International and Area Studies Commons^™

Online Projects For Adventist Youth During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Valentyna Kuryliak, Mariia Ovchar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article explores and presents the first online projects that were organized by young people who are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine. It was found that the initiators of the launch of the projects were the believing youth themselves, who, faced with the problem of the lack of weekly offline communication in churches, resorted to alternative methods of interaction. Online communication was developed in a youth style and focused on the interests and problems of young people, such as finding a life partner, learning to organize their time, complications in the development of spiritual life, etc. During …

Activities Of The Adventist Development And Relief Agency In Eastern Ukraine, Valentyna Kuryliak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The charitable organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been active in the conditions of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine since 2013, particularly during the difficult events on Euromaidan in the center of the capital of Ukraine. Since 2014, ADRA Ukraine has implemented more than 150 humanitarian projects in the east and throughout Ukraine. Among the largest were "Eastern Angel," "Hands of Hope," and "Social Transport." Through food and non-food programs, ADRA Ukraine volunteers, together with other churches and international organizations, help people affected by the military conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In addition, ADRA …

Frontmatter (Volume 41, Issue 4), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

History Of Evangelical Christian Baptists In Ukraine (Mid-19th Century To 1929), Fedir Prodanyuk, Hnat Mierienkov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article reviews the history of Evangelical Baptists in Ukraine from the middle of the 19th century to 1929. The article presents the development of Ukrainian Baptists from a local group to a large-scale organization that takes an active part in social service, has the most followers in Ukraine among Protestants, and is inextricably linked with the history of Ukrainian society. Of particular note is the fact that the Baptists spread differently in various areas and formed separate associations, which for some time existed independently of each other. For a while, the existence of Evangelical Baptists in Ukraine was not …

Monitoring Of The Living Conditions Of People With Disabilities In Ukraine Under The Conditions Of The Covid-19 Pandemic (On The Example Of Evangelical Christian Baptists), Olga Polumysna

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article finds that the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected social relations and exacerbated the already vulnerable situation of people with disabilities. Everything that was hidden or veiled in relation to people with disabilities by society has fully manifested. In these conditions it is necessary to monitor the living conditions of people with disabilities as the most vulnerable category of the population, which are currently ignored because healthy people suffer and are usually put first. The social and medical spheres proved to be the most unstable in the conditions of the pandemic in terms of assistance to vulnerable groups of …

Two Positions Of Ukrainian Protestants On The Question About Lgbt Community, Valentyna Kuryliak, Оlena Honcharova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The relevance of the study of protection-traditional Protestant positions regarding the promotion of the ideas of LGBT communities in Ukraine is due to the European integration processes, which have become a strategic guideline of Ukrainian aspirations for transformation, for which they have been carrying out reforms. The main task of the article is to display the Ukrainian evangelicals’ uncoordinated realities. These realities, on the one hand, seek to obtain various advantages from the European Union in the context of Ukraine’s European integration, and, on the other hand, are not ready to fully implement European guidelines. In Ukraine there are three …

Adventists And Pentecostals Of Donetsk Region In The Late Soviet Era: Between The Scylla Of Legalization And The Charybdis Of Opposition, Oksana Salata, Karen Nikiforov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article describes religious policy of the Soviet government concerning the Protestant communities on the basis of archival materials. Two different models of Soviet policy in the field of religion are analyzed, using the activities of the Commissioner of the Council for Religious Affairs in the Donetsk region in relation to Pentecostals and Adventists as an example. Ukrainian SSR was the "Bible belt" of the Soviet Union. Donetsk region was characterized by high percentage of Protestant communities in general and Adventist communities in particular. Most of the Adventist communities in the region were officially registered, and their members did not …

Ukrainian Protestant Youtube Livestreams During Coronavirus Pandemic: Statistics And Analytics, Maksym Balaklytskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the statistics of Ukrainian Protestant digital activity. The key indicator of Ukrainian Protestant digital outreach is the increased number of livestreams in different styles and formats. I use “All-Ukrainian Sobor” NGO’s YouTube livestreams catalog as a working statistic model. In the course of study, two peaks in the overall number of views of all videos of a given YouTube channel were singled out. These peaks were (1) from 500K to 100K and (2) from 50K to 10K. Analysis of the views rating of a single YouTube channel proved to be somewhat random and non-indicative; nevertheless, views number …

