Rapture not Rupture“Quo Vadis?” International Film Festival Report by Milja Radovic
From 7 to 10 November 2024 Iași (Romania) hosted the first International Film Festival Quo Vadis? and became for these four days one of the brightest spots of Europe.The Film Festival organised and supported by the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina celebrated thirty-five years after the December Revolution in 1989, thus devoting this first edition of the Festival to the theme of freedom.
More Men, More Toxic Theology? Critical Questions on Being the Church from a Gen Z Theologian
In his article, J. J. Warren describes how the ever-increasing role of Generation Z in American society is causing fundamental shifts in the faith landscape, which also brings with it dangers for all those who are committed to an egalitarian church.
“You can leave your head on…! Reflections on Ester Strauß’s “Crowning” from a theological viewpoint
On July 1, 2024, the sculpture “Crowning, “depicting the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus, was vandalized by an unknown perpetrator. In his essay, Andreas Telser explores how this work of art can offer an understanding of “virginity” that is faithful to tradition and makes all of us born into this world by our mothers appreciate their unique labor(!). Taking “Crowning” seriously allowed the author to wrestle with his limited view of womanhood and giving birth and made him undergo a conversion.
Abundance Celebrated: Colonialism on a Plate
The controversial opening of the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris sparked an avalanche of debates on social media, as per usual. Milja Radovic comments on the „Abundance Celebrated: Colonialism on a Plate“.
The Defence and the Last Days. Ecological Uprising – The battle of Drina
A recent agreement between the Serbian government and the European Union on the extraction of rich lithium deposits in the Serbian region of Jadar has been heavily criticized by Serbian environmentalists. In her commentary, Milja Radovic shows how an ecologically and culturally rich region is about to be sacrificed to global capitalism’s hunger for resources.
Holy Mother as a Feminist Symbol: The Virgen de Guadalupe in the Modern Women’s Movement
In her contribution, Hannah Pale introduces the Chicanas movement, founded by women of Mexican descent in the USA, who defend themselves against their double oppression and exploitation as Mexicans and women with their subversive feminist reinterpretation of the saintly figure of the Virgen de Guadalupe.
“What do we want?” –– “The future of theology”. “When do we want it?” ––– “Now…”
Beyond the Analogical Imagination: The Theological and Cultural Vision of David Tracy is a recently published collection of essays that explore and develop the vision of the American theologian David Tracy. In his contribution, Barnabas Palfrey, one of the volumes editors, introduces some of the major themes of Tracy’s work that tries to offer new ways of thinking to respond to the challenges that both society and theology are facing today.
Gender-Affirming Surgery as a Liberation of the Self
At the end of last year, the conference of the Association of Bioethicists in Central Europe (BCE), with a focus on the topic of gender-affirming surgery took place in Vienna. In his contribution, Paul Draganoff reflects onthe different perspectives that need to be taken into account to properly understand the phenomenon and closes with a look at the current state of the theological debate on the issue.
The Wind Blows from Indonesia: The Emerging Global Role of Indonesian Islam
Taking the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference 2023 as his starting point, RaT member Rüdiger Lohlker sheds light on the organization Nahdlatul Ulama. With its millions of members, the Indonesian organisation is, under the heading of „Humanitarian Islam“, engaged in combatting Islamic extremism in South East Asia and beyond.
Tackling the Complex Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity at the European Level: The International COST Action “COREnet”
In their article, Regina Polak and Gintarė Pocė introduce us to the research network „COREnet: Connecting Theory and Practical Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity“. For more information visit: the COREnet homepage.
