Search Results

 Competing Models of Church‐State Relations

Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu

in Religion and Politics in Post-Communist Romania

Since 1989, four competing models of church‐state relations have been advocated by the dominant Orthodox Church, the religious minority groups, the humanistic civil society, and the Romanian ... More

Since 1989, four competing models of church‐state relations have been advocated by the dominant Orthodox Church, the religious minority groups, the humanistic civil society, and the Romanian authorities. This chapter presents church‐state relations in pre‐communist, communist and post‐communist times as reflected in the 1831, 1923, 1948 and 1991 constitutions and contrasts the post‐communist model to Alfred Stepan's democratic requirement of twin tolerations between church and state.Less

An Erastian Modernity? Church, State, and Education in Early Nineteenth‐Century Prussia

Thomas Albert Howard

in Protestant Theology and the Making of the Modern German University

This chapter examines reconfigurations in Prussian politics, bureaucracy, educational policy, and church-state relations in the early 19th century. It explores the rhetoric and realities of Prussia ... More

This chapter examines reconfigurations in Prussian politics, bureaucracy, educational policy, and church-state relations in the early 19th century. It explores the rhetoric and realities of Prussia qua Kulturstaat, and examines in detail the establishment of the Ministry of Culture (Kultusministerium) during the Prussian Reform Era and the far-reaching Erastian authority this ministry exercised over church affairs, academic life, and theology throughout the 19th century. It was largely through the agency of this Ministry, the nationalist historian Heinrich von Treitschke once wrote, that the church in Prussia was kept ‘under the benevolent tutelage of the state’.Less

Introduction

Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu

in Church, State, and Democracy in Expanding Europe

This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of church-state relations in the countries in the original European Union (EU). It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to investigate ... More

This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of church-state relations in the countries in the original European Union (EU). It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to investigate church-state relations in the enlarged EU resulting from the acceptance of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Slovenia in 2004, and of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. The chapter addresses important questions such as: What are the broad patterns of church-state relations in these countries? How did these models grow historically, how were they reshaped by communist policies, and how have they evolved in the pre-accession stage? How significantly different are these models from church-state relations in established Western democracies? Will the new EU members' ability to consolidate democracy be hampered by their church-state relations? The religious make-up of these post-communist EU member states is also described.Less

Opportunities and Constraints in Religious Peace Work

John D. Brewer, Gareth I. Higgins, and Francis Teeney

in Religion, Civil Society, and Peace in Northern Ireland

This chapter addresses stage two of the conceptual framework by identifying the key strategic social spaces the churches operated in within the peace process and which offered both opportunities for ... More

This chapter addresses stage two of the conceptual framework by identifying the key strategic social spaces the churches operated in within the peace process and which offered both opportunities for and constraints on their peacebuilding. It locates religious peacebuilding in terms of the key matrix of church–state–civil society relations, arguing that church–civil society relations have to be placed within the wider church–state relationship. The opportunities and constraints operating on the churches in Northern Ireland are thus themselves interpreted within church–state relations, establishing in particular the ambivalent positions adopted by the Catholic Church in relationship to the British state, as well as that by majority Protestant churches, which help understand their respective religious peacebuilding.Less

Conclusions

Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu

in Church, State, and Democracy in Expanding Europe

This chapter compares the ten post-communist members of the EU in terms of the dimensions detailed in the preceding chapters. To make the comparison intelligible, those dimensions are reorganized as ... More

This chapter compares the ten post-communist members of the EU in terms of the dimensions detailed in the preceding chapters. To make the comparison intelligible, those dimensions are reorganized as follows: (1) the legislative framework pertaining to religion and religious life; (2) the powers and responsibilities assumed by the governmental agencies in charge of religious affairs; (3) the ease with which religious denominations gained official recognition from the state, and the differences among churches imposed upon by the authorities, the different tiers at which denominations could register, and the advantages resulting from such registration; and (4) the manner in which religious instruction was delivered in public schools. The aim is to understand more fully the ways in which church and state, religious and political actors have come together in these countries after the collapse of the communist regime, during their transition to democracy, and during the first years after they joined the EU. The chapter then identifies the areas of church-state relations that fall short of the “twin toleration” principle, with a view to identifying the cases where reforms are needed and to bring these countries closer to democratic standards.Less

 The Christian Community in China: The Leaven Effect

Chan Kim‐Kwong

in Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Asia

This chapter assesses the impact of the expansion of the Christian community on current sociopolitical development in China and it particularly looks at democratization, including the development of ... More

