Petr Sláma

Notes form the Coasts of Bohemia: Theological Aspects of the War in Ukraine

František Ábel

Remembering in the Eucharistic Tradition Reflected in 1 Corinthians 11:24–25 (17–34): Its Meaning and Role in Eschatological Perspective

Jason Wesley Alvis

Wild Ecumenism: Becoming Communities of Gift, Reception, and Plentitude in Light of Pentecost

Ivan Belanji

Convention on the Rights of the Child as a Basis for Contemporary Ethical Discussion concerning Third-party Artificial Reproductive Technologies

Ladislav Beneš Jr.

“Remarkable ways”: Secondary Dimensions of International Organisations in the Cold War, the Case of the Christian Peace Conference

Author:

Petr Sláma

Abstract

Editorial of the editor-in-chief.

Citation:

SLÁMA, Petr. Notes form the Coasts of Bohemia: Theological Aspects of the War in Ukraine. Communio Viatorum. 2022, vol. LXIV, issue 2, pp. 79-82.

Author:

František Ábel

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of remembering in Paul’s record of the Eucharistic tradition in 1 Corinthians, especially its relation to conceptions of the resurrection perspective. The Eucharistic tradition is an apt example of a specific “memory” reading that enables us to observe the identity formation of the first followers of Jesus, and – by its further recounting – the creation of a “memory” constructing new frames of relation for constructions of the followers’ identity. Applying the basic theoretical principles of the social memory approach to an examination of Paul’s rhetoric concern-ing the Eucharistic tradition in this epistle, this paper sets out to better understand the original (historical) sense and the role of the Eucharis-tic tradition in the process of identity construction of the Corinthian Christ-believers in eschatological perspective.

Keywords:

remembering, memory and memories, Eucharistic tradition, 1 Corinthians, resurrection perspective

Citation:

ÁBEL, František. Remembering in the Eucharistic Tradition Reflected in 1 Corinthians 11:24–25 (17–34). Communio Viatorum. 2022, vol. LXIV, issue 2, pp. 83-102.

Author:

Jason Wesley Alvis

Abstract

One core element of ecumenical theology is a search not simply for commonality or uniformity among Christian traditions, but a way of accepting that Christianity itself is rather diverse and calls for a certain “receptivity” of plentitude. This article builds from the gener-ative event of the Church at Pentecost and the diverse, superabundant, and at times overwhelming Glossolalia present there as a core value for Christian reflection. It further calls for Ecumenical Theology to take account of how this diversity still can result in unity, proposing that the concept of “wildness” can help still maintain unity while also affirming the superabundant. Building from the theology of reception of Paul Ricoeur, the gift theories of Jan Patočka, and the idea of “play” as a means to establish commonality in Eugen Fink, the article reflects upon how Christian communities need to be spaces that unite around the aim to be hospitable to the search for plentitude.

Keywords:

Reception – Plentitude – Community – Pentecost – Ecu-menism – Gift

Citation:

AVIS, Jason Wesley. Wild Ecumenism: Becoming Communities of Gift, Reception, and Plentitude in Light of Pentecost. Communio Viatorum. 2022, vol. LXIV, issue 2, pp. 103-119.

Author:

Ivan Belanji

Abstract

The article presents a non-religious, secular argument against third-party artificial reproductive technologies (ART) based on the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. The arti-cle first presents in short the main thesis, which is that children have a fundamental right to be known and raised by their own genetic par-ents and presents arguments in favour of this view. Next it highlights articles of the Convention that are most relevant to the issue of third-party ART, especially those that emphasize the right of the child to know and be raised by his or her own parents. The article analyzes the articles of the Convention as well as the statements and reports of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to argue that a child has a funda-mental right to be raised by his or her genetic parents, except in certain extraordinary circumstances, such as death, abandonment, neglect and abuse. The article then proceeds to show how third-party ART, such as gamete donation and surrogacy, violate fundamental rights of children as enshrined in the Convention. The article also shows how adoption and third-party ART represent morally different situations, and why adoption can be morally defended as being in the best interest of the child, while third-party ART fail to consider the rights of the child as primary.

Keywords:

Convention on the Rights of the Child, artificial reproduc-tive technologies, gamete donation, surrogacy, adoption.

Citation:

BELANJI, Ivan. Convention on the Rights of the Child as a Basis for Contemporary Ethical Discussion concerning Third-party Artificial Reproductive Technologies. Communio Viatorum. 2022, vol. LXIV, issue 2, pp. 120-149.

Author:

Ladislav Beneš Jr.

Abstract

This article deals with international organisations and their roles in the conflict between East and West. The most visible dimension of international organisations was their official conclusions, lectures, and appeals, which were often publicly published. However, these institutions also served as a space for meetings, which the partic-ipants themselves emphasised as the most crucial reason they attended these forums. The Christian Peace Conference example illustrates what these particular meetings and their consequences looked like outside the main lecture hall.

The Christian Peace Conference (CPC) was founded in 1958 in mutual cooperation between Christians and representatives of the com-munist authorities in Czechoslovakia. As such, it was under the super-vision of the secret police, which kept tabs on the conference. Sources show that the CPC served not only as a propaganda tool for social-ist states but also as a place where Christians and sympathisers of the organisation from all over the world could meet and make personal contacts. Based on these contacts, cooperation between churches or between individuals was formed. From the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren’s point of view, these collaborations resulted, for exam-ple, in material transfers or in informing foreign media about the state of society in Czechoslovakia. The CPC also serves as an excellent example to confirm the thesis that participation in international con-ferences during the Cold War was a very exclusive affair, and only a few could attend them.

Keywords:

International organisations – Christian Peace Conference –Cold war – New Cold War History – Josef L. Hromádka

Citation:

BENEŠ, Ladislav, Jr. “Remarkable ways”: Secondary Dimensions of International Organisations in the Cold War, the Case of the Christian Peace Conference. Communio Viatorum. 2022, vol. LXIV, issue 2, pp. 150-173.