International and Area Studies Commons^™

Frontmatter (Volume 43, Issue 6), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Media Tools Of The Ukrainian Chaplaincy In Times Of War, Oleksandr Kostiuk, Olena Predko, Denys Predko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The effectiveness of the media tools of the Ukrainian chaplaincy in war conditions is considered. It is substantiated that the extreme conditions of war favor the selection of quality candidates for the chaplain service and the integration of chaplaincy into the military structure. The chaplain’s work is not limited to spiritual care, but also focuses on the moral and psychological support of military personnel. The use of such social networks as Instagram and Tik-Tok as a new form of work for chaplains is being studied. The following common forms of work of chaplains in social networks were identified: keeping a …

"War In Ukraine: Religious, Geopolitical And Cultural Dimensions Of Value-Worldview Clashes At The Beginning Of The 21st Century": International Theological Conference, Vladyslav Fulmes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

On June 15, 2023 Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy (Lutsk, Ukraine) held an international theological conference “WAR in UKRAINE: Religious, Geopolitical and Cultural Dimensions of Value-worldview Clashes at the Beginning of the 21st century”. Brief information about this international scientific conference is given.

Frontmatter (Volume 43, Issue 7), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

"The War Factor" In The History Of The Late Protestantism In Ukrainian Lands Via The Policy Of The Russian Autocracy, Roman Sitarchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article explores the impact of war on the movements of late Protestantism on the territory of Ukraine. The study is based on the three largest Protestant denominations in Ukraine: Baptists, Pentecostals, and Adventists. Due to the refusal of the Protestants to do military service and fight with weapons, the Russian autocracy suppressed and created difficult conditions for believers of the Protestant denominations on the territory of Ukraine. Before the First World War, the refusal of Protestants to engage gave the state an argument for why the Protestants were not reliable members of society. This study uses as a basis …

Analysis Of Letters From Representatives Of Religious Bible Student Groups (Badaczy Pisma Świętego) In Poland During The Nazi Occupation, Roman Orlovskii, Denys Shpak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The founder and leader of the International Bible Students movement was Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), an eminent religious figure, the first president of the Watch Tower Society. After his death, the denomination he created split into a number of communities: Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as various groups of Bible Students who refused to recognize the authority of the Watch Tower Society under the rule of subsequent presidents. The followers of these groups, who recognized only the works of Charles Taze Russell, lived in different countries of the world, including in Poland. There are practically no scientific works devoted to the …

Information War In The Religious Sphere In The Context Of The "Battle" For The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Bogdan Synchak, Yurii Yelisovenko, Svitlana Romanchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The study examines the issue of non-religious activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in the context of its involvement in the information war within the sphere of religion. It is based on a significant precedent for Ukrainian Orthodoxy concerning the expiration and non-extension of the contract by the Ministry of Culture with the UOC-MP for operation on the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the architectural complex of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Certain prerequisites for depriving the UOC-MP of the right to use the premises of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra are presented and analyzed. Separate photographs …

Indestructability In The Fight Against Evil: The Theological View On The Russian-Ukrainian War, Hnat Mierienkov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article shows that the fight against evil, namely Russian aggression against the Ukrainian people, creates a unique concept of “indestructibility.” The appearance of the term “invincibility” in the theological world, as a rule, is associated with the side of goodness and freedom. The Russian Federation has shown in the 21st century aggression unprecedented in its scale, including the desire to appropriate foreign territory, the bombing of peaceful territories and civilians, the distortion of faith, religion, and ideology to achieve goals by military means, etc. As a result, in the theological world of Ukraine, this phenomenon was called “evil.” That …

Sacralization Of The Image Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine, Petro Kotliarov, Mariia Ovchar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article offers a multifaceted analysis of the phenomenon of the sacralization of the image of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), aimed at an in-depth understanding of the influence of the Armed Forces on society and national consciousness in the context of the Russian- Ukrainian war. Sacralization implies the inoculation/infusion of holiness, of a religious or supernatural nature, into institutions or symbols, and in this context, it is studied how this process affects the perception and support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Ukrainian society. The article analyzes the role of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during military …

Brief Observation Of The General Trajectory Of Western Media Coverage Of The Religious Situation In Ukraine, Petro Livak, Daniil Palij

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article attempts to analyze the general trajectory of Western media coverage of the religious environment in Ukraine. Recently, the religious situation in Ukraine has become one of the strategic issues of national security, since it is relevant and important in the light of not only the religious, but also the political context of Ukraine. The study examines the journalistic activity of Western publications about the religious transformations of Ukraine from 2019 to 2023. This encompasses the intensity of the rapid confessional changes in Ukraine, the style of the journalistic text under study, the intensity of their media representation, and …