This chapter assesses the impact of the expansion of the Christian community on current sociopolitical development in China and it particularly looks at democratization, including the development of civil society, social identity, sociopolitical influence, and the political involvement of the communities studied. The chapter is organized as follows. The first section examines government religious policy, the governmental apparatus on religious affairs, the regime's political objectives toward Christians, and the restrictions with which the Christian community has to live. It also describes the institutional structures of the Christian community and church-state relations in China. The second section examines leavening effects in seven Christian communities—some urban, some rural. Most are government-recognized; a few are nonregistered, illegal groups. Each community manifests faith differently and displays the wide range of interactions between church and society that may affect the shape of Chinese democratization. The final section sums up and classifies the cases, relating these findings to general sociopolitical trends in China.Less

Muslims in the United Kingdom

H. A. Hellyer

in Muslims of Europe The ‘Other’ Europeans

The United Kingdom has a long history of interaction with Muslims and is home to a large Muslim population. While the largest and most noticeable presence of Muslims rose in the UK in the aftermath ... More

The United Kingdom has a long history of interaction with Muslims and is home to a large Muslim population. While the largest and most noticeable presence of Muslims rose in the UK in the aftermath of the breakup of the British Empire, the history of the relationship goes back much further. Muslim history in the UK or among Britons can be divided into five phases: early Muslim general history until the end of the fifteenth century; sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century; nineteenth century to World War I; early twentieth century; and mid-twentieth century to the turn of the twenty-first century and the ‘War on Terror’. This chapter focuses on Muslims in the UK, with Muslim sailors as the early British Muslims in Cardiff and Liverpool. It also considers Muslim lobby groups in the UK, the debate over ‘church-state’ relations and the past and present legal status of Muslims in the UK. Moreover, the chapter considers blasphemy, demands for fiqh incorporation into state law and legal reforms.Less

Canon Law and the Secular State

John J. Coughlin

in Law, Person, and Community: Philosophical, Theological, and Comparative Perspectives on Canon Law

This chapter first describes two contrasting sets of assumptions about the role of the state vis-à-vis religion. The traditional set of assumptions that has formed part of public ecclesiastical law ... More

This chapter first describes two contrasting sets of assumptions about the role of the state vis-à-vis religion. The traditional set of assumptions that has formed part of public ecclesiastical law is increasingly supplanted by a second set typical of the modern secular state. Second, it discusses the theological and rationalist anthropologies that underpin the religion clauses of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Constitution's prohibition of an established religion and guarantee of religious freedom may in their original intent actually be more consistent with the traditional set of assumptions about the proper roles of church and state than the secularized set. Third, it assesses the impact of the United States Supreme Court's separationist interpretation of the First Amendment during the second half of the twentieth century on legislative programs of public aid to Catholic schools. The separationist approach illustrates how judicial review may function to facilitate the abrogation of the traditional assumptions about church-state relations in favor of the modern secularized assumptions of the diminished role of religion.Less

Introduction: Church-Based Social Ministry in Context

Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider

in Saving Souls, Serving Society: Understanding the Faith Factor in Church-Based Social Ministry

Religious entities play a vital though limited role in our social safety net. The majority of congregations engage in community-serving activities, though their commitments tend to be shallow. Four ... More

Religious entities play a vital though limited role in our social safety net. The majority of congregations engage in community-serving activities, though their commitments tend to be shallow. Four currents in the broader political and social setting have particular implications for understanding faith-based social services: devolution, faith-based initiatives, changing norms for religion in public life, and ambivalence toward evangelism. Shifting patterns in church-state relations have generated both opportunities and uncertainties. This dynamic context invites a fresh conceptual framework for interpreting churches' public engagement. In particular, new language is needed to describe the “faith factor” that has meaning outside of the religious community, but does not reduce faith to a product of other social variablesLess

A New Era of Church-State Cooperation

in God's Economy: Faith-Based Initiatives and the Caring State

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a set of provisions known as “charitable choice,” part of the landmark welfare reform bill signed by President Bill Clinton that year. Charitable choice allowed ... More

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a set of provisions known as “charitable choice,” part of the landmark welfare reform bill signed by President Bill Clinton that year. Charitable choice allowed religious social-service providers a statutory right to contract with the government without compromising their religious identity. The Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) of the administration of President George W. Bush was based on the core legal principles of charitable choice. This chapter examines the faith-based initiative and its two goals: to increase the share of federal social welfare funding going to faith-based groups and to insure the institutional autonomy and religious identity of participating faith-based providers. The faith-based initiative was implemented by the White House with mixed results over Bush's two terms. This chapter discusses what happened under Bush and considers the legislative and legal developments that preceded the launching of the FBCI. It also describes the church-state relations which moved away from strict separationism to cooperation, giving rise to a new church-state order.Less

The Impact of Neutral Rules on Hierarchical Churches

John J. Coughlin

in Law, Person, and Community: Philosophical, Theological, and Comparative Perspectives on Canon Law

