Protestantism and Repression
Protestantism and Repression

Author: Rubem A. Alves

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2007-01-22

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 155635200X

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Over the last twenty years, incredible changes have taken place in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. In 1959, on the occasion of its centennial celebrations, this church was acclaimed as the outstanding success story of Protestantism in Latin America; it was hailed for its vitality and for the role it seemed destined to play in the life of that nation. Today, after fifteen years of domination by a small group of reactionary leaders, it has been decimated. The word 'Presbyterian' now calls to mind the destructiveness of religious fanaticism and repression. In 'Protestantism and Repression' Rubem Alves wrestles with the questions, Why did all this happen? What is there in the structure and logic of what he calls 'Right-Doctrine Protestantism, ' that leads to repression under certain historical conditions? His analysis is thorough; his insights, profound; his conclusions, astonishing. I urge you to read this book: whether you fear that our religious institutions are moving toward repression, or are convinced that it can't happen here. --Richard Shaull, from the Foreword An outstanding and internationally recognized Third World theologian, Rubem Alves has in 'Protestantism and Repression' moved from the devastating analysis of the consumer society articulated in 'A Theology of Human Hope' and 'Tomorrow's Child' to a partly autobiographical critique of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, a church in which his roots are deeply imbedded. Alves rigorously documents the transformation of Presbyterianism in Brazil from a liberating force to a bulwark of oppression and repression; and he convincingly establishes as the cause of this deterioration what he calls 'the spirit of the Right-Doctrine Protestantism, ' a socially conditioned neofundamentalism that arrogates to itself absolute knowledge and absolute power. As Richard Shaull stresses in an excellent and most informative Foreword, what has happened in Brazil could happen to North American Protestantism. But the lesson is not only for Protestants. The basic issues as defined by Alves are equally pertinent for Roman Catholics both in Latin America and in the Unites States. --Gary MacEoin Rubem Alves was educated at the Campinas Presbyterian Seminary in Brazil, Union Theological Seminary, New York, and Princeton Theological Seminary. A Presbyterian minister and professor at the University of Campinas in Brazil, Alves is the author of What is Religion?

The Poet, the Warrior, the Prophet
The Poet, the Warrior, the Prophet

Author: Rubem A. Alves

Publisher: Scm Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 9780334028963

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Rainer Maria Rilke, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Emily Dickinson, Albert Camus, Sigmund Freud and the Tao Te Ching are just some of the influences evident in this book which brings poetry to bear on theology. An atmosphere of wonder and vision is created - as when, for example, through the magic of Isak Dinesen's Babette's Feast, Alves evokes a picture of `words which are good to be eaten' - which in turn leads to a meditation on politics, prophecy and the theme of resurrection.

Judging the French Reformation
Judging the French Reformation

Author: E. William Monter

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9780674488601

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This original look at the French Reformation pits immovable object--the French appellate courts or parlements--against irresistible force--the most dynamic forms of the Protestant Reformation. Without the slightest hesitation, the high courts of Renaissance France opposed these religious innovators. By 1540, the French monarchy had largely removed the prosecution of heresy from ecclesiastical courts and handed it to the parlements. Heresy trials and executions escalated dramatically. But within twenty years, the irresistible force had overcome the immovable object: the prosecution of Protestant heresy, by then unworkable, was abandoned by French appellate courts. Until now no one has investigated systematically the judicial history of the French Reformation. William Monter has examined the myriad encounters between Protestants and judges in French parlements, extracting information from abundant but unindexed registers of official criminal decisions both in Paris and in provincial capitals, and identifying more than 425 prisoners condemned to death for heresy by French courts between 1523 and 1560. He notes the ways in which Protestants resisted the French judicial system even before the religious wars, and sets their story within the context of heresy prosecutions elsewhere in Reformation Europe, and within the long-term history of French criminal justice.

