The thesis is a contribution to the analysis of media representation through the use of critical discourse analysis of twelve English written articles by Russian and international media sources. The articles were chosen in relation to the unauthorised Pussy Riot protest in the Cathedral in Moscow back in February 2012, and the societal changes that have taken place thereafter. The analysed articles have been written and published between February 2012 and January 2014. The aim with the study is to see how media sources from different geographical backgrounds described the same events and news.

This research aimed to determine whether the rejection by Russian Orthodox Church leaders of recent translations of the Bible into Russian could be ascribed to a conflict of Russian and Western translation norms. Using Lefevere's (1992) notion of systems, the study compared the norms of Russian Bible translations, Western Bible translation and Russian literary translation, as well as those of a segment of the target audience, to determine the extent of their compatibility with each other and with the translations in question. The results showed that the recent translations did reflect the norms of Western Bible translation, but that these were not atypical of norms for previous Russian and Slavonic translations, nor for the norms of Russian literary translation. However, the results also showed that in practice target audience norms mirrored those of the Russian Orthodox Church, resulting in a similar rejection of the newer translations. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Linguistics)

This thesis is the study of televangelism contextualized within the country of Romania. It seeks to answer six main questions: I} When the Lord Jesus gave Christendom the global, Gospel mandate, he forced his disciples into a two thousand year struggle with, not only the message, but how to spread this message. Is the Gospel message so powerful that it will penetrate through any method of delivery? Can a former communist country be evangelized through television? 2) The next question asked in this thesis: is the message in and of itself, when conveyed through this media, sufficient to accomplish its goals? Does the media encourage the recipient to fulfill the desires of the message? What about Mass Communication Theory which espouses that television is more likely to reinforce then transform a viewer's belief? 3) The third question wrestled with: would the former communistic country of Romania, when turning to the ideals of the West, receive the Gospel message with greater or lesser significance through the media of television, or would other forms of communication be more desirable? Would television, in comparison to Crusade or Film Evangelism, be a more ideal media for the Gospel at this juncture in Romania's history? 4) Television allows large audiences to be reached with staggering efficiency, but does the medium itself impose limits on the kind of evangelism that can be done? What type of church grows out of an electronic medium? Would television gather a church "unto itself?" 5) In fulfilling the great commission, many organizations and mission groups have arisen with the desire to carry the Gospel message to the ends of the earth with whatever means available, including CBN, who uses television. Can television reach the masses, including the poor, in Eastern block countries? 6) The final question addressed in this research: what are the long term effects of televangelism in this former communistic country? Would a one time television program, given in one week, yield results that can be determined two years later? These questions were not only wrestled with, but conclusions were drawn to make evangelism and particularly televangelism more efficacious. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Th. D. (Practical Theology)

This study investigates the role of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) in the development of the Oromo language. The main aim of the study is to provide an account of the contribution of this particular church to the maintenance and development of Oromo, which is spoken by the largest speech community in Ethiopia. The study draws on theoretical and methodological frameworks from the field of language planning and development. The main source of data was interviews and focus group discussions conducted with church leaders at different organisational levels and other members of the church community. In addition, documents found in the church archives were analysed. The findings indicate that a number of church activities have contributed to the maintenance and development of the language. These activities include translation and transliteration work of the Bible and other religious literature, literacy and educational programmes, media work as well as use of Oromo in the liturgy and church services. This study also examined the obstacles that hindered the development of Oromo. The main obstacle was the conflict within the EECMY that arose in 1995 over the use of the language. The study unearths the roots of the controversy through a brief historical examination of the church’s attempts to develop the language, despite opposition from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and earlier regimes, which proscribed the use of the vernacular languages in Ethiopia. Thereafter it focuses on the internal conflict after the change to a democratic government when the situation in Ethiopia became more favourable towards use of vernacular languages. It identifies the causes of the conflict, the way in which it was resolved and the effects which it had on the development of the language. Recommendations are made for further research and some suggestions are given regarding ways to promote the future development of the Oromo language. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

The thesis addresses the monuments of Great Moravian church architecture and is based on the material accumulated during the past century. It analyzes the influence of different architectural styles, the hypotheses by different scholars and the existing contradictions between them. The thesis covers a selection of church buildings many of which possess a special spiritual value. Special attention is paid to the hypothesis of the construction date and architectural sources of Ste. Catherine church in Tamovice. Of special interest are the interviews and consultations with leading Czech and German researchers, historians and archeologists carried out while working on the thesis.

Diploma thesis "Sects, new religious movements and identity in Russia in the nineties of 20th century in the context of overall societal changes" deals with the problem of minority religions in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Terminological part explains the difference between the termin "sect" and "new religious movement", introductory historical overview outlines the role of sects in the history of Russia. The hub of the study lays in three large chapters. The first deals with the dynamics of the religious situation in relation to sects in the first half of the 90s, classifies them and names the main representants. The second part deals with concrete manifestations of changes in the middle of the decade, for example the process Yakunin versus Dvorkin or the change of legislation in 1997. The third part seeks answer to the question what was the underlying cause of changes in social and legal position of sects and finds the anspher in the sphere of national identity.

