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While remittances have come to play an important part in debates about migration and development, the link between religion, migration and transnational financial flows has yet to be understood in its full complexity. Drawing upon a multi-sited ethnography of a transnational African church, this article addresses this overlooked dimension of migrant transnationalism by analysing how religious donations converted into 'sacred remittances' produce a moral economy of religious life shaped by a politics of belongings at various scales. The article discusses the social meaning that diasporic actors attach to religious donations sent to the homeland (the Congo) and how this compares to the practice of sending remittances to family members. The article also argues that transnational circulation of sacralised money operates within a field of meanings and practices associated with moral expectations, entitlements and differentiated regimes of value. Sacred remittances, as 'global money', may generate a diversity of transnational linkages between donors and recipients but they remain embedded in landscapes of status and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory is the property of University of Chicago Press 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 article presents an overview of the instructive differentiations and conflicts of the Reformation and demonstrates how difficult it was to sustain the proclamation of a pure gift without the causality of a reciprocal gift in a synchronous and diachronic environment. Topics discussed include the traditional Roman Catholic logic of exchanging gifts; theologian Martin Luther's New Understanding of God's Pure Gift; and ambivalence in the Reformation's reception of the New Theology of Gift.

Identifying low-cost, effective methods to influence behavior is of keen interest to social marketers and others striving to bring about social change. Research on material primes (an object or a word present in the individual’s environment) has received little interest from scientists. This field study conducted in France examined whether the presence of a religious symbol could influence the number of individuals who accepted an organ donation card. The study, conducted with 200 males and 200 females, examined the effect of the presence versus the absence of a Christian cross worn by a solicitor on participant’s compliance to an organ donation request. The findings showed that participants exposed to a Christian cross worn by a solicitor complied more favorably with the request addressed by the solicitor. This effect was found among both male and female participants. The presence of the Christian cross could have acted as a prime that led in turn to the activation of further concepts associated with religion such as compassion, support or solidarity, which in turn led participants to accept the organ donation solicitation more favorably. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article seeks to understand, in a speculative way, the relationship between a new generation and the one preceding it. After having identified two opposite extremes – the ‘continuity thesis’ and the ‘discontinuity thesis’ – the article appropriates the logic of gift exchange to map out a mediating position. The fact that the practice of gift exchange is susceptible to criticism is subsequently noted, and two major lines of philosophical criticism are considered and related to the continuity thesis and the discontinuity thesis, respectively. The article then makes use of the work done by John Milbank to show that a purified notion of gift exchange is possibly from the vantage point of Christian theology, and finally seeks to apply this notion to the relationship between generations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on psychoanalytic perspective of giving and taking gifts to between friends, lovers or spouses and others. Topics discussed include role of gifts in spoiling some relationships, role of gift in structuring social order such as gift in the ancient rites of wedding and marriage and religious aspect of gift in the world culture.

This article explores the cultural history of money in medieval Judaism and Christianity. In doing so, it reassesses a historical narrative describing the emergence of a 'new money economy' in the High Middle Ages. In the prevailing narrative, money is positioned as a causal agent: it is said to effect and symbolize the 'profit motive,' becoming a locus for anxiety about the new money economy. But a close reading of moral literature suggests that money per se was not a locus of anxiety. Moralists had a sophisticated understanding of economic value and its relation to moral economy. Anxiety among Jewish and Christian moralists focused on the possible disjuncture between moral and economic values, not on economic value per se. Through close readings of medieval exempla, this article demonstrates that moralists regarded the economic act of acquisition as creating a moral value. When 'bad' moral value adhered to coins, they sought to devise means for redeeming that value through penitential acts. This ideology, which was shared by Jewish and Christian authors, suggests that cultural assumptions about money were more sophisticated than a straightforward fear of the profit economy and profit motive and that the narrative of European economic development as a shift from gift economy to profit economy ought to be problematized. Binary oppositions between gift and profit and between an altruistic Christianity (linked to a gift economy) and a modernizing Judaism (linked to a profit economy) ought to be broken down. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dirasat: Shar'ia & Law Sciences is the property of University of Jordan 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.)

