Abstract The doctoral thesis deals with such Christian sense of community in which a believer participates in the services or other activities of several Christian communities, con¬ceives the community of Christians as something larger than the institutionalized church or religious community, or argues matters within the domain of religion with statemenst that belong to non-religious discourse. I will use the term Inter-Christianity of these activities. The primary survey area is Finland. However, I will contextualize the observations concerning Finland against changes in Christianity especially in Germany, the United States of America and also by a few examples, elsewhere in the world. In this manner, I will put the observations concerning Finland in proportion with the supranational nature of Christianity. I will review the change in the sense of community and identification of Christianity with the help of theories involving postmodernism, narrative research and symbolic anthropology. Twenty-three informants took part in the research. The research materials consists of 24 interviews, 14 discussions, 51 feedback discussions, 47 field work events and 49 written descriptions, Internet discussions and television programs involved with the topic. As the study is a mix of reflexive, interpretative and empirical methods, it is postmodern religious anthropology. Due to influence of ecumenical discussion, joint Christian gatherings and ecumenical services have increased in all countries reviewed. The increase of joint activities of different churches and the spread of awakening evangelical Christianity together with the postmodern culture that empahizes individuality have confirmed the perception of people involved in the Inter-Christianity on the justification of participation in multiple communities and the home gathering activities that oppose the institutionalized power of churches. Postevangelical movements and reform groups are common in Germany and the United States of America. Instead, home gathering activities and individual crossing of boundaries are common in Finland. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus käsittelee sellaista kristillisen yhteisöllisyyden tapaa, jossa uskova osallistuu monien uskonyhteisöjen jumalanpalveluksiin tai muuhun toimintaan, käsittää kristittyjen yhteisön institutionaalista kirkkoa tai uskonyhteisöä laajemmaksi kokonaisuudeksi tai perustelee uskoon liittyviä asioita muuhun kuin uskonnolliseen diskurssiin kuuluvilla lausumilla. Nimitän tällaista toimintaa poikkikristillisyydeksi. Ensisijainen tarkastelukohteeni on Suomi, mutta kontekstualisoin Suomea koskevia havaintoja kristillisyyden muutoksiin Saksassa ja Yhdysvalloissa sekä muutaman esimerkin avulla muualla maailmassa. Suhteutan näin Suomea koskevat havainnot kristillisyyden ylikansalliseen luonteeseen. Tarkastelen kristillisen yhteisöllisyyden ja identifioitumisen muutosta postmodernia käsittelevien teorioiden, narratiivitutkimuksen ja symbolisen antropologian avulla. Tutkimukseen osallistui 23 informanttia. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 24 haastattelusta, 14 keskustelusta, 51 palautekeskustelusta, 47 kenttätyötapahtumasta ja 49 aihetta käsitelleestä kirjallisesta kuvauksesta, Internet-keskustelusta ja televisio-ohjelmasta. Refleksiivistä, tulkinnallista ja kokemuksellista menetelmää sekoittavana tutkimus on postmodernia uskontotutkimusta. Ekumeenisen keskustelun vaikutuksesta yhteiskristilliset kokoontumiset ja ekumeeniset jumalanpalvelukset ovat lisääntyneet kaikissa tarkastelumaissa. Kirkkokuntien yhteisen toiminnan lisääntyminen ja evankelikaalisen herätyskristillisyyden leviäminen yhdessä yksilöä korostavan postmodernin kulttuurin kanssa ovat vahvistaneet poikkikristillisesti toimivien käsitystä kirkkojen institutionaalista valtaa vastustavan kotikokoustoiminnan ja monissa yhteisöissä käymisen oikeutuksesta. Postevankelikaaliset liikkeet ja reformiryhmät ovat yleisiä Saksassa ja Yhdysvalloissa, kun taas kotikokoustoiminta ja yksilöllinen rajanylitys ovat yleisiä Suomessa.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria is very particular in its missionary focus; it strives towards preparing people for the Second Advent of Christ through preaching its unique set of doctrines. The denomination as an organization and its people believe that this task must be done with a sense of urgency. To this end, apart from having a network of congregations and places of worship, it has set up schools (from primary to tertiary levels), medical care facilities and a relief agency, and it gets involved in various forms of community services. