Religious Freedom in Central and Eastern Europe After the Collapse of Communism.  Budapest:  Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary, 1998.  Reviewed by Mark Elliott.

How does one, on the one hand, respect religious freedom and, on the other hand, guard against the dangers of new religious movements (nrms)?  Some 80 representatives of historic Christian confessions of East Central Europe (Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox), as well as religious studies specialists from Western Europe, met in Dobogoókö, Hungary, 21-25 September 1997, to address this issue.  The present volume includes papers from this conference.  Presenters are, for the most part, quite restrained in their portrayal of new religious movements.  Tolerance is championed, but the volume's presupposition still is that Europe should be wary of new religious movements.

Even though the purpose of the gathering was to address the relationship of religious freedom to new religious movements, very little concrete data came to light on specific nrms.  One exception is German Lutheran Thomas Gandow's useful typology of "Non-Christian Religious Trends" (pp. 31-33).  In the main, the volume is an exercise in erudite ecumenical hand-wringing, culminating in a call for "further reflection."

This 119-page paperback is available in  English and Hungarian.  Contact:  Okumenikus Tanulmanyi Kozpont [Ecumenical Education Center], 1114 Budapest, Bocskai ut 15. III. 3;  tel/fax:  36-1-466-4790. Cost:  $2 U.S. plus postage.

Russian and Ukrainian audiocassettes of the New Testament are available from Mission Licht im Osten (Light in the East Mission).  The set of 12 cassettes, including both Ukrainian and Russian, can be purchased from:

Mission "Light in the East"
Box 17
252218 Kyiv-218, Ukraine
Tel:  044-441-60-60
Fax:  044-441-69-46
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cost:  $12.00 U.S.

Licht im Osten
Postfach 1340
D-70809 Korntal, Germany
Tel:  49-711-839909-25
Fax:  49-711-831426
E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website:  http://www.lio.org
Price:  DM 120

Resources, East-West Church & Ministry Report 7 (Spring 1999), 15.

Written permission is required for reprinting or electronic distribution of any portion of the East-West Church & Ministry Report.

© 1999 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664