The Position Of Ukrainian Protestants Regarding The War In Ukraine: Rebuttal Of False Accusations Of Eurasianism, Valentyna Kuryliak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article analyzes the position of Ukrainian Protestants in relation to the issue of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The position of Professor Pavlo Pavlenko was taken as a basis, who, in most of his publications, claims that the Protestants of Ukraine are pro-Russian, pro-Eurasian, and take a position that is contrary to the national interests of Ukraine. It is proven by the example of the analysis of publications and statements of Ukrainian Protestants that the protection of the national interests of Ukraine after 2014 has become part of their religious culture. The article shows on the example of …

Assistance Given To The Ukrainian Refugees By The Polish People After Russian Invasion Of Ukraine On February 24, 2022, Elžbieta Pakszys

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

My task here is to relate the ways in which the Polish population helps Ukrainian refugees since the beginning of the Russian aggression. Who are these refugees? How do they obtain help? I also want to think about the motivations for such spontaneous willingness to help. What are the presumed reasons for it, and what are the true ones? What is the impact of events from the past on the present situation? Also – whom and why are Poles helping less willingly, namely the so-called ‘problem of refugees’ from behind the Byelorussian boarder.

Here We Go Again? – Wcc´S Statement On Ukraine, Mio Kivelä

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The aim of this paper is to analyze the statement World Council of Churches, WCC, made on the war in Ukraine as well as the discussion related to the statement at the WCC´s 11^th assembly in 2022. The statement and the discussion around it at the assembly will also open a wider perspective on ecumenical movements. One perspective will be to analyze whether the statement made on Ukraine repeats the problems made in previous ecumenical statements and comments around Second World War, WWII.

Semantics Of The Symbol "Z" In The Religious Ideology Of The Russian Federation, Ivan Ostashchuk, Volodymyr Litkevych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes for the first time the identification and content of Russian military symbols and their use in Russian Orthodoxy. At the linguistic level, it was found that such word formation Z-Orthodoxy was taken from the publications and public speeches of Archimandrite Kyrylo Govorun. Our study focuses on the proposal to use the neologism Z-Orthodoxy to demonstrate some semantic interpretations in the context of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the entire democratic world. As a result of the analysis of the military symbols of the Russian Federation, Russian Orthodoxy found that after February 24, …

Finnish Response To Nato - Views From The Evangelical Lutheran Church And Christians In Finnish Politics, Miro Leporanta

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt:

Finland placed an application for NATO in May of 2022, together with Sweden, with whom Finland’s foreign policy goals had been aligned for years.

Finnish Christianity and Finnish Churches have offered a variety of responses to the end of Finland’s non-military alignment. Of historical institutions in Finland, the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church (hereafter FELC) has a prominent social influence and is regarded as an institution that represents that country's values. This applies to Finnish defense policy as well. The church is a prominent player in the Finnish army and conscript service. On the FELC website, the Church states that: …

Christian Denominations On The Territory Of Ukraine In The First Half Of The 20th Century (1900-1939), Fedir Prodanyuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the state of Christian denominations in the territory of Ukraine in the first half of the 20th century. It has been established that the Christian religion occupied an important place in the life of Ukrainian society. However, the period of prosperity and oppression simultaneously fell in the first 40 years of the 20th century. The confessional policy of the Soviet Union, which came to replace the tsarist authorities, gave a limited privileged position for some Christian churches while creating harsh conditions for other denominations. As a rule, these were Protestant movements, but the Orthodox Church also experienced …

Hope Channel Ukraine As "The Spiritual Front": Mediatization Of Religion In The War Against Ukraine, Maksym Balaklytskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Hope Channel Ukraine (Nadiia TV in Ukrainian) claims to be “the first Christian TV channel in Ukraine.” During the Russian invasion of 2022, its main innovation was the “All-Ukrainian HOPE Marathon” program. It is a live program that is being aired from February 28 to June 22 in morning and evening blocks of one and a half hours. For the first months, the Marathon was broadcast daily without a day off. Since September, it has been aired twice a week under the title “Spiritual Front.” “All-Ukrainian HOPE Marathon ”became the largest live project of Hope Channel Ukraine during its conventional …