Popular Movements in Autocracies
Popular Movements in Autocracies

Author: Guillermo Trejo

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-08-13

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 0521197724

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A new explanation of the rise, development and demise of social movements and cycles of protest in autocracies.

Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558-1689
Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558-1689

Author: John Coffey

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-11

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1317884418

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This fascinating work is the first overview of its subject to be published in over half a century. The issues it deals with are key to early modern political, religious and cultural history. The seventeenth century is traditionally regarded as a period of expanding and extended liberalism, when superstition and received truth were overthrown. The book questions how far England moved towards becoming a liberal society at that time and whether or not the end of the century crowned a period of progress, or if one set of intolerant orthodoxies had simply been replaced by another. The book examines what toleration means now and meant then, explaining why some early modern thinkers supported persecution and how a growing number came to advocate toleration. Introduced with a survey of concepts and theory, the book then studies the practice of toleration at the time of Elizabeth I and the Stuarts, the Puritan Revolution and the Restoration. The seventeenth century emerges as a turning point after which, for the first time, a good Christian society also had to be a tolerant one. Persecution and Toleration is a critical addition to the study of early modern Britain and to religious and political history.

Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction
Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Mark A. Noll

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2011-08-25

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 0191620130

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Mark A. Noll presents a fresh and accessible history of Protestantism from the era of Martin Luther to the present day. Beginning with the founding of Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist churches in the sixteenth-century Reformation, he also considers the rise of other important Christian movements like Methodism and Pentecostalism. Focussing on worldwide developments, rather than just the familiar European and American histories, he considers the recent expansion of Protestant movements in Africa, China, India, and Latin America, emphasising the on-going and rapidly expanding story of Protestants worldwide. Noll examines the contributions from well-known figures including Martin Luther and John Calvin, along with many others, and explores why Protestant energies have flagged recently in the Western world yet expanded so dramatically elsewhere. Highlighting the key points of Protestant commonality including the message of Christian salvation, reliance on the Bible, and organization through personal initiative, he also explores the reasons for Protestantism's extraordinary diversity. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Battle for China's Spirit
The Battle for China's Spirit

Author: Sarah Cook

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2017-05-16

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1538106116

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The Battle for China’s Spirit is the first comprehensive analysis of its kind, focusing on seven major religious groups in China that together account for over 350 million believers: Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and Falun Gong. The study examines the evolution of the Communist Party’s policies of religious control, how they are applied differently to diverse faith communities, and how citizens are responding to these policies. The study—which draws on hundreds of official documents and interviews with religious leaders, lay believers, and scholars—finds that Chinese government controls over religion have intensified since November 2012, seeping into new areas of daily life. Yet millions of religious believers defy official restrictions or engage in some form of direct protest, at times scoring significant victories. The report explores how these dynamics affect China’s overall social, political, and economic environment, while offering recommendations to both the Chinese government and international actors for how to increase the space for peaceful religious practice in a country where spirituality has been deeply embedded in its culture for millennia.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Authoritarianism
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Authoritarianism

Author: Milan Zafirovski

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-08-17

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0387493212

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This book explores the historical and contemporary relationships of Protestant Puritanism to political and social authoritarianism. It focuses on Puritanism’s original, subsequent and modern influences on and legacies in political democracy and civil society within historically Puritan Western societies. There is emphasis on Great Britain and particularly America, from the 17th to the 21st century.

Repression, Resistance, and Democratic Transition in Central America
Repression, Resistance, and Democratic Transition in Central America

Author: Latin American Studies Association. International Congress

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9780842027687

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For Central America, the last third of the 20th century was a time of dramatic change in which most countries shifted from dictatorships to formal political democracy. This study demonstrates how revolt and revolution served as the motors of political change in Central America. The book examines the various ways in which democratic transition has taken place - all of which have been distinct from countries in South America, where democratization was relatively sudden and peaceful. It analyzes the major forces shaping change in the region and provides the recent political history of all six Central American countries: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. Each country's particular transition should add to the reader's understanding of democratization.