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The article focuses on the description made by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr about western civilization and the violent century in human history at the height of the Cold War. Niebuhr was critical on a fundamentalist creed that has colored the people's view of the world for more than a century, stating that western institutions of the nationstate and liberal democracy will be gradually generalized worldwide.

This study examines some of the ways in which the post-Tridentine Catholic Church harnessed music's reiterative and suggestive powers to promulgate its message. In particular music could stimulate memory and, in Christian Doctrine classes for the young, singing was used widely to sweeten the pill and to aid the memorizing of items like the Creed, Pater noster, and Ave Maria. Singing laude spirituali in Italian could impart more subtle devotional knowledge. In later life members of lay confraternities sang hymns, canticles, psalms, and Marian antiphons in Latin, as well as laude spirituali. All of this meant that people from all classes in society became familiar with the official texts and chants of the Church and, as a consequence, were susceptible to indoctrination, while being encouraged to memorize the tenets of their faith through music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the legitimate use of creeds, confessions, and catechisms in the church and their benefits to those who use them right. Topics covered include a short history of the Shorter Catechism and the catechizing practice, and the utility of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Also mentioned is the extensive discipline and labor required before reaping the benefits of Shorter Catechism.

The rise of the city has created a new kind of space where spiritualities interact. Currently, we can describe the situation well, but we have struggled to develop a deep reading of the city as a new kind of space for spiritualities. This article is an attempt to experiment with readings beyond our current zero-sum reading of space for urban spiritualities. I give a test to move beyond zero-sum readings and offer three alternative ways of reading space of the city where spiritualities interact, namely: minimalism, social semiotics and Jungian symbolics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article considers Marilynne Robinson's complex relationship to religious creeds. In particular, it argues that Housekeeping, Robinson's most apparently unstable, indeterminate novel, is in fact shaped around a series of creedal statements. These statements proclaim faith in the imagination and its capacity for what Robinson calls ‘visionary memory’—the ability to fold past and future into a millenial present. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Does the church need a confession of faith? How does the Bible see the concept of confessionality? How to understand the slogan "The reformed church always reforming (or being reformed)" as being compatible with the idea of a stable confessionality? What uses can the church make of its confessionality and what are the limits to which it must be submitted? In this article the author intends to offer an answer to these questions in the light of Scripture and church experience along its history. He aims to demonstrate that confessionality is not only an intrinsic part of faith, but also a natural consequence of it. He argues that the church cannot give up a fixed confessionality without also renouncing its Christian identity and its safeguard to firmness and doctrinal purity, in line with biblical tenets. He argues that the slogan "The reformed church always reforming" should be understood in the light of the writings and practice of the reformers, not as an incentive to change its confessionality, once aligned to the Scriptures, but as a warning to keep this confessionality always consistent with the biblical teaching and to prevent and, if necessary, to remove from it any change that departs from that teaching. The author presents various uses with which confessionality serves the church, as the proclamation of its faith, education and identification of its membership and even its discipline, when necessary. He recognizes, however, that there are limits that must be respected so that confessionality may not become a factor of division or a means of preventing freedom of conscience and belief among those who share the same faith as regards to secondary issues not addressed in Scripture or on which it is not as clear or obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As he raises the question of what is a Reformed ecclesiology, the author demonstrates an identity problem when sympathizers of this tradition bring up issues that do not represent the core of ecclesiology or ground their answers on their own experience or on a key theologian. As a more faithful way for the tradition under discussion, the author proposes to analyze the nature of the church in light of some Reformed confessions. As he presents the essence of Reformed ecclesiology imbedded in the phrase "communion of the saints" and describes the four attributes of the church (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic) in light of important distinctions (organism vs. organization, visible vs. invisible), the author concludes that a Reformed ecclesiology is not something easy to define, but also that a better understanding of the Reformed concept of the church instills love for what God has already done in the church, besides faith and hope regarding what he will do in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay engages the work of Robert Yelle in his textSemiotics of Religion: Signs of the Sacred in History. The author examines in particular his theorizing of the indexical sign function and its capacity to ‘enflesh’ the symbol. In the Peircean and Saussurean frames the symbol is an abstraction, a concept, and removed from the experiential. However, with the deployment of the indexical sign, as Yelle argues, the symbol is enfleshed and made experiential. Yelle's development of Peircean semiotics should prove to be very productive in the study of systems of belief and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is a strong relationship between people and public places, and streets, parks and green areas embody values and symbolic meanings for their users. The purpose of this article is to discuss the significance, roles, benefits and opportunities attributed by inhabitants to their public spaces during transformation and improvement processes in low-income urban neighbourhoods known as ‘colonias populares’ in Mexico. The main question is about what public space improvement means for public space promoters, and what is the significance and importance of public places in the neighbourhood environment. A general assumption by some urban researchers (e.g. Amante, 2003; Matas, 1988; Viviescas, 1997) is that public spaces do not hold much value for inhabitants: however, this article demonstrates that in these deprived urban environments, there are residents for whom public space is an important component of urban development. Consequently, they trigger public space development and attribute meanings and values to the public environment that are crucial for the healthy and sustainable development of urban life. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