The previous chapter's case study of the Supreme Court's invalidation of government programs of aid to religious schools during the twentieth century suggests that a strict-separationist approach ... More

The previous chapter's case study of the Supreme Court's invalidation of government programs of aid to religious schools during the twentieth century suggests that a strict-separationist approach cannot be justified on the ground of the original intent of the First Amendment. In an alternative and more recent approach to church-state relations, the Supreme Court has attempted to apply neutral rules. The Supreme Court's shift to the neutral rules approach is an implicit acknowledgment of the historical problem presented by strict separationism, while at the same time the shift indicates the Court's intention to adhere to the separation doctrine. This chapter asks whether or not the Court's approach is in fact neutral when applied to hierarchical churches.Less

The Changing Law of Church and State

Julian Rivers

in The Law of Organized Religions: Between Establishment and Secularism

This chapter provides an overview of the legal history of church-state relations in England and Wales from Roman times to the 20th century. It focuses in particular on those aspects of the law which ... More

This chapter provides an overview of the legal history of church-state relations in England and Wales from Roman times to the 20th century. It focuses in particular on those aspects of the law which have left their mark on current arrangements. The period until the final attempt to secure uniformity in public worship in the 1660s is therefore dealt with relatively briefly. Instead, the chapter focuses on the legal incidents of toleration after 1689, and the rapid shift to religious pluralism from the 1830s to the 1870s. Late 19th- and early 20th-century developments are characterized in terms of four themes: the extension of legality to all religions and none, the separation of religious and public services, growing autonomy of established churches, and an emphasis on individual conscience.Less

 Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism: A European Union/United States Comparison

José Casanova

in Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism

This chapter shows that one of the most significant consequences of the new global patterns of transnational migration has been a dramatic growth in religious diversity in the United States and ... More

This chapter shows that one of the most significant consequences of the new global patterns of transnational migration has been a dramatic growth in religious diversity in the United States and Western Europe. The new immigrant religions, however, present significantly different challenges of integration in Christian/Secular Europe and in Judeo-Christian/Secular America due to the different histories of immigration and modes of immigrant incorporation, the different patterns of religious pluralism, and the different types of secularism in both regions. Religion in the United States constitutes a positive resource insofar as religious associations and religious collective identities constitute one of the accepted avenues for immigrant incorporation and for mutual group recognition in the public sphere of American civil society. In Europe, by contrast, secularist world views and various institutional patterns of public recognition through different forms of church-state relations make the incorporation of immigrant religions in the public sphere of European civil societies a more contentious issue.Less

State and religion in the pluralist republic

Eoin Daly and Tom Hickey

in The political theory of the Irish Constitution: Republicanism and the basic law

This chapter considers the treatment of religious issues in republican philosophy. In particular it considers republican justifications for the separation of church and state. It argues that the idea ... More

This chapter considers the treatment of religious issues in republican philosophy. In particular it considers republican justifications for the separation of church and state. It argues that the idea of freedom as non-domination can inform an analysis of Church-State relations in the Irish context.Less

Historical Background: Church–State Relations from the Ottoman Period to the Eve of World War II (1453–1939)

Panteleymon Anastasakis

in The Church of Greece under Axis Occupation

This chapter traces church–state relations in Greek history from 1453 to the eve of World War II. This development has three important phases. During the first period (1453–1821), the patriarchs of ... More

This chapter traces church–state relations in Greek history from 1453 to the eve of World War II. This development has three important phases. During the first period (1453–1821), the patriarchs of Constantinople, exemplified by Gennadios Scholarios and Gregorios V, became ethnarchs. Second, the period of the Greek Revolution (1821–30) witnessed a division within the church and the emergence of the role of clergymen, exemplified by Papaflessas and Germanos of Patras, as rebel leaders. Third, the period between the later stages of the revolution and the eve of World War II (1827-1939) saw efforts by secular authorities, especially through the Church Constitution of 1833, to turn the church into a department of state and reduce its role to spiritual affairs; a strategy that met with only limited success. This historical background is essential for understanding the church’s response to the experience of enemy occupation during World War II.Less

The Patriarch–President Pact and the People in Between

Mariz Tadros

in Copts at the Crossroads: The Challenges of Building Inclusive Democracy in Egypt

The focus of this chapter is the Church–state–citizen relations from the 1950s to 2004, looking at how the Church leadership emerged as the mediator between Coptic citizenry and the state. It argues ... More

The focus of this chapter is the Church–state–citizen relations from the 1950s to 2004, looking at how the Church leadership emerged as the mediator between Coptic citizenry and the state. It argues that the diversification of centers of power has complicated this pact and made it both more ambiguous. This chapter also addresses the marginalization of Copts in civil and political society, starting with Nasser’s policies of centralization, and the Islamization of political space from the 1970s.Less