The recent issue of the Journal of European Baptist Studies (no 1, 2020) explores Church and State relations from a Baptist perspective. ‘How should a Christian live in the existing political realities?’ has accompanied the Baptist story from the beginning, although it is a question for all Christians and can be traced back to New Testament times.
The volume includes nine articles which discuss aspects of religious freedom and human rights, ponders – the sometimes complicated – practice of the separation of church and state, and investigates binaries, such as nationalist ideologies and the biblical narrative, state pressure and Christian engagement in civil society, the gathered church and the ‘world’ in a missional context. Some historical examples illustrate how Baptists have responded to legislative developments in society, in both nineteenth-century Norway and Ireland. Book reviews at the end of the issue inspire further reading.
The Journal of European Baptist Studies, appearing twice a year, is a publication of the International Baptist Theological Study Centre, Amsterdam, a research and learning community. It is available in Open Access in cooperation with Index Theologicus (http://www.jebs.eu). For print subscriptions, please, contact the Editor (jebs@ibts.eu).
