ABSTRACT
The contributors to this volume have analysed recent developments in church and state relations in various European countries. They investigated particular dimensions of these relations, and pointed at new research directions in the field. On the basis of the analyses they have presented, one may identify eight major tasks lying ahead for political scientists who study the interpenetration of religion and politics in the European context. These tasks involve
1. the study of the dynamics of contemporary church-state relations; 2. the extension of existing theoretical frameworks to take account of
East European developments; 3. the reassessment of the significance of denominational differences for
the links between churches and state; 4. the scrutiny of the links between national identities and discrimination
among churches; 5. the analysis of the impact of European integration, and of the
development of global governance; 6. the conceptual clarification and operationalisation of the different
dimensions of church and state relations; 7. systematic mapping of the strategic options of the churches in twenty-
first century Europe; and, finally, 8. establishing the nature of the links between church-state regimes and
the national political structures.