This article examines Martin Luther's two fundamental claims around Christian freedom. Drawing on Luther, I suggest three primary characteristics of Christian freedom that should be recovered and championed in our twenty-first-century context: it is relational, it is a gift; and it contains within it an ethical imperative for the sake of the neighbor. Together, these three characteristics point to the fact that in a Christian understanding, 'freedom' is never considered by itself, but only in the larger context of 'freedom from' and 'freedom for.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Martin Luther's statement 'faith creates divinity' depends upon the antecedent promise of the crucified and triune God. When considered as a theology of gift, this statement illustrates that faith makes divinity by giving God glory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of prasāda as a “gracious gift” in contemporary South Asian religious practice is hard to overstate. As the central liturgical prop at Hindu pilgrimage centers and local temples alike, prasāda is an everyday part of Hindu religious practice. Yet long before the codification of modern Hindu ritual, prasāda was also a foundational concept in Sanskrit literature. Scholarly works have considered prasāda as an element of Hindu ritual from anthropological perspectives and in specialized textual contexts but they have not been integrated together. In this article, I use a multidisciplinary approach to put prasāda at the center of analysis. First, I present some general principles of contemporary prasāda practice illustrated by examples from four Hindu pilgrimage sites, followed by a brief analysis of prasāda's usage in well-known Sanskrit scriptures (selections from the Purāṇas). Taken together, prasāda is revealed to be a foundational concept for making sense of Hindu religious life in South Asian terms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores practices of charitable giving in Islamic societies. Particular focus is given to the Islamic concepts of zakat, or obligatory alms calculated on the basis of a donor's wealth, and sadaqa, or voluntary donations meant to provide material benefits to members of the Muslim community. According to the author, faith-inspired giving in the Islamic world often shares the goals and institutional structures of other charities while framing them in Qur'anic principles. It is suggested that the Western press exaggerates the differences between Muslim and Western forms of charity and erroneously links Muslim faith-based giving to the funding of terrorism.

In this article, I draw on ethnography from the Zambian Copperbelt to examine the social productivity of the Pentecostal prosperity gospel, a Christian movement centered on the idea that it is God's will for believers to be wealthy. In the light of the challenges that recent economic history has posed to Copperbelt relational life, Pentecostalism has become an important source of hierarchy--and, therefore, of social organization. This social productivity is evident in the complex patterns of exchange that emerge as believers make gifts to God and religious leaders. An analysis of Pentecostal exchange reveals that the hierarchical relationships forged through religious adherence are often in danger of being undermined by economic concerns, and prosperity gospel practice is therefore continually mobilized to protect these ties. In this discussion, I foreground the position of Pentecostalism among the repertoire of ideas, practices, and beliefs involved in negotiating social life in times of economic uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the futility with regards to the acceptance of the charismatic sign gifts used in Christian philosophy. It notes the end of sign gifts authenticating the real messengers of God and the continuation of any type of revelation considering the prediction of Apostle Paul on the church's maturity where further revelation would not be necessary anymore. It also stresses the significance for people to care about what others do in their ministry to prevent distraction.

Creation as a philosophical issue has an overriding importance. Along with the study of known philosophers, it's worth to explore the route followed by others. As a particular feature, Leonardo Polo distinguishes between the meaning of God's cosmic creation and the creation of personal existences. This work sets his contribution according to his method of Transcendental anthropology, following one of the four proposed ways to discover the creature status of personal being: through personal love and the structure of giving (give-accept-gift) in all levels of personal ontological constitution (actus essendi, essentia and nature). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the word presentation-signifying a cash wedding gift as an alternative to material objects, and usually stated on the lower right-hand corner of the wedding invitation-has become recognized, if somewhat controversial, across class, linguistic, and ethnocultural boundaries. Both implicit and complicit coding methods overshadow or disguise the transactional nature of the cash gift in order to make the request more polite. Presentation is echoed in such forms as rhymed cash requests and themed receptacles, which likewise disrupt the economistic undertones of the cash gift while maintaining the personal face of the wedded couple and their guests. We argue that such customs offer layered codes that not only reinforce the taboo on requesting cash, but critique capitalism's invasion of this rite of passage and its associated events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a philosophical exploration into the nature of the gift, or "givenness" within the field of ethics, particularly that informed by Lutheran Christian theology. Subjects addressed include the dynamics of receiving and passing along the faith tradition, the ontological nature of reality as that of a gift from God, and the Lutheran understandings of the Lord's Supper within this paradigm. Additional discussion is provided regarding the nature of God as a giver, and the proper response of Christians to this aspect of God's being.