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a world-wide Christian organization whose missionary orientation necessitated its establishment in Nigeria. Nigeria, as a country, is a British colonial arrangement established through Lord Frederick Lugard’s amalgamation of different regions in 1914. The country has continued ever since to struggle with the issue of identity, political leadership and development. Although its people struggled and got independence on October 1, 1960, the different ethnic groups’ perception of the political leadership and resource control ever since is that of injustice and marginalization. This perception has led to many coup d’états and even a civil war. Bad leadership, corruption, maladministration, election rigging and other forms of immoral behaviours have continued to hamper the movement towards prosperity and peace. In what appears to be a cycle of underdevelopment and political injustice has led to chronic bad governance, which has precipitated ethnic and religious violence. Such a series of events have consequentially neutralized all opportunities necessary for growth and development. Corruption and other unethical practices are the bane of development and prosperity. This is the milieu in which the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria carries out its missionary activities. Incidentally, the denomination’s first missionary, Elder David C. Babcock, arrived in Nigeria the same year as the country’s amalgamation (1914). The Seventh-day Adventist Church has therefore continued to grow within the context of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political turmoil. The issue of development and national prosperity has always been central to successive administrations in Nigeria. To this end, various developmental policies were put in place. This thesis examines these policies and reflects on the levels of their successes and failures. Most of the time, the nagging issues of corruption and lack of discipline are seen to have constituted major obstacles toward achieving their set objectives. This study therefore proposes a different outlook and approach to the issue of national development. Its thesis is that the traditional micro-economic approach, which measures national development only by indices such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita income and other physical indicators, would always leave the developmental aspirations frustrated, if not unmet. This study therefore proceeds to propose the transformational development approach, which underscores the critical roles that faith-based organizations (FBOs) need to play to support sustainable development. This thesis challenges the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria to see itself as a critical agency for transformational development of the country. This should be a major part of its missionary activities. This study examined literatures that have demonstrated how theological discourse can be redirected toward broader social concerns, such as transforming a community. Furthermore, an empirical exploration of the Seventh-day Adventist community that formed part of the study showed that its members are focused and consistent in their understanding of the denomination’s task of preparing the world for the Second Advent. But these SDA members also want the denomination to be more socially engaged. They want their church to make more comments on issues of development and governance. This thesis concludes that the Seventh-day Adventist Church could use its influence to promote good governance, advocacy and social justice. It urges the denomination to expand the applications of its unique doctrines to include pragmatic transformational development concerns. Accordingly it is argued that the Seventh-day Adventist Church could collaborate with other denominations and religions, solely for the purpose of transformational development and without compromising its own beliefs. Hence, it is postulated that this church would still be loyal and true to its mission by recognizing that making a structural difference in the lives of Nigerians is an authentic and integral part of the restoration of the image of God (imago Dei) in people. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology with specialization in Urban Ministry)

Le principe de subsidiarité est ici étudié en droit canonique, et au cours de son histoire contemporaine. Le catholicisme romain procède, depuis moins d’un siècle, à une complexe acculturation et inculturation, certes conditionnelle par respect envers sa spécificité religieuse, à propos de procédures de subsidiarité. Et, y compris, afin que de telles procédures puissent être assumées dans les rapports de pouvoirs internes à cette Église chrétienne. Car la meilleure des mises en œuvre de subsidiarité a acquis une réputation de précieuses contributions pour rendre le vécu en sociétés plus humain : un savoir procédural pour articuler les différents ordres supérieurs et inférieurs. Que ces subsidiarités articulent davantage de participation effective de tous et de toutes aux décisions les concernant. Aussi les formes de subsidiarités les