Minority as a Key Perspective on Religious Diversity
Description
This book provides a timely and thorough examination of religious minorities in Europe, paying particular attention to the diversity within Christianity. Drawing on perspectives from Eastern, Central and Western Europe, with a focus on Germany, it examines the complex dynamics of religious life in minority contexts, offering essential insights into the role of faith communities in post-migrant societies. It investigates how sociological conditions shape religious practices and identities, how migration fosters adaptation and renewal, and the contributions of minority communities to multicultural and plural societies. Featuring contributions from leading scholars of theology, sociology and Islamic studies, this multidisciplinary book provides an in-depth analysis of the evolving landscape of religion in contemporary Europe. It therefore highlights the importance of ecumenical dialogue and interreligious encounters in an increasingly diverse society. This vital resource sheds light on the often overlooked role of religious minorities in shaping the cultural and religious future of Europe, and is essential reading for scholars, students, and practitioners.
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Persons
Matthias Ehmann is Professor of Mission Studies and Intercultural Theology at Ewersbach Theological University, Germany. His research engages with theologies of migration in ecumenical perspective (Theologien der Migration 2023), revivalist Protestant movements (Perspectives on the Study of Revivalist Protestantism in Europe 2024), global Christianity, and digital theology. Integrating empirical and theological approaches (Integrating Theory and Praxis in Empirical Missiology 2021), he explores the intersections of theology and religious studies, contributing to current debates on the role of religion in contemporary societies (Donald Rumsfeld, Slavoj Zizek, and Spirituality in Research 2024).
Michael Schroth is Professor for Practical Theology at the Ewersbach Theological University, Germany. His research focuses on interdenominational church theory (Freie evangelische Gemeinden, 2022), pastoral theology with an emphasis on the different actors in churches and congregations and their interdependence (Irgendwie ganz anders, aber irgendwie dann auch doch nicht, 2024) and the intersection between pastoral care and leadership (Seelsorgerin oder Leiterin?, 2023) as well as late modern leadership concepts and their relevance for congregations and churches.
Content
Chapter 1. Minority as a Key Perspective for Religious Diversity in Late Modernity and Typical Dynamics of Religious Minorities - Summarizing Observations from the Case Studies (Ehmann and Schroth).- Part 1: Historical Insights on Religious Minorities.- Chapter 2. "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" (Acts 16:9) - Reflections on the Sociological Composition of the First Church in Europe (Steyn).- Chapter 3. My foe's foe is my ally - The Stylization of Minorities in the Trial of Augustin Bader (Schäfer).- Chapter 4. The Free Evangelical Churches as Minority Churches - Constellations, Perceptions, Polemics in the Early Period (19th Century) (Heiser).- Chapter 5. Religion and Politics of Minority Protestants in Nineteenth-Century Italy - Rèveil and Risorgimento Nation, 1825-1870 (Popa).- Part 2: Aspects of Christian Minority-Settings in the German Context.- Chapter 6. Continuity and Religious Identity in Sociological Minority Settings - the Example of the Free Evangelical Churches in Germany (Iff).- Chapter 7. Reforming Theology - Transition from the First Order Theology of Churches with African Backgrounds to Second Order Theology of Post-Migration Churches of African Backgrounds (Ahialey-Mawusi).- Chapter 8. Evangelization or Diaspora? - Eastern Orthodox Minorities in the West. The Example of Germany (Vlantis).- Chapter 9. Free Churches and Regional Churches as Part of German Church Culture - Observations, Backgrounds, and Theological-Intercultural Perspectives on a Tension in German Protestantism from a Practical-Ecclesiastical Perspective (Burkhardt).- Part 3: International and Interreligious Perspectives on Religious Minorities in Europe.- Chapter 10. Unmuting the British Gujarati Christian Convert Experience through Contextual Cultural Celebration of Rakshabandan (Reifsnider).- Chapter 11. Integration in Question - Muslim Women's Challenges and Perspectives in Germany (Bakhshizadeh).- Chapter 12. "I still wrap my hijab" - Muslim Women's Self-Organizing in a Post-Digital World (Farizani).- Part 4: Theoretical Conceptualization of Religious Minorities in Late Modernity.- Chapter 13. Migration, a Sociological Particle Accelerator for Denominational Minorities in the West - Perspectives from Theologies of Migration on Minority Settings (Ehmann).- Chapter 14. A (small) Gap in the Religious Market? - Free Churches and Further Religious Minorities in Germany in the Perspective of Modernization Theory (Schroth).