I discuss the primary aims of my book God in the Age of Science? A Critique of Religious Reason, which critically assesses the most promising apologetic strategies defending the reasonable endorsement of religious creeds. These apologetic strategies may be schematized as the end nodes of a decision tree for religious believers, as I explain in section 2. In section 3, the structure of the book is elucidated, and in section 4 I illustrate its argu-mentative strategy by some examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Nea Paphos is the only ancient city of Cyprus to have preserved much of the painted decoration of its buildings and tombs and the following paper aims to present a fresco that has recently come to light in one of the cemeteries of the city. The newly found painting was discovered on the right-hand side of the entranceway to the funerary chamber of a tomb of Hellenistic and Roman date and may be part of a larger decoration that has been destroyed. A human figure, possibly a young man, is depicted inside a frame created by branches bearing pomegranates. The figure is holding a fruit and is turned to his right, possibly towards another person. Behind him, an open mirror hangs from the wall over something that looks like a funerary monument. Although fragmentary, the scene depicts features that have a deeply symbolic meaning observed for the first time in Paphos. It presents an opportunity to examine new funerary iconography and discuss issues concerning afterlife beliefs in the ancient city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper responds to recent publications which play down the role of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria in securing the adoption of the term Homoousion at the Nicene Council of 325. It argues that, while the term is not employed in any surviving work from his hand, there is some reason to believe that he sanctioned the use of it by his colleagues. There is no doubt that before the Council he had already declared the Son to be 'from the Father's essence', and it is all but certain that when this phrase was challenged, together with the Homoousion at Nicaea, it was he who produced a conciliatory exegesis of both innovations, relying on the theology that had already been expounded in his letters Philostorgius' story that he and Hosius of Cordoba had concerted a plan to introduce the Homoousion is not implausible, and it should not be assumed that the author of an anonymous life of Constantine, which corroborates this narrative, is merely paraphrasing Philostorgius. Their testimony is consistent with that of Ambrose of Milan, who can be shown to have been acquainted both with documents and with witnesses of the proceedings at the Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), one of the most important German artists of the twentieth century, attempted control over his own reception by effectively functioning, to use today's parlance, as a 'spin doctor', who managed to manipulate the art media in a variety of ways. It considers Kirchner's adoption of the pseudonym 'Louis de Marsalle' to produce statements about his work. Such a textual technique, however dubious and problematic, points to Kirchner's understanding of the importance of self-marketing. Kirchner was highly conscious that the western canon of 'great' art was an ongoing construct. As this construction process was particularly active in Germany in the Wilhelmine and Weimar eras when visual culture was being re-examined in terms of its patriotic and propagandist potential, he attempted through his pseudonymous voice to make some timely interventions in this art-historical process. By writing a Brücke group history and later harnessing a flourishing art magazine culture, which had already served many avant-garde figures in the publication of creeds and manifestoes, he endeavoured to elevate his own status by associating himself with acknowledged canonical figures, while disavowing more contemporary influences. His statements were often underpinned by a need to characterize the differences between 'Latin' and 'Teutonic' visual culture, carefully promoting the latter as a means of shifting the critical focus away from the 'School of Paris'. Kirchner's statements are revealed as an ingenious method of endorsing himself as a contemporary German master in an international context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this article is to examine how older people mobilise sources of strength, often denoted under the concept of resilience, to maintain mastery over their lives in the context of significant threats to their function. Departing from a relational approach to resilience, we focus on how they cooperate and interact with significant others to achieve their personal goals. This is illustrated by the narratives of two older women. The concept of resilience helps us to reflect on their stories and to gain an in-depth understanding of the mediating sources of strength older people rely on when encountering the losses associated with old age. The narratives of the women show that what on the surface appears to be a similar burden to a life or function, turned out to be interpreted and responded to in a different way. Maintaining mastery in old age is a symbolic and interactional process, and a shared responsibility for older persons and their social environment. Important mediating sources of strength that turn out to influence positively one''s sense of mastery include a positive perception of one''s situation, openness about one''s vulnerability and responsiveness to help. In order to promote older people''s sense of mastery, significant others need to approach them in a positive way, by being aware of the way support is offered, by believing in their potential and strength and by allowing reciprocity in the relationship. When these conditions are fulfilled, it becomes possible to enter into a constructive dialogue and recommendations can be developed – in terms of treatment – that are consistent with the older persons'' values and expectations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An essay is presented that discusses paintings of the early Christian text "Apostles' Creed" in Medieval Bohemia. topics include the painting "Madonna From Svojšín," the iconographic representation of the Christian Apostles and the Virgin Mary, and the association of the creed with baptism. Similar earlier Italian art involving the Madonna and child theme is noted.

