Politics and Christianity

The project „Politics and Christianity” was carried out at the Faculty of Theology of University of Latvia from 08/01/2011. to 15.12.2011. The aim of the project was to create new knowledge in theology and religious studies, promoting the development of religious and religious-related political competence of the Latvian society and the debate about the optimal model of state and church relations in modern Europe. Plurality of society, emerging fundamentalism and social integration in the 21st century need to impose new tasks and challenges for state as well as for theology. During the project the relationship between Christianity and politics was studied from various perspectives – from the perspective of biblical theology, systematic theology, practical theology, as well as from perspective of history of church and religion.
To achieve the objective of the project, the international conference on „Politics and Christianity” was organized. The conference was attended by approx. 60 participants – students of the humanities and social sciences, experts for state and church relations, journalists, and representatives of various religious groups. In the presentations and round table discussion participiants from Germany, Estonia and Latvia sought for functional pattern of relations between policy and Christianity in a European context. At first the discussion was applied to the analysis of the local Latvian context in the conference presentations and round table discussion. There was also a reflection about the attitude of the Estonian state policy toward religion after 09/11/2011 in the conference. Other studies gave new knowledge on relations of policy and religion from historical point of view. Finally, the conference gave an overall analysis of relationship of politics and Christianity, reflecting on the role of religion in the society, national state and democracy.

Conference proceedings 2012th will be published in the annual edition of the journal of the Faculty of Theology “Ceļš”.