Estudos Teológicos

A RESPOSTA DA IGREJA CRISTÃ À PANDEMIA

Diego Luz Santos — 2025-03-12

O artigo examina as dificuldades enfrentadas pelas igrejas evangélicas para manter suas programações durante a pandemia e como a Igreja Cristã historicamente lidou com a comunicação em diferentes fases. Destaca a importância de entender essas experiências para aplicar aprendizados na atualidade, aproveitando práticas bem-sucedidas durante a pandemia para auxiliar as igrejas em sua missão de pregar o Evangelho. A relevância social do tema é evidente, pois a fé e a religião são fundamentais para a expressão espiritual, a orientação moral e o fortalecimento das relações comunitárias. A pandemia forçou as igrejas a adaptarem rapidamente suas atividades, tornando a comunicação eficaz crucial para conectar-se com os membros, transmitir ensinamentos e oferecer apoio espiritual. O artigo analisa os contextos pré, inter e pós-pandêmico, comparando o crescimento das denominações que se adaptaram e os desafios enfrentados por igrejas de diferentes portes. Além disso, explora os motivos teológicos que influenciaram a decisão de adaptar ou não as programações e os conteúdos ao formato virtual.

Sacrament of the holy communion: protestant piety in the 16th Century

Nilton Eliseu Herbes — 2025-03-06

The Lord’s Supper is one of the two (or three) sacraments in historical Protestantism, as defined by the Protestant Reformation. In the sixteenth century, intense discussions arose regarding the necessary changes and adaptations for practicing this sacrament, both within communal liturgy, through new adaptations of the Mass, and in pastoral care for the sick and dying. This article seeks to analyze the significance of the sacrament, the adaptation processes, and the practice of the Lord’s Supper from the perspective of emerging Protestant piety during the Reformation, with a particular focus on Lutheranism. This bibliographical study draws on German sources to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented. The study demonstrates that Protestant theology developed amidst controversies, and within this process, notable differences emerged between the theological theories of various reformers and the pious practices of the faithful within the new Protestant faith communities.

Union and separation in the light of Genesis 2:25

Jorge Daza Michel — 2025-03-06

This study of a synchronic nature engages in an exegetical dialogue on the text of Genesis 2:25. For this, two methodological resources are used. The first is an ecdotic analysis that allows defining a pericope on which to discuss, namely Genesis 2:4-4:26, in Codex Leningrandensis B19A. The second is a narratological examination that highlights the concepts of union and separation. Finally, it is concluded that these notions make up a rhetorical paradigm that permeates all the textual degrees analyzed: from the main text (Gen 2:25), followed by the narrative pericope (2:4-3:24), to the complete writing of the book of Genesis.

Spirituality of Theology Students

Isaac Malheiros Meira Junior — 2025-03-06

Abstract: This article discusses partial findings from an action research study on the spirituality and devotional habits of undergraduate theology students. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of a Spiritual Formation course on the participants' spirituality. Employing a qualitative approach, the study involved 43 students from a confessional seminary in Brazil. In Phase I, analysis revealed a general lack of knowledge and difficulties in practicing devotional habits among the students. During Phase II, a Spiritual Formation course was conducted. In Phase III, the findings indicated that the course had a positive impact on the participants. The results suggest that theoretical and practical interventions, such as the Spiritual Formation course, significantly enhance spirituality, pointing to potential improvements in how theological education institutions can foster spiritual development.

The Sunday Bible School of the Church Assembly of God of the Ministry of Madureira (1991-1993)

José Batista de Oliveira — 2025-03-12

The Sunday Bible School is essential for strengthening the religious identity of the faithful of the Assembly of God Church of the Ministry of Madureira. This study deals with exposing how religious teaching, propagated by the Sunday Bible School, through the magazine Betel Dominical, published by Editora Betel, contributed to the strengthening of the religious identity and spiritual reflection of the faithful of this Church. The analysis methodology is characterized as qualitative bibliographic research, with the use of sources, that is, the journals published by Editora Betel, delimiting the period from 1991 to 1993. As the title indicates, this is an analysis of the themes of the Betel Dominical Magazines of the Sunday Bible School of the Assembly of God Church of the Ministry of Madureira. The set of textual analysis presents answers to the central question of the research, which is to understand how the themes addressed in the Sunday Betel Magazine, of the Sunday Bible School of the Assembly of God Church of the Ministry of Madureira, contributed to the strengthening of the religious identity and spiritual reflection of the faithful of this religious institution.