Scientific Review, Nadiia Stokolos

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Protestants In Soviet Ukraine In The 1920s To 1930s: Political And Historical Aspects, Roman Sitarchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The aim. The article offers a general political-historical analysis of the Protestant movement in the context of the party-state policies of Soviet Ukraine in the 1920s and 1930s. Scientific novelty. The study of state-church relations of polyconfessional Ukrainian society in general and Protestant currents, in particular, actualizes a new scientific understanding of the state religious policy at different stages of development of the historical past and present. Research methods. The research project studies Baptists, Evangelical Christians, Seventh-day Adventists, and Pentecostals, utilizing the principles of objectivity, ideological pluralism, complexity, methodologies of mathematical statistics, comparative studies, and problem-chronological method. The study is …

Armed Conflict And Protestant Volunteering In Eastern Ukraine, Valentyna Kuryliak, Maksym Balaklytskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The process of development and activity of Ukrainian Protestantism due to the influence of the recently destroyed Soviet ideology is somewhat complex and unstable. Protestants became noticeable to Ukrainian society after the events of Euromaidan and the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 in the center of the capital of Ukraine. The Protestant community, however, did make real, material contributions in the territory of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in April 2014. The aim of this article is to evaluate the volunteer work of Ukrainian Protestants and to understand the difference between secular …

The Muridiyya On The Move : Islam, Migration, And Place Making, Cheikh Anta Babou

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Highlights the role of transnational space making in the construction of diasporic Muridiyya identity.

The construction of collective identity among the Muridiyya abroad is a communal but contested endeavor. Differing conceptions of what should be the mission of Muridiyya institutions in the diaspora reveal disciples’ conflicting politics and challenge the notion of the order’s homogeneity. While some insist on the universal dimension of Ahmadu Bamba Mbakke’s calling and emphasize dawa (proselytizing), others prioritize preserving Muridiyya identity abroad by consolidating the linkages with the leadership in Senegal. Diasporic reimaginings of the Muridiyya abroad, in turn, inspire cultural reconfigurations at home.

Drawing …

Political Influences By The Catholic Church And Spanish Government In Colonial Mexico, Dorian Barboza

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

The land of Mexico prior to colonization was composed of various large cities that upon colonization much of the land became New Spain. During this pre independence era of Mexico’s history the Indians were subjected to many changes in their culture through the Catholic Church and the Spanish Government. Religious conversion was accepted by the Indians as means to stop directed violence to the unconverted. The multidialectal cultures embraced Castilian as a common language that facilitated communication with the Spanish colonizers and between villages. The desire to integrate into the new Catholic and Spanish system gave rise to Indian litigation …

Israel's Ethnic Cleansing Of Palestinians, Bria Riepe

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

The carving of Palestine to create a ‘Jewish State’, Israel, has imposed upon the Israeli and Palestinian people the necessity of separation on highly unequal terms and qualities of human existence. Since Israel’s creation, millions of Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homes, displaced, rendered refugees, and continue to exist under severe Israeli military occupation. According to Israeli immigration laws, displaced Palestinians are prohibited from returning to their homes, joining their families in Israel or the occupied territories, and even from entering the ever-expanding borders of Israel. This has occurred alongside a high immigration rate through Israel’s Law of …

The Uighur Genocide, Karlee Gordon

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

International Research Symposium Exhibitor and Project of Merit Award Tensions have surfaced between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their Muslim ethnic minority, the Uighur, as the CCP attempts to deconstruct their religious identity in exchange for a nationalist allegiance. Militarization of Uighur land, anti-Muslim legislation and detainment of the Uighur into re-education camps reveal the extremes the CCP will take to eliminate the Uighur’s influence. The CCP’s harsh measures bring to question the extent the authoritative regime will allow its population religious freedoms. As Chinese history, recent legislation, and Uighur socialization is analyzed, theories are presented …

Evaluation Of Sport Facilities In Sport Cities In Jordan, Sari Hamdan

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The aim of this study was to evaluate facilities in sport cities in Jordan. The sample of this study consisted of (24) employees in sport cities the researcher bilt a tool and validity and reliability was done for the research tool. The results showed that sport cities were in a good condition, however, El-Hussien city was significantly better than the other sport cities. The researcher recommended to using the research tool of this study as instrumentation to evaluate sports facilities in sport cities.