plus ajustées et opportunes peuvent en principe faciliter un exercice plus libre et plus responsable des compétences légitimement réparties. Mais, leurs applications concrètes ne sont pas sans soulever des difficultés, des confusions indues et équivoques de compétences. L’Église catholique romaine recommande l’application du principe de subsidiarité à la société civile (ad extra). À quelles conditions institutionnelles des procédures de subsidiarités dans l’Église catholique romaine contemporaine (ad intra) ? / The principle of subsidiarity is studied here in canonic law, and during modern history. The Roman Catholicism has proceeded, less than a century, in a complex acculturation and inculturation, admittedly conditional with respect for religious specificity, about the procedures of subsidiarity. And, furthermore, in order such procedures to be assumed in the power relations internal to this Christian Church. Because the best practice of subsidiarity has acquired, in a real-world situation and in the Church, a reputation of precious contributions to make society more human: a procedural knowledge to articulate the different superior and inferior orders. That this subsidiarity leads to a more efficient participation of everybody to the decisions concerning them. Thus the most adjusted and appropriate forms of subsidiarity can in principle make easier the exercise of the competences legitimately distributed. But, their concrete application is not without raising some difficulties, undue confusion and equivocal competences. The Roman Catholic shaping of this principle of social and political moral of subsidiarity, addressed to all the good societies possibly well-disposed, is advocated, firstly and mostly, since the encyclical letter Quadragesimo Anno of May 15th 1931 from Pie XI. The Roman Catholic Church teaches and recommends steadfastly the application of the principle of subsidiarity to the civil society (ad extra).What about its existence in the modern Roman Catholic Church (ad intra)?

In my thesis I came to several conclusions. Holy Fathers John XXIII., Paul IV. and Francis, who followed and related the legacy of II. of the Vatican Council to, are much more popular in society than the popes, who have a different opinion and do not support the last ecumenical council. The openness of the personality and the pope's approach to the church modernization is for public absolutely necessary. Another crucial aspect for today's church is for sure the media world.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The problem investigated in this study centres around two theological trends in the Dutch Reformed Church (henceforth DRC) during the period 1905-1974, namely, on the one hand, the theology of apartheid (resulting in Ras, volk en nasie en volkereverhoudinge in die lig van die Skrif(1974)), and on the other, the so-called "critical voice" in the DRC represented in the work of Ben J Marais and CF Beyers Naudé. The emphasis is on this period because it was during this period when the theological train of thought - which was initially dominant in the DRC - was repressed by a theological trend that played a significant role in die development and establishment of the theology of apartheid. In order to identify the different points of difference between the two trends, the emphasis is initially on the development and establishment of a philosophy of apartheid on the one hand and the critical voices against a theology of apartheid as represented by Marais and Naudé. The first part deals with the development in the theology of apartheid. In this first part the emphasis is on the role played by the DRC in the development of the theology of apartheid. The research will show how pragmatic / contextual factors initially played a role in the development of apartheidrelated thinking and how this thinking became theologically and ideologically legitimised in the next phase. The emphasis will fall on the role played by socio-economic and cultural political circumstances at the onset of the development of pragmatic thinking pertaining to apartheid. Subsequently the emphasis is on the next phase in the development of the theology of apartheid when apartheid was justified dogmatically/ ideologically and from the Scriptures. In this part of the thesis the emphasis is on the roles played by particular theological trends played within the DRC resulting in a shift in theological thought. The reception of these theological trends in the 1920s and 1930s within the DRC will also be examined and will show how they were eventually merged into a reformed orthodoxy, which would replace the evangelical reformed trend as the dominant one in the church. The role played by this reformed orthodoxy in the development of a theology of apartheid in the DRC will also be analysed. In the latter part of this chapter the merging ofthe pragmatic and dogmatic thinking