Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Ploscariu, Iemima
Data de Publicação: 2020
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i2.2759
Resumo: In interwar Romania, the numbers of Baptists grew exponentially among the ethnic majority population in the border regions of Transylvania, Banat, and Bessarabia. In the competition over souls and for cultural space in the newly formed Greater Romania, the Roma became an important minority to win over. In 1930, Petar Mincov visited Chișinău and spurred outreach to the Roma among Romanian Baptists as he had in Bulgaria. It was here and in the cities of Arad and Alba-Iulia that some of the first Romanian Roma converted to the Baptist denomination. The first Roma Baptist (and first Roma neo-Protestant) Church, called Biserica Credinţa (Faith Church), was founded in Arad city around 1931. Confessional newspapers in English, Romanian, and Russian from the interwar period reveal the initiative taken by members of the local Roma community to convert and to start their own church. The article analyses the role of Romanian Baptist leadership in supporting Roma churches and the development of these new faith communities in the borderland regions. Unlike outsider attempts to foster a Roma Baptist community in Bucharest, the Faith Church survived World War II and communist governments, and provides insight into the workings and agency of a marginalized double minority. The article also looks at the current situation of Roma evangelicals in Arad city and how the change in religious affiliation has helped or hindered attempts at inclusion and policy change.
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spelling Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romaniaassimilation; Baptist; Faith Church; minorities; religion; Roma; RomaniaIn interwar Romania, the numbers of Baptists grew exponentially among the ethnic majority population in the border regions of Transylvania, Banat, and Bessarabia. In the competition over souls and for cultural space in the newly formed Greater Romania, the Roma became an important minority to win over. In 1930, Petar Mincov visited Chișinău and spurred outreach to the Roma among Romanian Baptists as he had in Bulgaria. It was here and in the cities of Arad and Alba-Iulia that some of the first Romanian Roma converted to the Baptist denomination. The first Roma Baptist (and first Roma neo-Protestant) Church, called Biserica Credinţa (Faith Church), was founded in Arad city around 1931. Confessional newspapers in English, Romanian, and Russian from the interwar period reveal the initiative taken by members of the local Roma community to convert and to start their own church. The article analyses the role of Romanian Baptist leadership in supporting Roma churches and the development of these new faith communities in the borderland regions. Unlike outsider attempts to foster a Roma Baptist community in Bucharest, the Faith Church survived World War II and communist governments, and provides insight into the workings and agency of a marginalized double minority. The article also looks at the current situation of Roma evangelicals in Arad city and how the change in religious affiliation has helped or hindered attempts at inclusion and policy change.Cogitatio2020-06-04info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i2.2759oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2759Social Inclusion; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Gypsy Policy and Roma Activism: From the Interwar Period to Current Policies and Challenges; 316-3262183-2803reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2759https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i2.2759https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2759/2759Copyright (c) 2020 Iemima Ploscariuhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessPloscariu, Iemima2022-12-20T11:00:29Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2759Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T16:21:59.887818Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
title Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
spellingShingle Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
Ploscariu, Iemima
assimilation; Baptist; Faith Church; minorities; religion; Roma; Romania
title_short Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
title_full Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
title_fullStr Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
title_full_unstemmed Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
title_sort Faith Church: Roma Baptists Challenging Religious Barriers in Interwar Romania
author Ploscariu, Iemima
author_facet Ploscariu, Iemima
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Ploscariu, Iemima
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv assimilation; Baptist; Faith Church; minorities; religion; Roma; Romania
topic assimilation; Baptist; Faith Church; minorities; religion; Roma; Romania
description In interwar Romania, the numbers of Baptists grew exponentially among the ethnic majority population in the border regions of Transylvania, Banat, and Bessarabia. In the competition over souls and for cultural space in the newly formed Greater Romania, the Roma became an important minority to win over. In 1930, Petar Mincov visited Chișinău and spurred outreach to the Roma among Romanian Baptists as he had in Bulgaria. It was here and in the cities of Arad and Alba-Iulia that some of the first Romanian Roma converted to the Baptist denomination. The first Roma Baptist (and first Roma neo-Protestant) Church, called Biserica Credinţa (Faith Church), was founded in Arad city around 1931. Confessional newspapers in English, Romanian, and Russian from the interwar period reveal the initiative taken by members of the local Roma community to convert and to start their own church. The article analyses the role of Romanian Baptist leadership in supporting Roma churches and the development of these new faith communities in the borderland regions. Unlike outsider attempts to foster a Roma Baptist community in Bucharest, the Faith Church survived World War II and communist governments, and provides insight into the workings and agency of a marginalized double minority. The article also looks at the current situation of Roma evangelicals in Arad city and how the change in religious affiliation has helped or hindered attempts at inclusion and policy change.
publishDate 2020
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2020-06-04
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https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i2.2759
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dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Copyright (c) 2020 Iemima Ploscariu
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rights_invalid_str_mv Copyright (c) 2020 Iemima Ploscariu
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dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Social Inclusion; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Gypsy Policy and Roma Activism: From the Interwar Period to Current Policies and Challenges; 316-326
2183-2803
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