Anguish and Desperation in Child of the Dark

Antonio Almeida Rodrigues da Silva — 2025-03-06

The aim of this article is to analyze The trash Room: diary of a favelada, by Carolina Maria de Jesus, from the concept of anguish of the philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich. The study deals with three main issues: 1) anguish of destiny and death; 2) anguishing of emptiness and insignificance; and 3) despair. Because it is a thought that has always been built “on the border”, the philosopher/theologian’s texts bring fruitful elements for possible dialogues with other forms of knowledge. The conclusion points to a central element in the Diary, namely: although the literary work possesses its surpluses and its escape routes, hunger passes through the entire Diary, generating fear, anguish and despair to the narrator's existence.

Contributions of the Magisterium of Pope Francis to the Ecumenical Hermeneutics of the Christian Faith

Elias Wolff — 2025-03-06

The aim of this study is to verify how Pope Francis' magisterium contributes to an ecumenical hermeneutics of the Christian faith, establishing approximations between this magisterium and ecumenism in Latin America. Without disregarding the thematic specificities that make up the agenda of the dialogue between the churches, a redefinition of the term “ecumenism” is proposed, establishing interactions with sociocultural elements and the religious pluralism of our time. The research method is the qualitative reading of bibliographical and documentary texts that express the ecumenical teaching of Pope Francis, in the wake of the teaching of Vatican II. The conclusion is that, in addition to the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, other churches integrated in the ecumenical movement of the continent can welcome the ecumenical teaching of Pope Francis, taking steps towards a hermeneutic of his doctrines in an ecumenical perspective, thus strengthening the initiatives of dialogue in the region.

Além da vontade de sentido

Thiago Antonio Avellar de Aquino — 2025-03-06

O artigo tratou da perspectiva acerca da religiosidade na ótica da Logoterapia de Viktor Frankl. De forma específica, teve por objetivo identificar o papel da vontade de sentido último para o homem religioso no pensamento de Viktor Frankl. Para alcançar o seu escopo, discorreu-se sobre a vida e a obra do autor com o intuito de clarificar a sua ideia de religião e religiosidade. De forma mais específica, analisou-se a religiosidade em suas bases antropológicas e filosóficas no que tange à tríade: a liberdade da vontade, a vontade de sentido e o sentido da vida. Por fim, constata-se que o ponto fulcral da religiosidade seria a voz da consciência, manifestada por meio de um relacionamento inconsciente com um Deus pessoal.

Vasos judaicos de pedra do período herodiano

Janaina Silva Xavier — 2025-03-06

This article discusses the study of material culture from the construction of social biographies that investigate the life trajectory of archaeological objects from their creation to their disposal, discovery and place of exhibition in the museum. This approach has been proposed for the so-called Biblical Archeology, seeking to concentrate on the social and cultural aspects resulting from the material findings that refer to biblical narratives. Based on this premise, there was a social biography of a set of Jewish fragments, a cup and jug, made in limestone, dated from the Herodian period, belonging to the collection of the Biblical Archeology Museum (MAB) of the UNASP, with the aim of producing knowledge about these artifacts from their origin to contemporary times.

