Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology

Viacheslav Khalanskiy, On Fire but Not Burning Out. How to End the Stress Cycle, Work to Your Heart’s Content, and Live Happily

Oksana Matlasevych — 2023-12-22

David Bentely Hart, Kenogaia (The Gnostic Tale)

Denis Kondyuk — 2023-12-22

Clive Staples Lewis, Learning in War-Time, Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain

Oleh Demchuk — 2023-12-22

Richard Holloway, A Little History of Religion

Andrii Kulyk — 2023-12-22

Renos K. Papadopoulos, Involuntary Dislocation: Home, Trauma, Resilience, and Adversity-Activated Development

Yuriy Kryvoruchko — 2023-12-22

Charles A. Schaefer, Trauma and Resilience

Viktoriia Veretennikova — 2023-12-22

Michell Dean, Political Theology Today. 100 Years after Carl Schmitt

Anatoliy Denysenko — 2023-12-22

Andrew T. Walker, God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Gender Identity?

Igor Dimovski — 2023-12-22

Reintegration and Anamnesis: Theological Tools for Wartime Harms

Helen Paynter — 2023-12-22

War is a complex phenomenon, which both results from and produces intersecting forces of power, trauma and reaction. This paper uses the story of Cain and Abel, found in Genesis 4, to open up the exploration of two particular harms which war causes: the silencing of victims and the moral injury of combatants and civilians. Scripture provides tools for helping to heal these harms. In place of silence, the Old Testament offers the outcry, the inarticulate cry of the afflicted which rises to heaven and causes God to come down to investigate and respond. For the soul-wound of moral injury, Scripture offers rituals of confession and lament, and preeminently, re-integration, which is not only the healing of communities but of fractured souls. Both of these are found at the Lord’s Table, where the outcry of the groaning world is held in the wounded heart of the Saviour, and where communities and souls find their healing through the Cross.

Reintegration and Anamnesis: Theological Tools for Wartime Harms

Helen Paynter — 2023-12-22

Trauma and The Growth of Love in Children

Keith J. White — 2023-12-22

This paper aims at all those seeking to understand, respond to, and help children suffering trauma because of the full-scale War of Russia against Ukraine that began in 2022. It draws from three main sources: personal experience of living alongside children and young people who have suffered the trauma of separation and loss; studies, reflections, and practice of those have sought to understand children in a holistic way: biological; emotional/psychological; social and spiritual; Christian faith and tradition, including the Bible, human resources and activity, and theology. The paper is based on the conviction that “it takes a village to raise a child,” not least in a time of war, and that all villagers who have the well-being of that child at heart have a potential role to play in the process. The author points that “parenting” in its widest sense is not restricted to biological relatives or designated carers. The paper seeks to imagine the context from outside the war zone, acknowledging the complicated, secretive, messy, and unpredictable nature of conflict. In its conclusion it brings a message of hope, based not on wishful thinking or utopian dreams, but on experience and evidence collected from around the world, and close to hand, that demonstrates how the trauma of children can and has been overcome.

Trauma and the Growth of Love in Children

Keith J. White — 2023-12-22

The God of the Child: Encouraging Children’s Spiritual Development During Times of Trauma

Esther Zimmerman — 2023-12-22

Children are born as spiritual beings, created for relationship with God. However, their spiritual development is shaped by many factors — including their experience of trauma. Sadly, since ancient times, many children have experienced significant trauma and the Bible deals with this topic openly and honestly. This article presents an overview of how trauma may impact children’s overall development and especially their spiritual development. While many of these impacts may be negative, the Bible also offers significant hope for children growing up in the midst of trauma. This article will also suggest practical ways that Christian parents and ministry leaders can seek to join children on the spiritual journey during times of trauma.

The God of the Child: Encouraging Children’s Spiritual Development During Times of Trauma

Esther Zimmerman — 2023-12-22

Roman Sword for the Traumatized Community: A Sociolinguistic Approach to Rom. 13:4

Yevgeny Ustinovich — 2023-12-22

The article deals with the experience of first-century Christians traumatized by persecution, displacement, and other trials mentioned in the Epistle to Romans. Special attention is given to their expectations and the problem of justice. It is argued that the Apostle Paul’s pastoral approach to this problem has a strong eschatological aspect: he encouraged the suffering Roman believers to expect some expressions of God’s vengeance to be revealed during their lifetime. The Roman sword, mentioned in 13:4, can be seen as an instrument of God’s righteous wrath. This perception of human agency may be applicable (with some limitations) in the 21st-century context of Ukraine’s war for independence.

