Mladen Jovanović

The Bible: Our Daily “Bread”

Corneliu Constantineanu

The Bible and the Public Arena: A Pauline Model for Christian Engagement in Society with Reference to Romans 13

Stanko Jambrek and Ljubinka Jambrek

The Role of the Bible in Daily Life

Ben-Oni Ardelean

The Bible and Religious Freedom

Thomas Sibley

The Primary Tool for the Church Leader

Eric J. Titus

The Perfections of God in the Theology of Karl Barth: A Consideration of the Formal Structure

Robert Bogešić

Christianity between Capitalism and Socialism

Tomislav Vidaković

Patrick Collinson - Reformacija: Kratka povijest (The Reformation: A Brief History)

Mislav Miholek

Gianni Vattimo, Vjerovati da vjeruješ (To Believe that You Believe)

Stanko Jambrek

C. Arnold Snyder Povijest i teologija anabaptizma (Anabaptist History and Theology: An Introduction)

Corneliu Constantineanu

In a context in which the significance of Scripture for everyday life is fading away, this article is an argument for the centrality of the Bible as the basis for a holistic understanding of reality and for an authentic Christian engagement in contemporary society. The argument is built on a twofold truth: the lordship of Christ over reality in its entirety and the public nature of the Gospel. More specifically, the paper offers an examination of Romans 13 with regard to the issue of the Christian relationship to the governing authorities. It argues that Paul offers solid theological ground on which he simultaneously legitimizes and limits the authority of the government, and presents an active and positive involvement of the Christian in the world, advocating practices that are conducive to a meaningful and peaceful life in the society at large. It concludes that according to Paul’s vision of redemption, the church, as the paradigmatic community of the new creation, is called to be actively engaged in society, to have a constructive, even if critical at times, relationship to the powers and structures of authority, confessing and witnessing the lordship of Christ over reality in its entirety, in the anticipation of the ultimate redemption of God’s creation.

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Stanko Jambrek and Ljubinka Jambrek

This text is a discussion about the role of the Bible in the daily life of Christians, especially in the process of making decisions. It offers answers to the question: Why is it necessary for a Christian to know God’s Word and to do God’s will? It also looks at the central role of the Bible, not only as the direct Word of God, but also as a historical guide that effectively and powerfully presents the history of the decisions made by individuals and nations regarding God’s will. In the central part of the discussion, along with a biblical explanation of the power of God’s Word and its necessity for Christian living, answers are offered regarding the question as to what God’s will is, shortly explaining what it means to do God’s will in our daily lives, especially in the process of making decisions. In the third part, several steps are suggested regarding the application of the Bible in the process of making decisions.

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Ben-Oni Ardelean

Religious beliefs influence the acts and behaviors of religious people, most of the time overwriting any social or deontological norm. A brief overview into the dogma of diverse religions that refers directly to religious freedom sheds more light on these behaviors that could not be otherwise explained. Looking into Christianity, things should not be different. According to the understanding of most Christian denominations, the Bible is the only norm for Christian living. Thus biblical doctrines should reveal how to act in regard to religious freedom. Although the Bible is not considered a norm by society at large, only by Christians, it could provide moral principles for those professing the Christian faith that are linked with a normative approach to religious freedom in actual modernity. What does the Bible say about religious freedom? Of what relevance is this to non-Christians? Are Christians aware of these prescriptions? These are extremely important questions for a contemporary multi-religious society, in tension with numerous interreligious or religiously originated conflicts. The aim of this article is to find a solid biblical base for an approach to religious freedom in order for Christians to position themselves on this issue.

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Thomas Sibley

The place and importance of Scripture as the primary tool to be used by a church leader is often affirmed at the beginning of ministry, but is often marginalized by the pressures of ministerial activities. This article is a brief study of 2 Timothy 3:10-16, and the importance and use of Scripture in the perfecting of the “man of God” for ministry work. It is a plea for the church leader to allow the Holy Spirit to use the Scriptures in a continual preparation for the role of church leader.

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Eric J. Titus

This treatment of the perfections of God in the theology of Karl Barth serves as an introduction and summary of Barth’s thinking on this topic as found in Church Dogmatics II.1. The focus of the article is weighted to the formal side of Barth’s construction while not ignoring material considerations. As such, the author considers Barth’s understanding of God as the One who loves in freedom, general characteristics of Barth’s understanding of divine perfections, and more specifically the dialectical dyadic paradigm used by Barth in his construction.

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Robert Bogešić

Modern society is in an unsustainable state. There is a crisis in our political systems, economies, finances and, what is worse, in our morals and value standards. On one side, American capitalism is burdened with the struggle for profit and social justice, and on the other, Europe is burdened with a grand unifying project as a way of building stability and security. Where is the Christian church in all of this? What does Christianity offer? Is there a Christian socialism? Regardless of how the system is named – be it capitalism, socialism or something else - only a system without the basic objective of profit maximization, one that does not consume resources to the point of their exhaustion, beyond its borders, one which is not based on greed, only considering its own well-being, and that does not blame others for its mistakes, but the one that is aware of its neighbor, only that one has a future.

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