The continuing decline of base communities in Latin America is tied more to the changing nature of politics and peoples’ movements than internal church policies or conservative leadership, according to the National Catholic Reporter (Nov. 12). Base communities, small groups based on social action and Christian reflection, were seen as the embodiment of liberation theology and the […]
Europe and Islam — how inevitable is the conflict?
Recent violence in the Netherlands has revealed the tensions and divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims over the place of Islam and free speech in secular European societies. The killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in early November by an extremist Muslim over the former’s derogatory public comments and critical work on Islam ignited a firestorm […]
Anti-corruption activism finds place on international evangelical agenda
Along with religious liberty and AIDS relief, anti-corruption activism is being added to the evangelicals internatiional agenda, reports Christianity Today magazine (November). In the Second and Third Worlds, “Revulsion against corruption is drawing people to Christ and inspiring Christian leaders to launch campaigns against bribery, scamming, and misappropriation of funds. More and more missions agencies say that […]
Current Research: December 2004
01: The line between members and non-members is blurring in congregations, as regular attenders are found to have similar patterns of attachment to their church and religious devotion as those on church rolls, according to a recent study. The first comparative data of active non-members, collected by John Marcum of the Presbyterian Church (USA), finds that […]
Healing, traditional medicine expands Daoist presence in U.S.
Although some scholars doubt that authentic Daoism is present in the U.S., a recent study finds that the traditional Chinese religion has made extensive inroads in the country, usually adopted and shaped by Euro-American converts to stress self-help and healing. In Nova Religio(November), a journal of alternative and emergent religions, Louis Komjathy writes that it is […]
Religious e-mail spam on the rise
Spam messages, or unwanted e-mail asking for donations or selling services, are increasingly religious in nature, according to CNET News (Nov. 19). Message Labs, an antispam security company, has recently intercepted a large number of spiritual e-mails. They are legal because they don’t plug products, just religious ideals. It’s on the rise for a number of reasons, […]
Elections show new denominational political allegiances?
Although much is made of how the reelection of President George W. Bush revealed the cultural divide between secular and religious Americans, the 2004 elections also showed new political allegiances and patterns taking shape within religious traditions and denominations. The Catholic vote for Bush was generally underplayed in the media and in many polls, but […]
On/File: November 2004
01: ChristianExodus.org is part of a small separatist movement among conservative Christians who are opting out of the political system. The group is seeking to get groups of 12,000 people to migrate to South Carolina in hopes of creating a Christian state that will be governed by the Ten Commandments. The group was formed because of […]
Findings & Footnotes: November 2004
01: The fall issue of Theology, News & Notes, a publication of Fuller Theological Seminary reveals the rethinking taking place on the methods and goals of evangelism among American evangelicals. Most of the articles claim that the older methods of preaching and decision-based evangelizing — pressing for a once-for-all acceptance of Christ–are being replaced by strategies […]
Evangelical AIDS activists starting to debate prevention
Evangelicals have become front-line leaders in AIDS prevention around the world in recent years, but there is growing division over how to prevent the disease without compromising their beliefs. Evangelicals, with the support of the Bush administration, have increasingly stepped into the AIDS battle, often following the “ABC” approach modeled in Uganda [see March 2003 […]
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