On The Phenomenon Of Populism And Extremism In The Balkans, Mustafa Cerić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper is based on my personal experience of war and peace in Bosnia. The basic notion is that it is easier to start a war than to stop it. Thus, postwar recovery or peacebuilding is not easy. But thanks to open-minded people who have been all along against a mythical populism that caused the bloody war against Bosnia and its autochthon people, the peace, although unjust, was reached after all. The focus here is on the idea of pluralism in Bosnia as an opposite to "populism" and "extremism." For a positive narrative like pluralism is a good way to …

Frontmatter (Volume 43, Issue 4), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Yellow Qipao, Feibi Wang

Honors Projects

This is a creative project centered around the pre-production of a short film about queer Asian American Christianity and the research that went into it. The synopsis of the script written for the short film is a life in the day of Aspen. Aspen prepares for church and is indecisive of the clothes they want to wear, because they are gender non-conforming. They come out to their mom and there is conflict. My research going into this project consists of researching media representation of queerness, Asian American identity, and Christianity, and how the three identities intersect in Aspen’s life and …

Modern Accents Of Theological Reflection Of Representatives Of The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Regarding The War And Its Challenges, Olga Nedavnya

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the relevant thematic documents and materials with the purpose of determining the ways, means and features of the theological search of the representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (hereafter UGCC) in relation to the challenges of Russia's war against Ukraine. The principles of objectivity and confessional non-commitment became the methodological basis of the research. The hermeneutic method, system and content analysis, and the method of doctrinal verification were used. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the appeal to a socially important hot topic, which is just beginning to be studied by scientists based …

Church And State In Montenegro: From The Serbian Orthodox Church To The Church Of Serbia, Vladimir Bakrač

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The paper deals with the role of religion and the church in the post-socialist transformations of society in Montenegro, focusing on the period from the 1990s to 2022. The goal of the paper is to present the historical and sociological (non-)cooperation between the church and the state in Montenegro and their reflection on social circumstances. According to sociological expertise, secularization and atheization of the society carried out by the then political regime and aligned with Marxist reflections on religion were in force until the 1990s. Subsequently, a period of desecularization of society and revitalization of religion and religiosity followed. Accordingly, …

Two Protestants, Three Churches: Croatian Protestantism: Churches, Denominations, And Theological Institutions, Lidija Matošević, Enoh Šeba, Ruben Knežević

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Using the existing data from the national census (2011 and 2021) and other available data sources, the authors present Croatian Protestantism on the national level as a fragmented minority. In search for possible historic reasons for this fragmentized mode of existence, they proceed with an overview of Protestant presence in the Croatian lands, starting from the early adoption of Protestant ideas, eradicated by the Catholic Counter-Reformation up to the ghettoization of the Protestant congregations during the Communist era (late 20th century). The establishment of an independent Croatian state and the subsequent war proved to be a significant turning point for …

The Role Of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi In The Formation Of Ukrainian National Identity, Iryna Krasnodemska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the main statehood ideas and views of the socio-political and Church figure, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi’s contribution to the struggle for the establishment of an independent, united Ukrainian state. The impact of the Metropolitan’s activity as the hierarch of the Greek Catholic Church on the Ukrainian national spiritual revival in Ukraine (at the end of the 19th to middle 20th century) is clarified as the solid foundation which was laid by his ecumenical ideas. The judgment of A. Sheptytskyi regarding the necessary prerequisites for building a strong, independent Ukraine, and his ideas about reforming state authorities, the Church, …

More On Georgian Orthodox Church Attitude Toward Entrepreneurship: A Response To Paul Crego […], Leons G. Taivans

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This is a reply to Paul Crego's "Response to Leons Gabriels Tavians' "Between Oriental Orthodoxy and European Modernity: Georgian Orthodox Church, Market Economy, and Social Message" , discussing the religious history and development of the country of Georgia.

Frontmatter (Volume 42, Issue 9), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Christian Rap In Latvia: A New Page In The History Of Contemporary Christian Music In Baltic Christianity, Ņikita Andrejevs

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "In the context of the Soviet period and the huge effectiveness of Christian gospel rock as a vehicle of evangelization, however, these innovations’ proximity to “worldly” music, and the notion of protest and/or renewal that came along, provided the necessary attraction for Christians, converts, and people interested in contemporary Western music. Christian rap in Latvia, on the other hand, has developed in a context where popular culture including rap music was readily available to the audiences, and rap acquired the notion of protest that to most rappers and listeners, religious or not, is incompatible or even in conflict with …

Review Of Faith-Based Organizations In Transnational Peacebuilding, Timothy Seidel

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Social Justice And Subsidiarity: Luigi Taparelli And The Origins Of Modern Catholic Social Thought, William J. Collinge

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground, William Droel

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.