THE LEGAL CANONICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PENALTY OF SUSPENSION ON THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL

Adam Jaszcz — 2025-03-06

The introduction of the possibility of punishing the lay faithful with suspension in the amended Book VI of the Code of Canon Law caused surprise and curiosity in the Church. During the press conference announcing the change, the representatives of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts devoted only a few sentences to this topic. Therefore, many questions arise as to how the introduced change will be applied in practice. It seems reasonable to examine the doctrinal basis for such a decision. The author answers the question whether such a change should be treated as a novelty that has not appeared before, even as a proposal, and whether it has its canonical justification. The research leads to the conclusion that suspension for the laity is a novelty in canon law, but it has its origins in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, redefining the place and functions of the laity in the Church. Changes in canon law have also become a consequence of doctrinal changes. The awareness of the need to introduce the penalty of suspension for the laity matured slowly and found its fulfillment in the last amendment of the code. Previously, the right of the laity to perform certain offices and functions in the Church had been noticed and deepened, but the focus was not enough on their responsibility, based on canonical penal law.

Teologia Encarnacional

Igor Rafael Alves Varela — 2025-03-06

O presente artigo tem enquanto objetivo apresentar a teologia encarnacional como um possível paradigma de fundamentação para a prática missionária da igreja contemporânea. Inicialmente são apresentados os conceitos dos termos encarnacional e atracional, com base nas principais publicações eclesiológicas e missiológicas – disponíveis na língua portuguesa – que desenvolvem o tema. Na sequência é exposta a compreensão fundamental da teologia encarnacional: Jesus Cristo enquanto modelo missionário a ser seguido pela igreja, especialmente em seu ministério terreno. Também são expostos os principais textos bíblicos utilizados pelos teólogos encarnacionalistas, passagens que se encontram nos Evangelhos, em Atos, nas epístolas paulinas e gerais. Por fim, são evidenciadas as três principais correntes da teologia encarnacional, bem como alguns teólogos que as representam.

Music and Liturgy in Contemporary Times

Júlio Cézar Adam — 2025-03-06

This article aims to create a debate and provoke tension between Music - Liturgy - Contemporaneity based on constitutive elements such as traditions, trends and cultures in Brazil and in general. The question at stake is how to relate liturgy and music, understanding liturgy itself and music as the result of a permanent process of relationship between tradition and contemporaneity. How do we "tune" liturgy and music? How can they be "out of tune" when the harmonies don't correspond to what worship is: a living, symbolic, ritual and musical expression of the Gospel? The article approaches the subject as if it were a house, with each perspective being a window that sheds light on the relationship and tension. The first point is the window on the very concept of worship and liturgy. What is meant by liturgy and worship? Next is the window on worship music. What makes a particular piece of music worship music? Is it the text, the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, the instruments, the person composing or performing the music or the place where it is performed? The third window is the window of the Protestant Reformation. What light can we get from this 500-year-old window (and it's been a few years)? Then a fourth window opens, the window of inculturation or liturgical decolonisation. How do music and liturgy relate to culture, context and politics? Or: Is there a difference between the music of worship and that of "the world", between sacred and profane, traditional and contemporary music? What kind of society does music create? Finally, the window of contemporaneity is opened (perhaps only half a window). Having illuminated the house with the light that comes from these five windows, we can outline some criteria and principles for thinking about contemporary music and liturgy in Brazil.

The Protagonism of Lutheran Women in Brazil

Diana Diniz de Carvalho — 2025-03-06

This article explores the significant contribution of Lutheran women in the Brazilian context, with an emphasis on the Ordem Auxiliadora de Senhoras Evangélicas (OASE), which is dedicated to supporting the Church and encouraging the experience of faith from a personal, family, and community perspective. The work seeks to describe the creation process and trajectory of the organization, also presenting the leading role of Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther, whose life was marked by family and religious devotion, as an inspiration for Lutheran women. OASE, as a women's organization, has enabled women to participate significantly in religious and social activities, promoting actions that strengthen peace, justice, and love in society. Even operating within institutional limits, OASE promotes the valorization of women in the Church, contributing to and strengthening the balance in gender relations within the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil and beyond.

