Christianity and civil society

Sample

Yves Blomme

A la charnière des XIXe et XXe siècles, trois évêques français, réputés libéraux, allaient adopter une position minoritaire lors de la crise moderniste, ainsi qu’à l’occasion de la Séparation de l’Église et de l’État. L’un d’eux, Mgr Émile Le Camus (à La Rochelle), engagé de longue date dans le mouvement biblique catholique débutant, n’avait eu de cesse de tenter de parvenir à l’épiscopat dans le but d’entreprendre la rénovation du catholicisme par la réforme des études dans les séminaires. Parvenu à ses fins, il aura surtout à faire face à la crise ouverte entre l’Église et la République, dans laquelle il se démarquera encore en appelant de ses vŒux la Séparation.

Sample

Kevin P. Spicer

"Shaken by military defeat and economic depression after War World I, Germans sought to restore their nation's dignity and power. In this context the National Socialist Party, with its promise of a revivified Germany, drew supporters. Among the most zealous were a number of Catholic clergymen known as "brown priests" who volunteered as Nazi propagandists. In Hitler's Priests, Kevin P. Spicer introduces the principal clergymen who participated in the Nazi movement, examines their motives, details their advocacy of National Socialism, and explores the consequences of their political activism." "Some brown priests, particularly war veterans, advocated National Socialism because it appealed to their patriotic ardor. Others had less laudatory motives: disaffection with clerical life, conflicts with Church superiors, or ambition for personal power and fame. Whatever their individual motives, they employed their skills as orators, writers, and teachers to proclaim the message of Nazism. Especially during the early 1930s, when the Church forbade membership in the party, these clergymen strove to prove that Catholicism was compatible with National Socialism, thereby justifying their support of Nazi ideology. Father Dr. Philipp Haeuser, a scholar and pastor, went so far as to promote antisemitism while deifying Adolf Hitler. The Fuhrer's antisemitism, Spicer argues, did not deter clergymen such as Haeuser because, although the Church officially rejected the Nazis' extreme racism, Catholic teachings tolerated hostility toward Jews by blaming them for Christ's crucifixion." "In addition to this intriguing history about clergymen trying to reconcile faith and politics, Spicer provides a master list verified by extensive research in Church and government archives - of Catholic clergy who publicly supported National Socialism."--BOOK JACKET.

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Kurt Bowen

In this sociological assessment of the Evangelical movement in Mexico, Kurt Bowen highlights the demographic, social, and political character of the movement in the 1980s and 1990s. He pays particular attention to conversion processes, commitment mechanisms, schisms, and distinctive beliefs. Bowen also considers the controversial issues of religious persecution and American missionary influence. Bowen reveals that Evangelicalism's appeal is so pervasive in Mexico that if Evangelical converts all remained faithful it could become Mexico's dominant religion by 2006. This projection, however, is improbable due to high drop-out rates and Bowen argues that Evangelical apostasy is rooted in the most basic beliefs and practices of its followers.

Sample

John Anderson

Making use of newly available archive material, this text provides the first systematic and accessible overview of church state relations in the Soviet Union.