The general objective of this study is to present the seminal formulations of the concept of freedom in Freire, reviewing this concept in the texts produced by him from 1967 to 1979. The methodology used is the hermeneutic of the idea of freedom which manifests itself in the texts. The theoretical reference is the concept of freedom in the educator, which in this period migrates from a personalist origin to a proposition which dialogues with Marxism. The result was that, initially, under the personalist influence, freedom will be defined as linking oneself to the Creator. Nevertheless, the state of exile brings Freire closer to Western Marxism. Thus, the traditional Christian creed, the direct link between individual and creator, is substituted by the idea that the individual-Creator link need necessarily be mediated by the collective. In being this way, man is not only liberated in his return to the Creator; his freedom comes about in interaction with the Creator via interaction with other men. This suggests to us that the true interaction with the Creator does not come about with an individual re-connection, of the I/divinity type, but in communion, that is to say, in the us/ divinity re-connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Quranic term of mutraf points to the prominent persons who lead the society. These persons have an authority on the society by way of their inherited or acquired statuses and they are in a position of leadership to the society. They are dealt with as a so-cial phenomenon, and some remarkable psychological analyses about them are done in the Quran. The article examines these people in several aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship has largely rejected the relevance of the Johannine Son of Man sayings as a source for solving the Son of Man debate. The suspicion of Jesus' words in John is the obvious reason for this rejection. Jn 9.35 presents an interesting test case for rethinking the authenticity of the Son of Man sayings in John. An examination of this saying reveals that it is discontinuous with early Christianity, Second Temple Judaism, and confessions of faith in John's Gospel. The combination of these factors suggests the possibility that the saying may have come from the lips of the historical Jesus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although currently confessions of faith are challenged or belittled in some sectors of evangelical Christianity, during the Protestant Reformation these documents had highlight, especially in the reformed manifestations of the movement, the Westminster Confession of Faith being the apex of the Reformed confessions of faith. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the importance of this confession in the deployment of Presbyterianism in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the nature of local permutations of transnational Muslim networks in Thailand's southern Muslim-majority provinces and assesses their impact on creed, custom, and conflict in the region. More specifically, the paper interrogates the agenda and methods of idea and norm-propagation on the part of these agents and networks, and their evolving role, as well as the structures and conduits through which they operate and mobilize. In so doing, it finds a tremendously fluid and dynamic terrain in southern Thailand, where narratives, representations, and expressions of Islamic doctrine, legitimacy, and authority, are increasingly heavily contested within the Muslim community as a whole. In addition, the paper investigates the transnational dimensions of on-going violence in the southern provinces. Here, it argues that there is little by way of substantive evidence of any sustained penetration of the conflict in southern Thailand by external actors. No doubt, many have attempted to draw conclusions to the contrary, but their evidence and arguments, not to mention analytical methodology, are tenuous at best. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Athena: Filosofijos studijos is the property of Lithuanian Culture Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The TV show Battlestar Galactica (BSG) may be read as the melding of two polities infused with two different religious systems into one. Drawing on Theodore Schatzki, I argue that this process may best be analysed in terms of the religious practices which they come to perform together. BSG presents a story to the viewer of how a religious practice community that allows differences of creeds and rituals may be realised. With reference to the works of Carl Schmitt and Eric Voegelin, I argue that the key precondition for this to happen is the avoidance of what Voegelin calls political theology. Differences in creed, doctrine, and specific religious practices may exist side by side as long as certain practices associated with the sacred—in the case of BSG, primarily practices that have to do with burying and remembering the dead—are shared. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract Exploring the emergence of creedal statements in Christianity about non-time before creation, called precreation rhetorolect, this essay begins with the baptismal creed called the Roman Symbol and its expansion into the Apostles' Creed. These early creeds contain wisdom, apocalyptic, and priestly rhetorolect, but no precreation rhetorolect. When the twelve statements in the Apostles' Creed were expanded into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the first three statements added precreation rhetorolect. God the Father Almighty not only creates heaven and earth, but God creates all things visible and invisible. Jesus Christ is not only God's only Son, our Lord, but the Son is begotten from the Father before all time, Light from Light, and true God from true God. Being of the same substance as the Father, all things were made through the Son before he came down from heaven, the Son was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. With these creedal additions, a precreation storyline became the context for a lengthy chain of argumentation about belief among fourth century Christian leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hadiths are directly after the Qur'an the most important source in Islam. All the confessions in this religion share this same opinion. Although these confessions agree with the facts, which have to be needed to have an authentic Hadith, they have different point of views regarding to this what makes them authentic. In the following you get informed about the different views of Ibadis to Hadiths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Culture & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly is the property of Turkish Cultur & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It is well known that religions, as social fact have theoretical dimension consisting of creeds and practical dimensions called good deeds. The good deeds are of rites, ethics and conducts, therefore it is impossible to claim that religions in this context could be seen as the facts addressed to the hearts and consciences. In particular, Islam can not accept this claim. In Muslim theology, the importance of good deeds is admitted by all mostly. The social dimension of good deeds is consisted of morality. For Islam, morality is a part of good deeds and at the same timepart of religious orders and bannings; they are not independent rules from religion. Therefore, when practiced, there are rewards and accomplishments, if it is not practiced, then there are sins and punishments. The fact that moral laws are divine commandments give them power and continuity. Because these commandments and the beliefs of them are not external sanctions legimately, but they are internal sactions coming from inside consciously. They have powers to lead humanbeings to good and the truth. For this reason, we have to utilize this power of morality based on faith, which reforms and prevents man from committing sin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's insights on Cardinal John Henry Newman's involvement in the Vatican Council II. The author mentions that Newman was praised by the council but none of his works were cited in the conciliar decrees and influenced conciliar debates. He notes that the cardinal had no substantial part in the Constitution Lumen Gentium drafting due to his deficient familiarity of Catholic studies and relates that the council has been caught up with Newman and not on his thoughts.