From Gospel to identity

Eduardo Sales de Lima — 2025-03-06

This article analyzes Luther's dialectical understanding of the Gospel and its relevance to the identity challenges faced by Brazilian Lutheranism in the context of its bicentenary. The research initially examines the current landscape of Lutheranism in Brazil, considering the sociocultural and religious transformations of recent decades, with particular attention to the challenges faced by the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB). It then analyzes Luther's thought on the Gospel, highlighting its fundamental dialectical tensions: between message and life, gift and example, law and Gospel. The methodology, qualitative and bibliographical in nature, draws from the analysis of Luther's writings, especially his commentary on the Letter to the Romans (1515-1516), in dialogue with postcolonial studies on cultural identity. The results indicate that Luther's dialectical understanding of the Gospel offers important conceptual resources for rethinking Lutheran identity in the contemporary Brazilian context, suggesting paths for an ecclesial presence that is simultaneously faithful to its theological roots and responsive to present challenges.

Brazilian Lutheranism

Wilhelm Wachholz — 2025-03-06

The year 1899 marked the history of what, once organized nationally, would become the current Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB). That year, a meeting was held between the Evangelical Society for German Protestants in America (SEAPA) and the Superior Ecclesiastical Council of Berlin (CSEB), of the Church of Prussia, which decided to transfer the coordination of sending pastors to Brazil from the former to the latter. Our thesis is that, from that point on, the history of Lutheranism in Brazil was divided between “before and after” (19th and 20th centuries). These two centuries of history also present different times: In the 19th century, during the congregational period, we found few pastors, who came on their own initiative or were sent by some institution, followed by the systematic sending of pastors, mostly graduates of theological seminaries, especially on the initiative of missionary societies. The 20th century, amidst growing Germanism, began with the sending of pastors mostly with university degrees until the Second World War, when, with the founding of the School of Theology (1946) in São Leopoldo/RS, the ministerial body increasingly began to be made up of native ministers. The objective of this article is to characterize and analyze the four periods in these two centuries of history of Lutheranism in the IECLB.

A diacony of encounter

João Henrique Stumpf — 2025-03-06

This research presents an analysis of the situation regarding community diakonia in the IECLB and explores the phenomenon of the community's encounter with contexts of injustice and suffering as an event that potentially triggers the sensitivity and diaconal awareness of the members and communities of this church. The initial hypothesis that diakonia tends to occupy a peripheral place in the communities of the IECLB was confirmed. It was possible to conclude that, from the congregational period of the IECLB to the present day, the predominant profile of community diakonia articulated within the IECLB has undergone few changes. Its main features remain marked by assistentialism and spontaneism, generally understood within the dimension of subservient intra-community service. In this context, the identification of the phenomenon of encounter, while offering an explanation for the current framework of community diakonia in the IECLB by asserting that one of the obstacles to its development is the distance between members and the community with contexts of injustice and suffering, represents a promising proposal in the horizon of awakening the sensitivity and diaconal conscience of the members of the IECLB. In methodological terms, the research is constituted as bibliographical and documental, combined with descriptive and explanatory social research, adopting a qualitative approach with quantitative support.

Community musicking

Daniela Weingärtner — 2024-12-29

Music has always played an essential role in preserving religious values and shaping the confessional identity of the IECLB (Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil). Since the arrival of the first immigrants, the musical repertoire brought from Europe served as a cultural and religious link that, over time, incorporated Brazilian and Latin American influences, becoming a vibrant and diverse expression of the Lutheran faith. Hymnals brought by the immigrants acted as significant cultural artifacts, reinforcing the connection with European traditions and memories, and serving as the foundation for the development of different hymnals in the IECLB. However, hymnals gain meaning and life when put into practice. This community musicking goes beyond liturgical singing, functioning as a practice that connects religiosity, culture, and community. It reaffirms history and memory, fostering a collective experience that is central to Lutheran religious practice. Music, as a collective practice, can be a space for resistance, artistic expression, and the experience of koinonia, strengthening community and religious bonds within the Lutheran church in Brazil.

Bibliolog

Júlio Cézar Adam — 2025-03-06

Resenha: POHL-PANTALONG, Uta. Bibliolog: impulsos para o culto, a comunidade e a escola. Volume 1: Formas Básicas. São Leopoldo, Sinodal, 2023.

Expediente

Marcelo Ramos Saldanha — 2025-03-06

Editorial

Marcelo Ramos Saldanha — 2025-03-06