within the DRC will be discussed. The result of this merger is set out in the DRC's Ras, volk en nasie en volkereverhoudinge in die lig van die Skrif published in 1974. Since this policy document provides a systematic summation of the theology of apartheid as it developed between 1905 and 1974, this document will form the basis of an investigation into the development and establishment of a theology of apartheid. This part of the study is essential because it provides the specific context in which the critical voice against apartheid could function. This research deals in particular with the major points of difference between apartheid thinking in the DRC on the one hand and the critical voice against it. A complete analysis of the critical voice against the theology of apartheid within the DRC is undertaken and since this research focuses on a specific form of criticism, it is necessary to look at the origin and development of that voice. The researcher will indicate to what extent this critical voice had its origin in the Old and New Testament and how it continued throughout the history of the church and was later identified in several sectors of South African society - namely in the political, economical and church sectors. The critical voice within the ecumenical movements in South Africa, the voices within the DRC family and in particular the critical voice against apartheid within the DRC will form the gist of this investigation. Other researchers have identified critical voices within the ranks of the DRC, but the emphasis in this doctoral thesis is on the criticism already expressed earlier on by Ben Marais and Beyers Naudé. The question that arises from this relates to the differences and similarities in the thinking of the apartheid theologians and the critical voices of Marais and Naudé. What makes this problematic is the fact that the parties have so much in common. During their childhoods they grew up with the same Afrikaner values of religion, culture and politics; they receive their primary and secondary education in Afrikaner schools that affirmed these values. They studied at the same university (the University of Stellenbosch) where their theological thinking was shaped in the same cultural, political and religious climate. In the School of Theology they were exposed to the same teachers and theological trends. This issue will be examined in Chapters 4 and 5 where these mutual influences will be examined respectively in the case of Marais (Chapter 4) and Naudé (Chapter 5). Their years of serving in the DRC will also be analysed. In the final instance Marais' position as professor will also be scrutinised, whereas Naudé's role in the ecumenical movement will also be looked at. The question that needs to be clarified is: How did these two figures, who represent the critical voice of reason, consciously or unconsciously, comprehend the differences in opinion between them and that of the theology of apartheid within the DRC? In the next chapter the major difference between the critical voice of Marais and Naudé respectively and that of the apartheid theologians will be identified and analysed. The documented analysis regarding the pragmaticI contextual and theological/ideological legitimising of apartheid in the DRC, the critical voice against apartheid, as well as the criticism of Marais and Naudé against apartheid thinking in the DRC will be examined in order to identify and describe such difference. A hermeneutic approach will be used to identify and analyse the differences between the two groups and to be in conjunction with theologians in the DRC. In this part of the investigation the following differences of opinion between the apartheid theologians and the critical voices of Marais and Naudé will be discussed: • The presence or absence of a historical and hermeneutic awareness; • The presence or absence of a hermeneutics of suspicion; • The different ways in which an analysis of the changing social context was made; • The differences in the selection of texts from the Scriptures used to contemplate the Christian message within their specific contexts; • The influence of the different theological traditions and the views of those concerned on the different stances taken; • The role of "interpretation" as the integration of all these variables. To summarise: Firstly, an analysis of the development of pragmatic and dogmatic ideas and practices of racial apartheid (Chapter 2). Secondly, an analysis of the critical voice - its origin, the role played by it within the Christian tradition and in particular that of Ben J Marais and C F Beyers Naudé within the DRC (Chapters 3-5). Thirdly, the results of this analysis are used to identify and describe hermeneutically the differences between the apartheid thinkers and the critical voices of the anti-apartheid thinkers exemplified by the criticism of Marais and Naudé.

