Church, State, and Democracy in Expanding Europe

Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu examine the relationship between religion and politics in ten former communist Eastern European countries. Contrary to widespread theories of increasing secularization, Stan and Turcescu argue that in most of these countries, the populations have shown themselves to remain religious even as they embrace modernization and democratization. Church-state relations in the new EU member states can be seen in political representation for church leaders, governmental subsidies, registration of religions by the state, and religious instruction in public schools. Stan and Turcescu outline three major models: the Czech church-state separation model, in which religion is private and the government secular; the pluralist model of Hungary, Bulgaria and Latvia, which views society as a group of complementary but autonomous spheres - for example, education, the family, and religion - each of which is worthy of recognition and support from the state; and the dominant religion model that exists in Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Lithuania, in which the government maintains informal ties to the religious majority. Church, State, and Democracy in Expanding Europe offers critical tools for understanding church-state relations in an increasingly modern and democratic Eastern Europe.

Lavinia Stan is Associate Professor of Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada. The author, co-author, or editor of three dozen articles and six books, including Religion and Politics in Post-Communist Romania, with Lucian Turcescu, she specializes in religion and politics, transitional justice, democratization, secret services, communist repression and dissidence, as well as governmental performance.

Lucian Turcescu is Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia University, Canada. The author, co-author, or editor of six books and over two dozens articles, he specializes in religion and politics, early Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, and ecumenism.