EXPLORAREA SPERANŢEI ÎN CREŞTINISMUL ROMILOR: O ANALIZĂ TEOLOGICĂ ŞI ETNOGRAFICĂ A DINAMICII SPIRITUALE ŞI SOCIALE TRANSFORMATOARE
EXPLORING HOPE IN ROMA CHRISTIANITY: AN ANALYSIS THEOLOGICAL AND ETHNOGRAPHIC OF THE SPIRITUAL AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Author(s): George Rafael NĂSTASE, George Rafael Năstase
Subject(s): Cultural history, Ethnohistory, Local History / Microhistory
Published by: MUZEUL ETNOGRAFIC AL TRANSILVANIEI
Keywords: roma; evangelical church; Christianity; transformation
Summary/Abstract: This study explores the concept of hope in Roma Christianity through a theological and ethnographic lens. It aims to understand how hope is perceived and lived among Roma Christian communities, highlighting its transformative impact on their lives.Using qualitative research methods, the study investigates the role of hope in religious practices such as prayer, reading, and study the Bible with regularity. In addition to spiritual practices, education will be another additional factor contributing to the hope of Roma communities. The subject of this article is intensely analyzed both in the academic and sociological world: the Roma problem, but especially the exploration of hope in evangelical Roma Christianity. Over the past 150 years, the situation of Roma has moved from abolition, extermination, non‑recognition (by the Romanian communist regime) to mass political maneuvering. On the other hand, large sums of money (43.3 billion) have been allocated from the European Union „to improve the lives of vulnerable groups, including Roma communities”.The Roma, however, remain Europe’s largest diaspora, perhaps with the largest number of ethnic churches, searching for religious identity. Considering the turbulent historical context of the Roma and the close connection of Christianity in its traditional form, is Christianity, in its evangelical form, the answer to the search for hope of the Roma?This question is essential for understanding not only religious dynamics, or so‑called „social integration”, but also how the „new religion” could be a factor of hope in vulnerable Roma communities.

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