The article offers the author's insights on the views of Cardinal John Henry Newman regarding the episcopal and prophetic traditions at the church in his Preface of 1877. The author mentions that Newman states that episcopal tradition is involve in religious rulings and preaching, which consist scriptures from the New Testament, creeds and written documents. The author also depicts Newman's views that prophecy deals with the ties of the church with the gospel of Christ.

This essay is a brief exposition on the Nicene Creed, and its primary emphasis is on the scriptural nature of the Creed. The language and imagery that express the relations among Father, Son, and Spirit in the Creed are the language and imagery of the Bible. But the Creed is not simply a set of propositions that our minds must accept. Like the Bible, the Creed offers a view of life that calls us to turn the world upside down. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents by a few referrals, how reference frames determine elementary the triad of faith-confusion-orientation. Using the methods of systemic analysis it presents that everything we sense as confusion, can help is in finding new ways for orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the beginning of Christological formulations in the early church and the way these formulations evolved into a creed. It defines Christology as a systematic reflection on Jesus Christ and his work. It cites the three reasons that led to the classical Christological formulations following the New Testament period according to John Macquarie. It examines the various Christological formulations from the different centuries such as Alexandrian, Antiochene and Irenaeus.

Copyright of Papeles del CEIC is the property of Centro de Estudios sobra la Identidad Colectiva, Facultas de Ciencias Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It is said that being asked about the historical importance of the French Revolution, the Prime Minister of President Mao responded: "It is still too early to say". When it comes to assessing the impact of Vatican II, the possibility of expediting the trial over their consequences is presented. It is only possible to assess the impact of a long-term council. Many centuries required the Church to measure the depth of the reforms of the Council of Trent of the Council of Nicaea that gave birth to the present Creed that sustains our faith today. That which in the vicinity seemed determinant vanished in a few years, while distant generations harvested unexpected fruits of the events. [TRANSLATION]

The article presents the statement of the Lausanne Theology Working Group about the prosperity gospel, the belief that the faithful have a right to the blessings of health and wealth. The prosperity gospel teaches believers that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the sowing of seeds through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings. The article calls for further reflection on the false teachings of those who promote the prosperity gospel.