Italian Ambitions In Syria And Lebanon (1870-1945), Ahmad Alshrideh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The aim of this study is to clarify the Italian Ambitions in Syria and Lebanon (1870-1945), and shows the Italian orientation in this region, and to know the Italian methods to achieve its ambitions. The study talks about the Italian movement towards Lebanon, and the Italians Intervention in Lebanese civil war 1860. Finally, the study recalls the Italian claims her mandate to Syria and Lebanon as an alternative to the French mandate. The study concluded that, despite Italys efforts to achieve its ambitions in Syria and Lebanon, it deeply collides with the legacy institutions that established by England and France …

The Impact Of Implementing The Principles Of Good Governance On The Quality Of Administrative Reports In The Palestinian Municipal Councils, Faeyz Abuamria, Nasser Mohammad Soud Jaradat, Mohammad Shaded

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aims at clarifying the impact of implementing the principles of good governance on the quality of administrative reports in the Palestinian municipal councils. A questionnaire was designed to pilot the views of mayors, deputy mayors, directors, heads of departments and employees in Bethlehem and Hebron directorates. Results showed that it is too early to talk about sound governance at local councils in the absence of applying the minimal principles of governance such as accountability, transparency and involving staff in decision-making. Furthermore, the administrative reports administered by the heads of administrative departments do not reflect the real situation nor …

Frontmatter (Volume 41, Issue 3), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Question Of The Autocephalous Status Of The Polish Orthodox Church In The Documents Of The Council For The Affairs Of The Russian Orthodox Church (1944-1948), Ella Bystrytska, Nadiia Volik

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The process and stages of the acquisition of autocephaly by the Polish Orthodox Church are explored. The formation of a socialist model of public administration in Poland after the Second World War required the resolution of some problems, in particular the restoration of canonical communication between the Polish and Russian Orthodox Churches. The cause of the conflict between these Churches was the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Polish Orthodox Church by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1924. The Soviet and Polish governments were interested in abolishing this Tomos. The state and church relations in the USSR provided for the …

In Lieu Of A Review: Reminiscences On Reading One Word Of Truth; The Cold War Memoir Of Michael Bourdeaux And Keston College, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

I first met Michael Bourdeaux in October 1983, at the beginning of one month of research at his Keston College Library and Archive, located in a southwest suburb of London, England. The back story to what gave occasion for our first meeting dates back a decade, to 1974, the year I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky and the year my wife, Darlene, and I made our first trip to the Soviet Union.

Symbols Of Sacred Filling Of Religious Musical Art Of Ukraine, Maksym Melnychuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In the spectrum of the research of this paper lies the sacred essence of religious musical art and the symbolic component of spiritual music of Ukraine. This scholarly research is aimed to reflect the content essence of spiritual art in the sphere of the Ukrainian musical culture. This phenomenon is analyzed both as a result of a creative (figurative) thinking in generalization, and the spiritual inner necessity of comprehension of the metaphysical. Symbol is represented as a component of the sacred content of religious art, which reflects the irrationality of the constituent forms of spiritual music. A retrospective analysis of …

The Effects Of The Dominant Public Discourse And The Influence Of (Non)Knowledge As A Sign Of Resistance/Support To Women's Faith-Based Peace Activism In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Halida Đonlagić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article strives to offer general insight into the subject matter of the dominant public discourse and socio-cultural construction on which it is founded and created, as well as the experience of women activists in local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina who act guided by their religious beliefs. The influence of the context on women’s peace activism is observed, with special reference to women’s faith-based peace activism. The relationship between secular and theological feminism is scrutinized as well, along with its challenges and the effects of the subordination and complementarity theories which legitimize the hierarchical patriarchal structure that obstructs the …

Remembering Canon Michael Bourdeaux, Founder Of Keston Institute, Walter Sawatsky

