For the first time, this study systematically analyses the whereabouts and departures of pastors in German and Swiss Free Churches and ‘Gemeinschaftsverbänden‘.1 In the years 2003–2023, 75.6% of the new ministers remained in the pastoral ministry long-term, 22.1% left early, mainly due to a change of profession or family work. The annual exit rate is 3.4%. In large associations as well as in traditional churches, the retention rate is significantly higher. A comparison with the number of graduates from ‘free’ training institutions indicates that there are currently 1.8 pastoral vacancies per graduate, which means that there is a significant structural shortfall. While the data collected refute the frequently postulated idea of a ‘mass exit’ from pastoral ministry, it nevertheless implies the need to ask more specific questions about the causes of, and possible strategies against, early departure from ministry.

Summary Matthias Becker skilfully guides his readers through the copious source material from classical antiquity and the New Testament, delineating a well-founded picture of ancient patterns of thought and rendering valuable service to contemporary debates on sexual ethics. In three sections he presents 1) the plurality of the Roman Empire with its diverse views of marriage, the family and sexuality; 2) the arguments of the authors of the New Testament for the three recognised ideal life forms (marriage, family and celibacy) and 3) hermeneutical impulses for ethical reflection in the present. Becker’s study solidly anchors current attempts to base genuine Christian life models in history and in the process exposes myths which distort the current debate on sexual ethics.

Summary This book explores women’s contributions to the spread and preservation of global Christianity. Structured in three parts, it combines historical, theological and sociological insights, highlighting women’s leadership across traditions and continents. Drawing on quantitative data and using vivid narratives, Zurlo underscores women’s resilience amidst challenges such as gender-based violence and inequality. This interdisciplinary work not only enriches the study of world Christianity but also calls for recognition of women’s contributions to its past, present and future.

Summary The king and the kingdom of God are implicit and pervasive subjects throughout Scripture and many studies of these themes rightly focus on the king. There is, however, more to be considered. This article seeks to examine the shape of the kingdom of God in the Psalter and does so by focussing primarily on place (Zion) and people (victory over enemies), although a consideration of power (the king) is not absent. The article concludes that the dominant profile of the kingdom in the Psalter not only aligns with its description elsewhere in Scripture but also forms a matrix from which the fuller New Testament expressions emerge. The Psalter therefore provides a key Old Testament context for understanding the kingdom of God in its canonical fulness, and how it is recognised as good news.

Summary This article highlights the challenges faced by evangelicals in Ukraine who have set out to be faithful disciples of Christ in the face of the country’s current war for survival. It opens with an analysis of the historical context that shaped Ukrainian evangelical Protestantism, including the influence of the radical Reformation, dispensationalist eschatology, the tradition and spirituality of the Orthodox Church, and life in the atheistic, hostile Soviet society. It discusses distinct features of the traditional Ukrainian evangelical theology of discipleship and its practice, such as the importance of conversion and separation from the world, Christianity as a way of life following Christ, radical pacifism, and the significance of evangelism. Next presented is an analysis of the existential, theological, ethical and social challenges that Ukrainian Christians are facing as they seek to incorporate social responsibility into the discipleship of the Kingdom of God since the Revolution of Dignity and the Russian aggression in 2014, and especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Attention is briefly paid to the responses of Russian evangelicals to the war, before the article concludes with an overview of the theology of discipleship in a war of attrition: humility, the solidarity of love, self-denial, prophetic imagination and courage.

Amsterdam University Press is a leading publisher of academic books, journals and textbooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our aim is to make current research available to scholars, students, innovators, and the general public. AUP stands for scholarly excellence, global presence, and engagement with the international academic community.

Summary In this essay we explore the structure of two new Christian movements that emerged as a result of a blending of Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. These movements are ICF and C3, which we study in their German as well as European context. We triangulate theoretical concepts, our own empirical research and existing research on these movements. Referring to the theoretical framework of refiguration, we discuss the potential of the concepts ‘eventisation’, ‘movement’ and ‘scenefication’ from the sociology of religion as frameworks for understanding these typical movements. Our analysis of social form leads to reflections on the adaptability of concepts from confessional studies, such as confessional markers and congregationalism, in relation to the non-denominational self-description of these so-called lifestyle churches. In our conclusion, we explore implications and perspectives of the organisational shift caused by these emerging movements.

Amsterdam University Press is a leading publisher of academic books, journals and textbooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our aim is to make current research available to scholars, students, innovators, and the general public. AUP stands for scholarly excellence, global presence, and engagement with the international academic community.

Summary Neo-Calvinism is increasingly popular in the United States, but far less so in the Netherlands where it originated. Written from the context of the Free University (Vrije Universiteit) founded by Abraham Kuyper, this article presents six elements of Neo-Calvinism which together establish it as an important and relevant worldview for our time. The first is that it attempts to create a ‘priestly’ connection between gospel and culture. Next there are Neo-Calvinism’s notion of the sovereignty of God, its conviction that humans are elected to something, and its belief that this world – even in its fallen state – is and remains God’s world. The last two elements are the trinitarian spread of its theology and the fact that it exercises the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love.

Zusammenfassung Der schwäbische Theologe Eberhard Hahn ist als Dozent am Albrecht-Bengel-Haus in Tübingen und als Professor für Systematische Theologie in Erlangen bekannt. In der Aufsatzsammlung aus Anlass seines 65. Geburtstags sind Beiträge vereinigt, in denen sich Hahn mit grundlegenden Themen evangelischer Theologie beschäftigt: Heilige Schrift, Heiliger Geist und Kirche. Die gut verständlich verfassten Beiträge eignen sich besonders für Studierende der Theologie, die einen eigenständigen, biblisch-theologisch begründeten Standpunkt gewinnen wollen. Summary The Swabian theologian Eberhard Hahn is known as a lecturer at the Albrecht-Bengel-Haus in Tübingen and as a professor of systematic theology in Erlangen. This collection of essays on the occasion of his 65th birthday brings together contributions in which Hahn deals with fundamental topics of evangelical theology: Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit and the Church. The accessible contributions are particularly suitable for students of theology who want to achieve an independent, biblical-theologically reasoned point of view. Résumé Le théologien souabe Eberhard Hahn est connu comme enseignant à l’Albrecht-Bengel-Haus de Tübingen et professeur de théologie systématique à Erlangen. Ce recueil d’essais publié à l’occasion de son soixante-cinquième anniversaire réunit des articles dans lesquels Hahn aborde des thèmes essentiels de la théologie évangélique: l’Écriture sainte, le Saint-Esprit et l’Église. Ces contributions accessibles conviendront en particulier aux étudiants en théologie qui souhaitent se forger un point de vue indépendant, élaboré sur le fondement d’une théologie biblique.