http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/issue/feedTheological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Роман Соловійroman.s@eeit-edu.infoOpen 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/309720Stefaniia Demchuk, The Age of Fasts and Carnivals. How People Lived, Drank and Made Love in the Middle Ages2024-08-09T19:35:48+03:00Rostislav Tkachenkorostislavtkachenko@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Rostislav Tkachenkohttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/293502George Weigel, To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II2023-12-18T17:59:15+02:00Andrii Shymanovychschimanovich@ukr.net2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Андрій Шимановичhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309736Tim Alberta, the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicalism in an Age of Extremism2024-08-09T22:23:36+03:00Igor Dimovskiigor.dimovski@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Igor Dimovskihttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309738Dan DeWitt, C.S. Lewis: The Writer Who Found Joy2024-08-09T23:19:29+03:00Oleh DemchukDemchuk.oa@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Oleh Demchukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/298966Helen Paynter, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence (Biblical Theology for Life)2024-02-23T10:03:16+02:00Mykhailo Kozakovm.kozakoff@ukr.net<p>Review of <em>Helen Paynter, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence (Biblical Theology for Life.</em></p>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Mykhailo Kozakovhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309739Rik Van Nieuwenhove, An Introduction to Medieval Theology2024-08-09T23:59:43+03:00Rostislav Tkachenkorostislavtkachenko@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Rostislav Tkachenkohttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309740Thomas S. Kidd, Paul D. Miller, and Andrew T. Walker, Baptist Political Theology2024-08-10T00:56:39+03:00Mykhailo Cherenkovmichael@myrevival.org2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Mykhailo Cherenkovhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309741Charlie Lovett, Lewis Carroll. Formed by Faith2024-08-10T01:53:19+03:00Alexander Malovamalov@hodosinstitute.org2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Alexander Malovhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309742Ole Jakob Løland, The Political Theology of Pope Francis2024-08-10T02:12:44+03:00Myroslava Mostepaniukmmostepaniuk@orientale.it2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Myroslava Mostepaniukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309768Amy Peeler, Women and the Gender of God2024-08-10T20:42:55+03:00Anastasiia RiabchukAnastasia.riabchuk@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Anastasiia Riabchukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309743Robyn Horner, The Experience of God: A Phenomenology of Revelation2024-08-10T02:56:37+03:00Ganna Poliakpalliumforukraine@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Ganna Poliakhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309744Robert Menzies, Pentecost. This Story Is Our Story2024-08-10T05:09:29+03:00Vladislav Fediukvladislavfediukpersonal@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Vladislav Fediukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309755Joshua W. Jipp, Pauline Theology as a Way of Life: A Vision of Human Flourishing in Christ2024-08-10T18:53:17+03:00Serhiy Flugrantsergeilf@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Serhiy Flugranthttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309745Christoph Heilig, The Apostle and the Empire. Paul’s Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome2024-08-10T05:50:27+03:00Stanislav StepanchenkoStepanchenkoStanislav@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Stanislav Stepanchenkohttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309717The Book of Psalms in a New Ukrainian Translation, Psalms 107–1502024-08-09T00:54:31+03:00Dmytro Tsolinreflections@eeit-edu.info2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Dmytro Tsolinhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309719Jacobus Arminius, Declaratio sententiae I. Arminii de Praedestinatione, Providentia Dei, Libero arbitrio, Gratia Dei, Divinitate Filii Dei, & de Iustificatione hominis coram Deo (part 4)2024-08-09T02:06:21+03:00Rostislav Tkachenkorostislavtkachenko@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Rostislav Tkachenkohttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309710“The Main Questions of Christian Ethics”: Following Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Barcelona Lecture2024-08-08T23:10:50+03:00Anatoliy Denysenkoanatoliy.denysenko@gmail.com<div class="page" title="Page 21"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>The intellectual legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century, has been interpreted in various ways. His ideas were both mooched off of and developed. His judgments regarding certain elements of Christian ethics were no exception. In order to avoid falling into the trap of modern interpreters of Bonhoeffer, who often tailor the views of this theologian to fit their own paradigm, accepting some of his ideas and ignoring others, it is necessary to independently research the entirety of his works, which have survived and reached us thanks to his student and friend, Eberhart Bethge. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to comprehensively examine those parts of Bonhoeffer’s work that receive the least attention in wider theological circles. In other words, we will see the statements of a different Bonhoeffer, not the one that is known to the general readership. Bonhoeffer’s dissertations, books, articles, sermons, lectures, correspondence, poetry, etc., totaled sixteen volumes. The Lutheran theologian developed his concept of ethics throughout his (unfortunately, very short) life, but this concept is known mostly for Bonhoeffer’s key work of the ‘40s, aptly titled – “Ethics.” Therefore, in order to understand where his original and sometimes radical ethical ideas originate, one should turn to the texts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his biography. The relevance of our material lies in the fact that the Ukrainian reader is largely unfamiliar with Bonhoeffer’s early works. Moreover, today’s Ukrainian reader only has a translation of his letters and notes from prison. To investigate the ethical teaching of this German theologian, researchers should start with his Barcelona lecture and move to his life’s work, that is, to the aforementioned “Ethics.” Bonhoeffer’s work is relevant more than ever in the current Ukrainian context, which is essentially a state of war with Russia’s invading horde and in which ordinary Christians (and not only they) face ethical challenges on a daily basis. And although Bonhoeffer’s texts are written, to a greater extent, from the position of a German (it is difficult to justify the wars that Germany waged in the 20th century), he was still right on certain issues that will be discussed in the essay.