01: Spiritual and practical living concerns outweigh social activism for the overwhelming majority of black pastors and congregations, according to Gallup polls. The Gallup religion newsletter Emerging Trends (December/January) reports on polls conducted among nearly 2,000 African-American pastors and lay leaders, finding they report a strong spiritual emphasis in their congregations. More than eight out of 10 pastors […]
Christian internet companies face dot-com bust
The dramatic downturn felt by secular Internet companies has affected the once-booming Christian dot com world, reports Christianity Today (Feb. 16). Companies, such as iBelieve.com, i.Christian.com and Lightsource.com (which provided Christian audio programs on the web) have crashed, while Crosswalk.com is losing support and revenues. Most of the closings and losses are tied to the same general […]
Moderate factor encouraged in new cardinal appointments?
The appointment of 44 new cardinals by Pope John Paul in February suggests a moderating influence among this body of papal electors as well as new Latin American influence. The liberal National Catholic Reporter (Feb. 9) notes that analysts are puzzled by the selection of such moderates as German Archbishops Karl Lehmann and Walter Kasper. Lehmann in […]
Psychotherapy finding home in Buddhist spiritual direction
While psychotherapy and Buddhism may appeal to the same people, the effort to merge the two fields into one form of spiritual practice is becoming more common. The Utne Reader (March/April) reports that Buddhist spiritual teachers are now taking their students on as paying clients for psychotherapy, erasing the boundaries between therapy and religion that have already […]
Mainline support for non-traditional families weak?
Although mainline Protestants have emphasized inclusiveness and have criticized traditional family initiatives, their churches have attracted fewer non-traditional families than evangelicals who espouse more conservative family views, writes W. Bradford Wilcox in the Christian Century (Feb. 21). Wilcox looks at the articles, sermons and programs of mainline churches and finds that they may speak of the plight […]
Ex-Catholics women showing influence in Protestant pulpits
Women who are former Catholics have been increasingly moving into the ranks of mainline Protestant clergy, although the journey is difficult and they tend to carry some of their Catholic background and mind-set into their new roles. The influx of ex-Catholic women into the Protestant ministry has been underreported by the press and underresearched by academia, […]
Faith-based social service hits snag on alternative religions
A segment of the Christian churches has long viewed the idea of government support for faith-based social services warily, believing accepting public funds will compromise their religious mission. Now a related concern of unpopular and alternative religious groups receiving such support is adding another obstacle to widespread acceptance of this program. This is seen in […]
Young Catholics — Relativist and committed?
A new study of young American Catholics suggests religious relativism doesn’t necessarily weaken commitment to a faith, that there is not a large influx of Hispanics out of the church, and that GenX Catholics are not much different than baby boomers. The current issue of Visions (November/December), a newsletter on demography for churches, discusses the findings of […]
On/File: February 2001
01: The Center for Progressive Christianity represents a unique attempt to market liberal Christianity and make it “user-friendly” to both church members and seekers. The founding of CPC was inspired by the liberal and critical religious views of retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong and is based at the Episcopal Divinity School in Boston. Its purpose is […]
Findings & Footnotes: February 2001
01: New York City has often been viewed as an exception to religious America, much in the same way that Europe becomes peculiarly secular compared to the rest of the world. That assessment of the U.S.’ largest city should be rethought with the recent publication of New York Glory: Religions in the City (NYU Press, $19.50) edited by […]
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