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Abstract
This article revisits the debate on the ‘religious and ethical readings’ of Derrida that was instigated by Martin Hägglund’s Radical Atheism. The impasse in this debate can be overcome in a new reading of Derrida’s work that combines the strong elements of the opposing interpretations. At the same time, this new and critical reading exposes an implicit metaphysical desire, a desire without desire, in Derrida’s work, the presuppositions and consequences of which are not well understood in all the other interpretations. This desire turns out to be an excessive desire, which should be balanced with a more contextual approach.
Abstract
The relationship between science and religion has been a topical issue in the Western world, both in academic and popular literature. It has, however, been a peripheral issue in Africa, the epicentre of Christianity and where both religion and science play a prominent role. Where African scholars have written about it, it has largely focused on Pentecostal and Charismatic churches to the negligence of mainline churches. This article examines the views and responses of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the largest ecumenical body in the country, to the COVID-19 pandemic in the light of the science and religion debate. The views and responses of the SACC to the pandemic were gathered from the various press statements and documents that the ecumenical body produced between March 2020 and September 2021.
Abstract
This article offers an overview of the activities of the Russian Student Christian Movement’s Department of Assistance to Believers of the USSR. Founded in Paris in 1961 by Cyrille Eltchaninoff, it aimed at smuggling religious and dissident literature to the Soviet Union. The charity collected donations to purchase books, which were then sent to Soviet believers through a network of around 150 contacts in 30 countries. In the 1970s–1980s, it smuggled up to 45,000 books to the Soviet Union yearly, provided assistance to prisoners of faith and their families. This article argues that the RSCM acted as a bridge between East and West, supporting the nascent religious revival in the Soviet Union, thanks to an effective fundraising strategy based on support to Soviet dissidents.