01: That a positive view of religion and the “faith factor” have found a place in mainstream American political discourse is demonstrated in the current issue of the Brookings Review (Spring), the journal of the establishment political think tank, the Brookings Institution.
The issue features a wide range of articles: overviews of the religion and politics scenes by guest editors E.J. Dionne, Jr., and John J. DiIuilio, Jr. and Richard Ostling; a comparison between social and religious views from 1965 and 1998; religion and the presidency; and faith-based social action and the role of black churches on poverty issues.
Sociologist Tony Campolo provides an interesting account of the controversy among fellow evangelicals surrounding his work as a counselor to Bill Clinton.
This issue costs $4.50 and is available from: Brookings Review, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
02: Last month’s article on trends among the Old Catholics focused on this church in Europe and did not mention the minority in the U.S. The National Catholic Reporter (April 23) features an interesting report on the Old Catholic Church in the U.S.., showing how OC’s have often stagnated, appointing as many bishops as priests (600,000 OC’s in the U.S. is a “conservative estimate” according to one official).
The church is now trying to draw in liberal, dissenting Roman Catholics. But without structures and seminaries, Bishop Peter Hickman admits that the church “has become a refuge for every kind of Catholic schismatic for all kinds of different reasons.”
For info on obtaining this issue write: National Catholic Reporter, P.O. Box 419281, Kansas City, MO 64141
03: Readers can still get a discount copy of Against The Stream: Religion in the New Millennium, by RW‘s editor and Don Lattin.
The book, which serves as a handbook of trends on today’s religious scene illustrated by real life accounts, comes with a CD-ROM that links readers from discussions in the text to related web sites on the Internet. While our supply is dwindling down, readers can get a copy for only $18 — postage and handling included (Canadians add an extra $3 and foreign subscribers add $7).
Make out payments to Religion Watch and send to: P.O. Box 652 North Bellmore, NY 11710.