This study explores the manifestation of religiosity among young Syriac Orthodox Christians in Sweden. Focusing on the age group of 20–29, the thesis delves into how religiosity is expressed within this community, both in public and private domains, such as church, family, workplace, and social media. The research highlights the interplay between religious identity and secular society, examining the impact of cultural and generational differences on religious practices and beliefs. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative analysis, drawing on interviews to understand the personal and collective aspects of religiosity in a multicultural and secular context. The findings reveal diverse expressions of faith, shaped by the dynamics of community engagement, cultural adaptation, and individual spirituality, offering a nuanced view of young adults navigating their religious identity in modern Sweden.

In the town of Södertälje, a great number of ecclesiastical denominations are represented, a majority of which with roots in the Middle East. To a person attending several various Christian services at many different churches, the diversified ecclesiastical scene offers many similarities among the different denominations, as well as many differences between them. An obvious difference is the view of ministry. In the Church of Sweden women may be ordained, whereas this is not possible in the Chaldean-Catholic Church or the Syrian-Orthodox Church. This paper describes how some ordinary worshippers, members of the Chaldean-Catholic Church or the Syrian-Orthodox Church, look upon their own religious practices in view of the fact that they belong to minority denominations in a secularized society in which the Church of Sweden is the major church. This paper has a Theological as well as a Sociological perspective, since these two perspectives have a reciprocal effect on each other regarding the creating of identities of both informants and churches. An important aspect of this paper is the informants’ view of the relationship between priesthood and gender. It will be obvious that the informants’ opinions of who may be allowed to take Holy Orders depend more on the person’s eligibility than on gender, irrespective of traditions in their denominations. In spite of the fact that women are not ordained in either of the churches dealt with in this paper, the informants hold the view that this may change with time. Instead, they mean that this is one in a row of adaptations that should be carried out by their churches, in order for them to be able to continue to exist in Södertälje and to achieve an ongoing increase in numbers. However, the question of priesthood and gender is complicated, partly due to traditions in their home countries, but also since the bodies of men and women, respectively, are regarded differently in Orthodox theology, not least so in comparison with that of the Church of Sweden. In this paper the informants also express questions arisen from encounters between their respective home countries and Sweden. Primarily, those questions are about the possible effects that may occur when ecclesiastical traditions meet secular values. That affects the informants’ views of culture and nationality, as well as the meaning of being an individual in a group, profoundly marked by church traditions in a society as individualistic as Sweden. / I Södertälje finns ett stort antal kyrkliga samfund representerade, flertalet med rötter i Mellanöstern. Det kyrkliga landskapet medför att det för den kyrkobesökare som rör sig i flera olika kyrkorum, är lätt att upptäcka många likheter mellan de olika kyrkliga samfunden, men också flera skillnader. En påtaglig skillnad är synen på prästämbetet. I Svenska kyrkan kan kvinnor vara präster, medan detta inte är möjligt i Kaldeisk-katolska kyrkan eller i Syrisk-ortodoxa kyrkan.   Den här uppsatsen handlar om hur några vanliga gudstjänstdeltagare, medlemmar i Kaldeisk-katolska kyrkan eller Syrisk-ortodoxa kyrkan, ser på de egna kyrkotraditionerna och -praktikerna i ljuset av att vara minoritetskyrkor i ett sekulärt samhälle där Svenska kyrkan är majoritetskyrka. Uppsatsen har ett teologiskt såväl som ett samhällsorienterat perspektiv. Anledningen till det är att dessa två perspektiv har en ömsesidig påverkan på varandra beträffande informanternas - och kyrkornas - identitetsskapande. En viktig ansats i uppsatsen är vilken syn på relationen prästämbete och kön informanterna ger uttryck för. Uppsatsen visar att informanternas uppfattning om vem som kan vigas till präst är mer beroende av personlig lämplighet än av kön, oaktat att de kyrkotraditioner de tillhör säger något annat. Trots att kvinnor inte vigs till präster i någon av de kyrkor som uppsatsen belyser, menar informanterna att det på sikt inte alls skulle vara en omöjlighet. Det är istället en i raden av anpassningar som de menar att deras kyrkor bör göra, för att fortsätta att leva och verka i Södertälje och för att tillväxten av medlemmar ska vara god. Dock visar det sig att frågan om prästämbete och kön inte är okomplicerad. Det beror dels på traditioner från hemländerna, men också på att mannens och kvinnans kropp betraktas på olika sätt i ortodox teologi, inte minst jämfört med Svenska kyrkans teologi. I uppsatsen ger informanterna också uttryck för frågor som har väckts genom mötet mellan deras respektive hemländer och Sverige. Främst handlar detta om vad som kan hända när kyrkliga traditioner möter sekulära värderingar. Detta påverkar deras syn på såväl kultur och nationalitet som vad det innebär att vara individ i en grupp, som starkt präglas av kyrkliga traditioner, i ett samhälle som är så individcentrerat som Sverige.