="font-weight: 400;">On 9 April 2025, Christian academia commemorated the 80th year since the death of the prominent German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis a month before the end of World War II. Bonhoeffer left behind a great legacy as a minister of the church, as a patriot of his people, and as an author of theological works. Today, his theological contribution includes sixteen volumes of texts plus one volume of registers and appendices in German. Only the eighth volume of <em>Widerstand und Ergebung</em>, which contains letters and notes written by Bonhoeffer when he was already behind bars since April 1943, has been translated into Ukrainian. It was published under the title <em>Sprotyv i pokora </em>(eng. <em>Resistance and Obedience</em>). Any serious study of Bonhoeffer’s work that is being conducted in Ukraine today should be based on these primary sources. One of the main questions that Bonhoeffer raises in his work is: “Who can stand?” His answer is: not the one for whom reason, principles, conscience, personal freedom, and virtue are the highest authority, but the one who is ready to sacrifice all of this if he is convinced that by faith and through an exceptional connection with God he is “called to obedient and responsible action.” The life of such a responsible person is a response to the request and call of God. The only question is “where are these responsible people?” (<em>wo sind die Verantwortlichen?</em>).</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Anatoliy Denysenko http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/330671 Josiah Baker, A Visible Unity: Cecil Robeck and the Work of Ecumenism 2025-05-24T03:53:32+03:00 Ciprian Gheorghe-Luca revciprianluca@gmail.com 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Ciprian Gheorghe-Luca http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/330666 Niels Peter Lemche, If I Forget You, Jerusalem! Studies on the Old Testament 2025-05-23T23:02:43+03:00 Dmytro Tsolin dmytro.tsolin@ucu.edu.ua 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Dmytro Tsolin http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323672 Peter Harrison, John Milbank, After Science and Religion: Fresh Perspectives from Philosophy and Theology 2025-02-25T11:23:06+02:00 Orysya Bila ohachko@gmail.com <p>Book Review <em>After Science and Religion: Fresh Perspectives from Philosophy and Theology</em> (ред. Peter Harrison, John Milbank, Cambridge University Press, 2022).</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Orysya Bila http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323680 David Bentely Hart, All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life 2025-02-25T11:40:14+02:00 Denys Kondyuk denrep2002@yahoo.com <p>Review on <em>All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life</em>. By David Bentely Hart: Yale University Press, 2024, 511p.; ISBN 9780300254723 (hardcover); 32.50 USD.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Denys Kondyuk http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323040 Tomáš Halík, The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change 2025-02-16T00:38:17+02:00 Rodion Kadatskyi rabrottt@gmail.com <p>Review on <em>Пополудень християнства. Відвага змінюватись</em>. Томаш Галік. Львів: Свічадо, 2024. 328 с. ISBN: 978-966-938-660-1 (обкл.). 420 грн.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Rodion Kadatskyi http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323343 Dalit Rom-Shiloni, Voices from the Ruins: Theodicy and the Fall of Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible 2025-02-20T20:50:10+02:00 Volodymyr Lukin glory2jf@gmail.com <p>Review of <em>Voices from the Ruins: Theodicy and the Fall of Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible. </em>By Dalit Rom-Shiloni. Eerdmans, 2021; (ISBN 978-0-8028-7860-1), xviii + 566 pp.</p> 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Volodymyr Lukin http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/324085 Slavoj Žižek, Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist 2025-02-28T21:20:43+02:00 Mahomed Rubanenko magomedrubanenko@gmail.com 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Mahomed Rubanenko http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/319223 Shin Young Park, From Abyss to Glory: Hans Urs von Balthasar on Faith, the Self, and Kenosis as a Response to Postmodern Nihilism 2024-12-26T18:34:02+02:00 Andrii Shymanovych schimanovich@ukr.net 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Andrii Shymanovych http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323323 L. William Oliverio, Jr. Pentecostal Hermeneutics in the Late Modern World. Essays on the Condition of Our Interpretation 2025-02-20T17:19:34+02:00 Serhiy Flugrant sergeilf@gmail.com 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Serhiy Flugrant http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323028 Bill Kynes, Will Kynes, Wrestling with Job: Defiant Faith in the Face of Suffering 2025-02-15T19:58:06+02:00 Eduard Denysiuk edikdenusyuk@gmail.com 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Eduard Denysiuk http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/323029 Nijay K. Gupta, Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church 2025-02-15T21:50:55+02:00 Bohdan Derkach iam.bohdan.derkach@gmail.com 2025-05-26T00:00:00+03:00 Copyright (c) 2025 Bohdan Derkach