The article focuses on the interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:12 regarding the distribution of gifts from the Holy Spirit and how women are not allowed to use the hermeneutical principles. It notes the roles of women in the Christian community while the church tries to limit their roles. It also notes the difference between what is written in Timothy 2:12 and Romans 12:1-8 which includes hermeneutic imperialism resulting to different patterns of injustices, that is, generating a different theology for women than for men.

The article focuses on gift giving, particularly giving one's own flesh. It offers several perspectives regarding the notion of giving one's flesh as a sign of ultimate gift to the people, manifested from the incarnation of God. It cites the relationship between man and God, wherein giving one's flesh means establishing a bond between man and spiritual state.

Among the questions related to the Fourth Gospel, which have not yet received a response widely agreed, are those related to present and future aspects of johannine eschatology. Although in agreement with the other books of the New Testament, the johannine eschatology has a characteristic emphasis: Judgment, Resurrection, eschatological gifts are not only future but also belong to the present. How should we understand them? Are the two complementary aspects of johannine eschatology or rather opposite one another and irreconcilable? In the latter case, an explanation must be given concerning the origin and paternity of the verses that support the aspect considered illegitimate. Our exegesis of In. 5,19-30 will advocate for the balance retained by the evangelist John between the two aspects of its eschatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Corinthians 14 has provoked interest due to the controversy that the exercise of some gifts has produced from the first century until today. The present article offers an exegetical commentary on this chapter, in which Paul regulates the use of the gifts of tongues and prophecy in the worshipping community. It places special emphasis on the development of the argument of the chapter and on the analysis of controversies in its interpretation, while at the same time pointing out some important principles for worship today. This first part of the article deals with 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, where Paul argues that in public worship prophecy should have preference over tongues, since because it is intelligible, it is a better gift for the edification and evangelization of the audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a response to Theodore Kepes's "Toward a Unified Vision: The Integration of Christian Theology and Evolution in Karl Rahner's Understanding ofMatter and Spirit." Kepes employs a Rahnerian strategy ofattempting to integrate supposedly competing narratives - in this case, Michael Dennett's reductive materialism - into the Christian narrative of creation and the evolution of both matter and spirit. The response given here argues that this Rahnerian strategy overlooks the programmatic nature of contemporary secular materialism, which is self-conscious in its opposition to any account of the world that invokes the transcendent or the divine. The paper presents an overview of Balthasar's theological anthropology and argues that Balthasar's emphasis on Gift, rather than Rahner's emphasis on Mystery, makes it more personological and therefore more adequate to the task of understanding and responding to the current materialist, liberal, secular mythos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What if thinking the gift could offer a way of rethinking two of society's most irreconcilable cultural spheres - the religious and the irreligious? The gift is irreducibly dual, marked by both gratuity and reciprocity, excess and exchange. What, then, if Creation is a gift? (The 'ifness' of the proposition is duly acknowledged, discussed, and affirmed.) Religious responses to the possible gift of Creation may be interpreted as reflecting and respecting the circular dimension involved in gifting (religion as thanking and reciprocating), while secular-hedonistic responses reflect and respect its gratuity (irreligion as taking and enjoying). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines church attendance and church contributions among Protestants in a standard model of household allocation of time and income. Life cycle aspects of allocation and contributions; Effects of tax treatment on contributions behavior; Involvement of religious lobbyist in tax policy debates.

A reprint of the article "Philanthropy in Islam" by Syed Imad-Ud-Din Asad, which appeared in the February 24, 2012 issue of "Dawn," is presented. It discusses the role of philanthropy in Muslim faith. Details on various categories of obligatory and voluntary philanthropy in Islamic law, such as zakat and sadaqa, are presented. It is suggested that Islamic law makes philanthropy a compulsory legal and religious duty.

The article presents a response to an article by Hefin Jones concerning the lack of importance given to the personal development of Christians published within the issue. It notes that the work of Jones was able to cover issues that should be of concern to Congregationalists. It adds that Jones has mentioned that the gifts important for the good health of the church have been provided by God yet church members are said to have not been encouraged to use such gifts. It emphasizes the need to develop plans such as Church Development Plans.

The article focuses on the opera piece by Italian composer Gian-Carlo Menotti entitled "Amahl and the Night Visitors," and its implications to a Christian's concept of the Epiphany. It presents the story which narrates how a crippled shepherd boy named Amahl and his unconvinced mother encountered and learned the value of gift-giving from the three kings of the Nativity. It also presents the inspiration behind Menotti's creation of the piece, as well as the author's insights on the story's theme.