Boethius and (Post-)Traumatic Historical Theology: The Processing of Trauma and Theologizing in The Consolation of Philosophy

Rostislav Tkachenko — 2023-12-22

Contemporary discussions about the theology of trauma include a very limited array of texts from the history of Christian theology. In order to broaden and deepen the scope of theological reflections on the traumatic experience, the article proposes to analyze Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy (с. 475–c. 526) from the perspective of (post)traumatic theology and to consider the work through the prism of the key question: how and about what does Boethius theologize in the context of his traumatic experience, which was the prerequisite and motivation for his writing this treatise?

Boethius’s thoughts are considered as a step-by-step processing of the traumatic experience (verbalization, rationalization, and theologization), which is carried out through different genres he employs (poetry, narrative, and philosophical prose). In this way, he integrates a number of philosophical and theological ideas in his reflection on trauma and considers the process of rethinking his experience in intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and practical dimensions.

Leadership in the Face of Trauma: A Qualitative Study of Forced Ukrainian Christian Migrants

Alexander Negrov — 2023-12-22

This article delves into the leadership experiences of Ukrainian Christian forced migrants amidst the ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine. Drawing from theoretical frameworks related to trauma and forced migration, as well as leadership models, this research seeks to comprehend the intricacies of leadership exhibited by Ukrainian displaced individuals. Based on qualitative data from 130 participants, the study identifies key themes concerning leadership during wartime. It contributes to the development of a trauma-sensitive theology of leadership and offers insights into the leadership development requirements of Ukrainians post-war. The insights gathered from these refugees reveal that wartime leadership is dynamic and multifaceted. It encompasses values, adaptability, compassion, and Christian spirituality, extending beyond traditional models to prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities. The experiences and perspectives of these refugees offer valuable lessons for understanding leadership in the most challenging of circumstances, emphasizing the enduring importance of empathy, resilience, and faith in guiding individuals and communities through times of war.

Hennadii Khrystokin, Paradigms of Orthodox Thought – in the Focus of the Research Optics of a Ukrainian Religious Scholar and Theologian

Oleksandr Brodetskyi — 2023-12-22

Christiane Tietz, Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict

Andrii Shymanovych — 2023-12-22

Sarah Shortall, Soldiers of God in a Secular World: Catholic Theology and Twentieth-Century French Politics

Myroslava Mostepaniuk — 2023-12-22

Volodymyr Vakin, The Way to Christ through Ministry to the Neighbour

Andriy Dudchenko — 2023-12-22

George Kalantzis, Caesar and the Lamb. Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service

Daniel Kuchurian — 2023-12-22

John D. Caputo, Specters of God: An Anatomy of the Apophatic Imagination

Mahomed Rubanenko — 2023-12-22

Winn Collier, A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message

Mykhailo Kozakov — 2023-12-22

Bungishabaku Katho, Reading Jeremiah in Africa: Biblical Essays in Sociopolitical Imagination

Roman Soloviy — 2023-12-22

Glenn Butner Jr., Trinitarian Dogmatics: Exploring the Grammar of the Christian Doctrine of God

Fedir Stryzhachuk — 2023-12-22

Bohdan Zavidnyak, The Concept of Transcendence in the Thought of Philo of Alexandria

Mariia Yakubovska — 2023-12-22

Concepts of “Trauma” and “Memory” in W. G. Sebald’s Book Luftkrieg und Literatur (On the Natural History of Destruction)

Anatoliy Denysenko — 2023-12-22

This year, the second year of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a book by the German author W. G. Sebald (1944-2001), On the Natural History of Destruction, was published in Ukrainian translation by IST Publishing. I must say that reading Sebald's works translated by Roman Osadchuk is a distinct pleasure. This is the third book by Sebald translated into Ukrainian by R. Osadchuk. Before this one, Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn were published by Komubook. Sebald is one of the few authors I discovered for myself during the war. His Austerlitz was a breath of fresh air at a time when I couldn't bring myself to read or write.

Theology of Community-Nurturing

Nadiyka Gerbish — 2023-12-22