The thesis "Ecumenism in the work of Josef Kubalík" provides an overview of several works of professor Josef Kubalík. His works influenced generations of students of Catholic theology. Author was a professor of Fundamental Theology at Cyrilometodějská bohoslovecká faculty in Litoměřice in the second half of the 20th century. He wrote a lot of books, university textbooks and ariticles in specialized press. Theologia Fundamentalis has been his most known work. Which is partly still under the influence of manualistic, apologetic-polemical theology. In his later reissues are added council documents Dei Verbum and Lumen Gentium. He translated documents of Second Vatican Ecumenical Council for professional public. We compare his work to these documents and to Ut Unum Sint. At the end it is said, that professor Kubalík grew in the openness and friendliness towards non - Catholics. But he was unable to change given schemes of his thinking.

[pt] A noção de casa comum, termo usado pelo atual Papa católico para despertar o cuidado com o planeta em que vivemos, remete também ao ideal da fé cristã de que todas as pessoas, em harmonia com toda a criação, sob o cuidado e direção de Deus, viverão relações alegria, paz e justiça, segundo o propósito original da criação. Por ter este projeto como parte integrante de sua fé, cabe aos cristãos buscar colaborar de maneira decisiva para a realização concreta dele. E, como sinalização deste propósito, é preciso testemunhar a possibilidade de expressões de unidade visível, a começar dos próprios cristãos. Da mesma forma, o cuidado com o planeta evidencia a esperança cristã da renovação do mundo todo e, assim, devem os cristãos ser protagonistas nesta questão urgente deste tempo. Este trabalho aproxima a temática da unidade dos cristãos com a da ecologia, enxergando-as como questões da casa comum, e busca na questão da santidade um fundamento de fé e espiritualidade motivador para a reflexão e engajamento prático nessas questões. Como expressão mais concreta disso, relacionará as abordagens de John Wesley e do Papa Francisco sobre a santidade, de maneira a verificar como ela, de fato, pode promover essas questões da casa comum, o que aponta para a viabilidade dessa relação em outras tradições cristãs. / [en] The notion of common home, a term used by the current Catholic Pope to call for care for the planet we live in, also refers to the Christian faith s ideal that all people, in harmony with all creation, under God s care and guidance, will live in joyful, peaceful and just relationships, according to the original purpose of creation. Having this project as an integral part of their faith, it is up to Christians to seek to collaborate in a decisive way for its concrete realization. And, as a sign of this purpose, it is necessary to witness the possibility of expressions of visible unity, beginning with Christians themselves. In the same way, the care for the planet evidences the Christian hope for the renewal of the whole world, and thus Christians must be protagonists in this urgent issue of this time. This work brings Christian unity and ecology together, seeing them as issues of the common home, and seeks in the issue of holiness a foundation of faith and spirituality to motivate reflection and practical engagement on these issues. As a more concrete expression of this, it will relate John Wesley s and Pope Francis approaches to holiness in order to see how holiness in fact can promote these issues of the common home, which points to the viability of this relationship in other Christian traditions.

Ecumenism and Theological Convergence: A Comparative Analysis of Edinburgh 1910 and the Lausanne Movement." This thesis evaluates the Edinburgh 1910 World Mission Conference, the ecumenism that flowed from Edinburgh 1910, and its relationship to the ecumenical trends that exist within the Lausanne movement. Additionally, this thesis determines how ecumenism has attributed to a theological convergence, and then examines the impact of such theological convergence on the global church through parachurch organizations. It begins by laying the foundation for any theological convergence that existed at Edinburgh 1910. It then examines ecumenism within the Lausanne movement, theological significance of ecumenism, and its impact on the global church. Finally, the thesis explores the theological convergence within select parachurch organizations since Lausanne 1974 and analyzes the impact of theological convergence on the global church. The researcher of this thesis has surveyed several sources to determine the originality of this topic through search engines World Cat, World Cat Dissertations, Dissertations, Article First, ATLA Religion, Humanities Index, Humanities Abstract, Christian Periodical Index, Worldscope, and also significant works about Lausanne 1974. The search revealed nothing substantial concerning Lausanne’s impact on the Global Church through parachurch organizations, the researcher deems this thesis to be an original work. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology

