Theological University

Abstract Predestination was a doctrine much debated among Protestants. Interpretations of Romans 8 and 9, for example, differed, and these differences were accompanied by dogmatic disputes, for in the sixteenth century the distinction between exegesis and dogmatics was not yet great. Thereby, it is difficult to ascertain whether the difference in interpretation determined the dogmatic dispute, or vice versa. This chapter offers an overview of the distinct positions within the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of the sixteenth century, in conjunction with related doctrines such as justification and atonement. Ongoing reflection by later Protestants on the problems raised by the doctrine of predestination led to more nuanced opinions. Scholasticism did not lead to a hardening of the doctrine, but on the contrary to a moderation.

The escalating elderly population has highlighted mental health concerns, especially the impacts post-bereavement. This study investigated depression trajectories post-bereavement and their relation to suicidal thoughts among elderly South Korean males, considering demographic variables. Using data from the 7th to 16th Korea Welfare Panel Study (2012–2021), depression was measured via the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression) scale, and suicidal thoughts were annually identified. Results revealed two post-bereavement depression trajectories: a predominant “Maintenance Type” (79.4%), showing persistent depression, and a “Decreasing Type” (20.6%), where depression reduced over time. Individuals in the “Maintenance Type”, often living alone, exhibited a higher risk of suicidal ideation. These findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions addressing social isolation and enhanced community support for the elderly to improve mental well-being.

Abstract In the course of the Twentieth century, the roles for women in Protestant churches in Europe expanded to include the possibility of participating in the church office of minister. For the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the year 2022 marked the centenary of women in the ordained ministry. On June 12, 1922, the Lutheran synod decided that, according to the existing regulations, women could also be admitted as candidates for the ministry. In 1929 Jantine Auguste Haumersen (1881–1967) became the first female Lutheran minister in the Netherlands and worldwide. This made the Lutheran church, after the Mennonites and the Remonstrants, the third denomination in the Netherlands where women could hold the office of minister. Utilizing a broad cultural analysis and based on recent extensive archival research this article describes the turning points in the development of women’s ordained ministry in the Lutheran Church in the Netherlands.

The field of congregational health research is missing a relational approach to the member–congregation connection. We developed and tested a questionnaire that evaluates the perception of church health factors in statements that stay close to the feelings and attitudes of the members. We applied the instrument to map feelings of well-being and commitment with 513 members of a large, Dutch, Protestant congregation. This study thus explores relational concepts, such as members feeling at home in the congregation, their turnover intention, the atmosphere within the community, and whether members feel seen and heard within the community. Seven factors emerge from the analysis, and all of them show significant empirical correlation with members’ overall satisfaction and commitment levels. The instrument also makes it possible to discern between the evaluations of sleeping members, involved members, and insiders (frequent attenders), which is a discernment that existing instruments lack.

Abstract Genemuider bovenstem is a particular style of psalm singing, originating from the town of Genemuiden in the Netherlands, in which a higher voice is added to the Genevan melody of the psalms. It has roots in liturgical contexts, and has been designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage. This article discusses the construction of singing communities in Genemuider bovenstem psalm singing as performed both in the Sunday worship practices of strictly Reformed church communities, and in collective regional singing events on weekdays that receive financial and practical support from the Dutch government. We present the results of empirical research in Genemuiden, demonstrating the existence of a mutually reinforcing overlap between church communities and the publics who attend psalm-singing events. Our work serves to further nuance extant theories that suggest that the eventization and heritagization of religious practices lead to a diminution in the status of church communities and of their control and ownership over their practices.

This study explores the various difficulties that protestant pastors experience in the context of care for parishioners with a wish for euthanasia. In a reproducible and non-subjective way, using the concept mapping method, we cluster and rank-order 600 elements that pastors had mentioned as “difficult in caring for parishioners with a death wish” in an earlier survey study. The three clusters of items ranked as most difficult are connected with inappropriate care, doubts whether euthanasia in specific circumstances is justified, and disagreements between pastor and parishioner, including the emotional burden arising from those disagreements.

Abstract The Reformed Dutch baptismal form in the Dathenus Psalter (1566) is a translated adaption of the form in the Palatinate Church Order (1563). In the Palatinate Church Order (1563), this baptismal form is accompanied by a text “On holy baptism.” The present article researches the sources of the baptismal texts in the Palatinate Church Order (1563), with a special focus on the phrase “children having the Holy Spirit.” It builds upon the critical edition of J.F. Gerhard Goeters (1969), and uses an extra type of sources: the so-called Lasconian catechisms.

Chaplains often use counseling techniques. In a research community of the Case Studies Project two questions arose: Is there anything characteristic in the counseling that chaplains do? And: How do they deal with aesthetic aspects in their accompaniment? The two questions converged in an example of ‘aesthetic counseling’ in which the world view color and focus of the counseling of chaplains became clear.

Adam Yuet Chau, Religion in China: Ties that BindCambridge and Medford, MA: Polity, 2019, pp. 200, ISBN: 9780745679150 (pbk). $23.95.