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Through a regular email prayer letter from Mission Eurasia,1 its Director Sergey Rakuba and his close colleague Dr. Michael Cherenkov, I learned of the death on March 29, 2021, of Michael Bourdeaux, and his funeral on April 12, 2021, in Oxford. Bourdeaux’s persistence over many decades to make known the appeals for prayer, for assistance in making known the plight of prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Union has continued, in spite of many changes and transformations over the decades. Even today the harassment of believers not conforming to Russia’s current state-church close integration and its banning of the Jehovah’s …

Catholics & Cultures As An Act Of Improvisation: A Response, Thomas M. Landy

Journal of Global Catholicism

This essay responds to seven articles published in the same issue of the Journal of Global Catholicism on the use of Catholics & Cultures, a multimedia website, as a pedagogical resource for college classrooms. The site is deliberately presented in a fashion that undermines notions of center and periphery and presents Catholicism from a lay, lived-religion perspective as the multicultural faith that it is, minimizing reference to religious typologies. Particular attention is given to how to navigate tensions around theorizing, categorizing and sorting information for cross-cultural comparison. Given scholars’ current state of knowledge, writing about and teaching about global Catholicism …

The Value Of Online Resources: Reflections On Teaching An Introduction To Global Christianity, Hillary Kaell

Journal of Global Catholicism

Reflecting on my experience teaching Introduction to Global Christianity, this essay ponders questions at the heart of undergraduate teaching: How can we encourage students to utilize online sources? How can we empower them to seek out answers to their questions? It offers practical examples of how I have used the Catholics & Cultures website in my classroom at a large public university. In particular, I reflect on my experience working with students who are mostly of Catholic heritage, but from many cultural and social contexts.

Teaching Sexuality On The Catholics & Cultures Website: A Refreshing Turn Toward The Longue Durée, Marc Roscoe Loustau

Journal of Global Catholicism

I present a close reading of the Catholics & Cultures (C&C) website’s treatment of sexuality-related issues and discuss this material in relation to debates about how to teach sexuality in religious studies and theology classrooms. The C&C website occasionally and intermittently uses a typical “contemporary issues” approach that considers sexuality in relation to legal and legislative decisions and government policies. In contrast, country profiles consistently situate sexuality in relation processes like nation building, urbanization, and lay Catholics’ growing authority. My interpretation highlights the site’s decision to emphasize the longue durée, long-term and deep structural processes driving cultural and religious changes. …

Ritual Among The Scilohtac: Global Catholicism, The Nacirema, And Interfaith Studies, Anita Houck

Journal of Global Catholicism

More than six decades after its publication, Horace Miner’s 1956 article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” remains a reliable pedagogical tool, remarkably successful in helping students see their own ethnocentric biases. Catholics & Cultures has potential to do similar work. The site lacks some of what makes Miner’s text so effective, in particular its capacity to bring about a sudden shift in perception. The site also shares some of the article’s limitations, particularly in focusing on ritual to the relative exclusion of other aspects of religion. That said, the site can help students gain the religious literacy and develop the …

Focus On The Busy Intersections Of Culture And Cultural Change, Laura Elder

Journal of Global Catholicism

The dynamics of religious resurgence reveal the important ways that religious ritual and performance are meaning making spaces which are not self-contained or cut off from the rest of culture, but rather are a key locus of cultural change. A renewed emphasis on the busy intersections of meaning making – as rituals are connected, disconnected, and reconnected to other domains of social life – would improve the utility of the Catholics & Cultures website for understanding global cultural change. And a renewed emphasis on cultural change would also provide a better means for exploring reflexively by seeking to understand both …

A Widened Angle Of View: Teaching Theology And Racial Embodiment, Mara Brecht

Journal of Global Catholicism

Today’s undergraduate students are digital natives, shaped by constant access to information and countless experiences of encountering the world through the convenience of a screen. The ostensible comfort students have with difference gives way to a paradox, and one that’s made especially apparent in the theology classroom: Students are comfortable with seeing difference and particularity at a distance, but not adept at locating difference and particularity “at home.” I contend that Catholics & Cultures can help students from the dominant culture—namely, white students who comprise the vast majority of Catholic college students—destabilize their notion of the Catholic tradition as tightly …