Churches in an Ever-Changing Socio-Political Context

The crumbling of Communist rule in Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991 did not restore the status quo ante where religion was concerned. Among the developments that marked a new era were the arrival of missionaries from American religious organizations, the shrinkage of belief in God and hell, the energizing of the Churches’ engagement with their sexual agendas (especially where the Catholic and Orthodox Churches were concerned), and the emboldening of some Churches’ embrace of nationalism. Alongside the return of religious instruction to the schools, the Churches (especially the Catholic Church in Poland) have exerted forceful pressure on governments to adopt policies that advance their moral agendas.