The vision of Albert Maria Weiß on Catholic anti-modernism and his bitter fight against the tendency of adapting Catholic doctrine to the changing world’s expectations was esteemed by Pius X, but his legacy was long forgotten by the Holy See. His rediscovery is due to the 21st-century traditionalist movement, but his vision on modernism is still problematic because of his explication of the corruption that had emerged in Catholic theology. To him, Protestantism is the origine of all heresy, liberalism being its descendant which represents the greatest threat to Catholic doctrine ever: Catholic modernity. His anti-liberal and anti-Protestant visions made him unacceptable to later the mainstream Catholic thought, which supported democratic ideals and oecumenism instead.

This article examines the configuration of carceral Islam in Algeria as an instrument of moral governance and civic re-education. Drawing on a multi-year qualitative investigation conducted within several research projects and framed by a comparative Maghrebi perspective, the study analyses how imam and Murshidat contribute to the construction of an “administered religion,” in which spiritual authority is translated into institutional competence and a tool of moral regulation. Through the examination of institutional sources, interviews, and field observations, the research shows how faith becomes a language of discipline, how Tawba (moral and spiritual repentance) is converted into a form of moral capital, and how spirituality functions as a technology of civic conformity. The Algerian prison thus emerges as a laboratory of religious governmentality, where the spiritual dimension is incorporated into logics of security and social control. The comparison with Tunisia—and, to a lesser extent, Morocco—highlights both convergences and divergences among Maghrebi models of religious management, opening new avenues for research on the public function of religion and on the contemporary forms through which states moralize the sacred in Muslim societies.

Feminist biblical criticism of Proverbs 1–9 has decried the figure of “Dame Folly” as reinforcing pejorative stereotypes of women that blame women for “the world’s sin and corruption.” To be sure, in the history of Christian biblical interpretation, Proverbs has been read in precisely this way—and with tragic consequences. In fact, Proverbs was used as fuel for the witch-hunting craze that infected the Christian West in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with its particular focus on women as being especially “addicted” to heresy and “evil superstitions.” Nonetheless, as this essay demonstrates, a reading which denigrates all women universally as blameworthy is not really native to post-exilic Judaism or biblical literature in general before the Hellenistic period. Instead, it emerges with the influence of Hellenism and the misogynist stereotypes endemic to Greek literature, mythology, and even philosophy that distort and blur the lens through which Hellenistic Jews (and later Greco-Roman Christians) read their Scriptures. Through a reading of Proverbs in its own language, its own post-exilic Jewish world, and its own literary context, this essay both recovers the wise women of Israel, so esteemed and valued in post-exilic Judaism, and uncovers the identity of the real fool of Proverbs 9.

This article addresses the need to rethink models for managing religious diversity in Europe, which, among other causes, has transformed into a multi-religious society, breaking with Christian hegemony as a result of the migration processes of the last century. The author proposes governance as an essential tool for managing religious diversity, understood as a style of government that promotes interaction and cooperation between the State and non-state actors, including religious denominations, in decision-making processes to regulate this phenomenon and enable individuals and the groups they belong to, to exercise their fundamental right to religious freedom. This approach seeks the social inclusion and effective participation of religious minorities to combat their marginalization and radicalization. To this end, we propose moving away from laicism positions that seek to exclude religion from the public sphere or from those that defend the political use of religion as an element of national identity, proposing instead a model of positive secularism like the Spanish one. Analysing the Spanish model, the article argues how the political participation of religious minorities through a model of religious governance in the management of religious diversity is crucial for building inclusive and safe societies where social cohesion and the full observance of religious freedom and other fundamental rights are achieved.

Religious plurality is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in contemporary societies, and managing it within the healthcare sector presents significant challenges. In this regard, healthcare systems must strike a balance between religious freedom and the organisation of healthcare services. This paper will address the management and legal treatment of religious diversity in healthcare, focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence in this area. There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence is transforming the management of religious diversity in healthcare. While many advances have been observed in this area in recent years, numerous ethical and privacy challenges have also emerged, which are undoubtedly leading to the need for a reconfiguration of the legal framework. Issues such as conscientious objection by healthcare personnel, access to treatments compatible with patients’ beliefs, and possible tensions between the right to health and religious freedom will be analysed. The influence of Artificial Intelligence on decision-making and the personalisation of treatments, along with the ethical and legal challenges this entails, will also be explored. Based on this analysis, we will reflect on current challenges and possible improvements in managing religious plurality in healthcare systems. Our aim is to promote a model that provides better medical care, adequately addresses ethical and privacy challenges, respects diversity, and guarantees fundamental rights.