Amen is the Hebrew word best known and most widely used in world religions even today. Its importance as a meaningful expression throughout biblical texts is given thorough study as well as its transmission throughout religious history. It has been transliterated and integrated into the prayers and liturgy of about every Christian church. In this thesis amen is traced down to its usage in Old Testament texts selected according to their liturgical setting. After examining the three sets of texts, progressive development stages have been produced. The first text of Deuteronomy 27 was basically a ceremony of civil nature for a Covenant commitment. All tribes of Israel were present and the amen response was stipulated to confirm their allegiance to Yahweh and to acknowledge the curses threatened. The second stage in the development of amen in Old Testament worship is an expected, not stipulated response to answer a doxology or a prayer. At this stage amen was pronounced by the worshipping congregation in cultic situations in general, particularly in the Psalms. A third and more developed liturgical response can be found in the spontaneous double amen spoken by the returnees from exile gathered for the reading of the Law session at Nehemiah's time. Amen had become a thriving force and a joyful outburst - not demanded, not simply expected, but spontaneous in the believers' response to Yahweh's guidance and love. The New Testament and Christians of all times inherited and adopted the same Hebrew word and sound of amen as confirmation and praise. A proposal is made in this study to set amen as a causal connection with the One who loved mankind first. The proposed derivation of amen from the Hiphil Imperative remits its origin to a causative plea, and persuades people to believe in what they have just heard or said, namely, that Jesus Christ is God's amen for the salvation of all mankind. Christians of all times and places should join in the praise of God through the same faith in His Amen. Thus amen becomes a binding concept for ecumenical understanding. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

This thesis is an examination of Lancelot Andrewes' (1555-1626) Eucharistic theology which is explored in order to see how far he might act as a catalyst for ecumenism with Rome on the topic of Eucharistic sacrifice. The purpose of the thesis is to develop a fuller exposition of Andrewes' Eucharistic theology as a unique theologian who maintained a view of sacrifice that was denied by Protestants on the continent of Europe and by most within the English Church of his day. In the first four chapters Andrewes' own views are not always juxtaposed to more contemporary views. This is intentional in order to develop his own thought before looking at him as an ecumenical partner on sacrifice. The first chapter explores Andrewes as a theologian within his own context of ecclesiology, placing Andrewes within a more Catholic framework as opposed to Puritanism that was becoming politically influential during the reign of King James I. The second chapter then looks at Andrewes' view of Eucharistic instrumentality where I characterise him as an ‘effectual instrumentalist' over against some contemporary scholars who place him alongside John Calvin who is sometimes described as a ‘symbolic instrumentalist'. I find Andrewes closer to a Catholic framework of instrumentalism. The third chapter further explores Andrewes' view of presence where I conclude that he should be characterised as one holding to an objective view of presence and give him the Cappodocian label as a Transelementationist. This is to emphasise that Andrewes did encourage the faithful to look for Christ in the elements themselves, which goes beyond Christ's presence within the faith of the believer alone. The fourth chapter is the lengthiest chapter as it develops Andrewes' views of sacrifice. I see him as someone immersed in the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist defined within the writings of the Fathers of the first five centuries. It was here that Andrewes is able to be set fully within the framework of a Catholic view of the mystery as the Christian sacrifice offered to God in return for the gift of the Christ-event to the world. Andrewes' description of the offering as containing a propitiatory effect in the application of the forgiveness of sins through ‘instrumental touching' was a unique understanding of someone in the Church of England during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In the final chapter, I juxtapose Andrewes with Catholic teaching as it is explored in contemporary Catholic theology as well as, perhaps more importantly, within papal documents and authoritative Catholic statements on the sacrifice of the Mass. This is to show how similar Andrewes is in his description of the sacrifice of the Eucharist to Rome and how he goes further in that direction than any of his contemporaries or even modern ecumenical statements in Anglican and Roman Catholic dialogue.