</p> </div> </div> </div>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Anatoliy Denysenkohttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309715The Unbowed Titan: A Theological Biography of Walter Brueggemann2024-08-09T00:07:21+03:00Volodymyr Lukinglory2jf@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Volodymyr Lukinhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309572Secularisation as the Fragmentation of the Sacred and of Sacred Space2024-08-06T04:21:19+03:00Marietta van der Tolreflections@eeit-edu.infoPhilip Gorskireflections@eeit-edu.info<div class="page" title="Page 23"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>Contemporary conflicts about secularity in ‘the West’ tend to focus on public space. Although collective Christian heritage means that public space is rarely exclusively neutral, conflicts continue to arise over the relationship between secularity and religious symbolism, and especially over those symbols which derive from religious minorities. This contribution critically considers the designation of space as either sacred or secular in political imaginaries, approaching processes of secularisation as part of a fragmentation of the sacred and of sacred space. We introduce the concept of trans-liminal space: spaces which can contain multiple and potentially conflicting ascriptions of meaning. Conceptualizing public space as trans-liminal allows for contemporaneous and competing ascriptions of the secular, the sacred, the secular-sacred, and the sacred-secular, without being exclusively grounded in either. Trans-liminality does not preclude public space to be predominantly secular, but it does problematise the phenomenon of normative exclusions of religious symbols from public spaces.</p> </div> </div> </div>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Marietta van der Tol, Philip Gorskihttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/299971The Appeal and Perils of Religious Nationalism: A Comparative Analysis2024-03-15T20:22:55+02:00Joseph Harderjharder@lcc.lt<p>The question of how Christians should engage politically is a matter of perennial debate. Ever since the time of Emperor Constantine and the “Christianization” of the Roman Empire, a particularly fraught question is the relationship between Christianity and political power. In Europe’s medieval kingdoms, Christians wielded tremendous political power, and even after the rise of secular nation-states, a Christian worldview remained heavily influential. The process of secularization has meant that that influence has waned, and some Christians have adopted the rhetoric of “Christian nationalism” in a defensive effort to hold onto power. This article seeks to describe the appeal of this political ideology in Central and Eastern Europe, in the context of secularization, with reference to parallel trends in the United States. It also provides a theological critique of some of its problems, including its idolatrous tendencies.</p>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Joseph Harderhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309573Public Witness through the Church as the Disciple Community in the Context of Christian Nationalism2024-08-06T05:00:37+03:00Myra Watkinsmyra.watkins@asburyseminary.edu<div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>In Central and Eastern Europe, some branches of the Church have formed alliances with nationalist politics characterized by fundamentalism and fanaticism. To identify this phenomenon, Czech theologian Tomaš Halik coined the term “f-word pseudoreligion.” Pavol Bargár suggests that such an approach to one’s faith and public witness is one of the most serious challenges the church’s mission in CEE must face. First, the other tends to be viewed as a menace rather than a precious gift. Second, its adherents can fall prey to idealized traditionalism rather than drawing from the treasures of Christian tradition, the gospel itself. After defining Christian nationalism, I will focus on the Visegrád nations: Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. In response to this missional challenge, I argue for public witness through the church as a disciple community. Discipleship as apprenticeship to Jesus does not lie in affiliation to an established church representing a particular national identity. Such idealized traditionalism found in settled religious forms can be called temple spirituality. The apostle Paul did not focus on temple spirituality or church planting; he nurtured disciple communities toward maturity in Christ. While Biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism, and activism define a certain kind of evangelical piety, the church as a disciple community is both pilgrim and indigenous. When the telos of loving communion with God and neighbor shapes the disciple community’s identity and mission, churches can engage biblical resources and traditions to serve social realities in ways that bring hope, reconciliation, and healing.</p> </div> </div> </div>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Myra Watkinshttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/305981‘Why Christianity?’: An Analysis of Radical Orthodoxy’s Preference for Christian Theology over Platonism/Neoplatonism2024-06-10T18:28:34+03:00Kornelius Lumbanbatukornelius.lumbanbatu@stftjakarta.ac.id<div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>This paper contributes to the scholarly discussion on Radical Orthodoxy by analyzing its retrieval of Christianity. Such analysis will be grounded in two questions, each concerning reasons underlying the Radically Orthodox theologians’ usage of Christian theology despite their dependence on the Platonic notion of participation (μέθεξις) and the validity of the movement’s position if its proponents were to lean instead on Platonism/Neoplatonism. To answer these questions, the author formulates a two-fold explanation constructed through library research. The first part investigates the Radically Orthodox theologians’ argumentation for using Christian theology as shown in the work of John Milbank and Conor Cunningham. The second part evaluates a hypothetical case in which Ralph Cudworth, the Cambridge Platonist with whom the Radically Orthodox theologians claim resonance, were to argue for Radical Orthodoxy’s antisecular agenda.</p> </div> </div> </div>2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Kornelius Lumbanbatuhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309746Summer School of Theology 20242024-08-10T05:58:16+03:00Kseniia Trofymchukksenia.t@eeit-edu.info2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Kseniia Trofymchukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309767Summer School of Theology 20242024-08-10T19:47:10+03:00Kseniia Trofymchukksenia.t@eeit-edu.info2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Kseniia Trofymchukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309770Series of Theological Methodological Seminars2024-08-10T21:57:28+03:00Volodymyr Volkovskyidinginnalu@gmail.comMarychka Androshchukm_androshchuk@yahoo.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Volodymyr Volkovskyi; Marychka Androshchukhttp://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/309781Series of Theological Methodological Seminars2024-08-10T22:55:02+03:00Volodymyr Volkovskyidinginnalu@gmail.com2024-08-13T00:00:00+03:00Copyright (c) 2024 Volodymyr Volkovskyi