This study explores the concept and practice of treaty-making within the Islamic tradition, delving into its theological, legal, and historical underpinnings. The study highlights the principles and processes that have governed treaty-making in Islam by examining key sources such as the Qur’an, Hadith, and classical Islamic jurisprudence. The research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the drafting, negotiation, and implementation of treaties within an Islamic context, focusing on the ethical and legal norms that guided Muslim rulers and states in their engagements with Muslim and non-Muslim entities. Through analysis of notable historical treaties and the jurisprudential debates surrounding them, the study underscores the significance of treaties in Islamic governance and diplomacy, offering insights into how these practices have evolved.

“After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up” (Acts 15:16 NRSV). This verse, quoting Amos 9:11, is part of James’ speech to the Jerusalem “council” considering the issue of Gentile believers and their relationship to the Law. In some Pentecostal circles, especially those influenced by the “Latter Rain” revival of 1948, this verse has taken on a different force based on the Greek skēnē, literally a tent or traditionally “tabernacle.” This teaching is based on the “tabernacle of David” as described in 1 Chron. 16:1–6 and other places and likely the venue in which some of the original psalms were performed. Their argument is that this is part of a model for experiencing the dynamic presence of God in worship and the restoration of the NT church. It forms a theological basis or rationale for contemporary praise and worship with the use of musical instruments, lifted hands, dance, clapping, etc., following the Psalms. However, this interpretation of “David’s fallen tent” seems to fail interpretive tests such as context, authorial intention and audience understanding. This article discusses the interpretive challenges raised by Acts 15:16, how skilled interpreters have understood the “tent of David,” and some weaknesses in these readings. The argument of “Latter Rain” authors on the “Tabernacle of David” is explained and evaluated in the light of some other contemporary research and hermeneutical principles associated with typology. The Latter Rain position is found to have considerable strengths but overreaches in some key points especially by making structure too central.

The aim of this paper is to canvass the possibility of what a sociological study of the Purāṇas might be. That is, whether this be the view(s) of society presented in the Purāṇas or the social conditions which may have produced the genre and individual texts within it. I argue that there is a very clear intertextual relationship between the Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata, even where there are considerable narrative differences. On the one hand, I see the Purāṇas as partly being conservative and adaptive texts fully accepting the brahmanical view of society developed in the Mahābhārata. On the other hand, they seem to have also accepted the existence of a wide variety of social groups arising in the early centuries of the Common Era and their corresponding occupations. I also raise the question of the sociological implications of devotional practices, which are so dominant in the Purāṇas. Finally, I study a few chapters from the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, which, in the manvantara section, raises the possibility of varṇasaṃkara, gender relations, and the treatment of brahmins by members of other varṇas.

This study explored the question, “How are seminary students’ formation experiences shaped over their first year in seminary?” Research questions and goals were formulated through a collaborative practical theology approach with seminary leaders. First-year seminary students (n = 35) from a northeastern U.S. progressive Protestant seminary completed qualitative surveys across three time points during their first year of study. The qualitative questions asked about students’ conceptualizations of God, what influenced their formation, and what effects resulted from those formative experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged revealing formation factors internal and external to the seminary. These formation factors resulted in multifaceted formation effects on the students which also likely reflect the multifaceted formation goals needed at a pluralistic seminary. Inviting student self-reports allowed us to focus on what actually influences student formation and how those influential experiences translate into beliefs and practices.

This article focuses on the religious processes in Russia over the last fifteen years. The author has two objectives: on the one hand, to describe processes that can be called the second stage of the “religious revival” in contemporary Russia, and on the other hand, to place them within the context of theoretical discussions on secularization/desecularization. To achieve this goal, this article first examines the question of what secularization and, accordingly, desecularization are. Next, it describes the main trends in Russia’s religious life since 2012 at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Then, the author examines numerous academic strategies aimed at “explaining religion away,” that is, proving that there has been no increase in the social significance of religion. Among these strategies, the following are considered in detail: (a) mixing empirical statements and value judgments; (b) instrumentalization of religion; and (c) religion finding “other work” to do. Finally, this article offers both a general evaluation of the Russian case from the perspective of secularization theory and broader reflections on the theory itself—for instance, it examines whether the theory is, in principle, falsifiable.