This article endorses Calvin's conviction that the 'descendit ad inferna' of the Apostles' Creed is part of the 'summary of doctrine' and a matter of 'no small moment in bringing about redemption' (Calvin 1960:Inst. II, xvi, 8). The reason for this role, however, is not Calvin's metaphorical interpretation of the clause. Instead, the author tries to argue that a scientific theological approach will maintain the clause because of its transcendence of finitude and the proclamation of Christ's victory. The whole of creation is delivered from sin. Proper hermeneutics will take the original socio-historical environment into account and make one suspicious about certain ecclesiastical biases. Spatial terms in the Creed should therefore not be demythologised, but rather be transformed in accordance with the insights of the contemporary physics of time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ESSACHESS is the property of ESSACHESS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Noncreedal approaches to theology have often ignored theological debate over matters inherent to the ancient Christian creeds. One such matter is the Filioque clause. Because Baptists and other noncreedalists often claim to have "no creed but the Bible" (or "no creed but Christ"), the Filioque controversy — wherein we have no dogmatic constraints — should provide an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of a noncreedal approach. After exploring the history and theology of the Filioque, this essay raises several implications about our understanding of the Holy Spirit, the trinitarian relationships, and even the doctrine of revelation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the missionary work of the Protestant churches in Europe as based on the Barmen Declaration of 1934, particularly its sixth thesis. It particularly cites the task of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria which is similar to those of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. It explores the link between the Barmen Declaration and the Luenberg Agreement of 1973 that led to the creation of the Commission of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE).

The article discusses various articles published within the issue including one by Nico Koopman on the role of the Barmen Declaration in the theological resistance to apartheid in South Africa, another by Theodore A. Gill on the Barmen Declaration that has became a part of the Book of Confessions of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S., and one by Fridz Pardamean Sihombing on the Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP) in Indonesia.

The article discusses the Barmen Declaration in May 1934 and the ecumenical movement. It also cites the special message issued by Bishop George Bell to the members of the ecumenical movement on May 10, 1934 concerning the German Evangelical Church. The Barmen declaration was considered as against the totalitarian claims of the Nazi regime during the period. The other individuals that were involved in the movement are also cited, including Cosmo Gordon Lang and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The article discusses the contemporary significance of the Barmen Declaration in the political struggle of the Protestant churches in Indonesia. The Protestant Christian Batak Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKHP)), which is the biggest church in Indonesia, respects and observes the Barmen Declaration as it was included into its confession and constitution in 1951. It also cites the Pancasila ideology in Indonesia.

The article discusses the Lutheran World Federation's (LWF) declaration of status confessionis. It presents the move of several theologians, such as Ulrich Duchrow, to extend the application of the confessional language to the injustices brought about by the global economy in 1980s and 1990s. It also cites the programme of the Department of Theology and Studies of the LWF called "Theology in the Life of the Church" launched in 2004 that was focused on the programmatic concept of "Confessing and Living Out Faith in the Triune God."

The article discusses the Barmen Declaration, as well as the ecumenical movement and the persecution of the Jews during the 1930s. Based on the accounts of historian Richard Evans, over 100,000 so called "enemies of the Reich" were arrested, with hundreds of them perished under detention. It also cites the inter-faith dialogue that was conducted in October 1933 to discuss the persecutions and to plan possible actions. The attendees at the meeting included Protestant ecumenical leader Henry Leiper and Rabbi Stephen Wise.

The article discusses how the faithful in South Africa has accepted the 1934 Barmen Declaration of the Confessing Church in Germany. It cites the role played by the Declaration in the formulation and adoption by the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) of the Confession of Belhar in South Africa. It explores the role played by the declaration in the theological fight of the churches against apartheid.

The article discusses the impact of the Barmen Declaration to the churches in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It traces the relevance of the Declaration to the churches. It cites the six theses that were created starting from the period of Nazism through the GDR period. It claims that the first Barmen thesis has basically established the direction taken by the churches in the GDR.