Judaism appears to be attracting a growing number of gentile converts who are drawn to the faith for its teachings and practices rather than because of intermarriages. There has been a longtime debate in Jewish circles about whether synagogues should seek converts (apart from seeking the conversion of partners of interfaith marriages), but it seems that […]
Denominations revamping their identities
In the face of perceived and real declines in the importance of denominations among American churchgoers, church bodies and congregations are attempting to reassert their identities, whether through public relations campaigns or reviving older traditions. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Nov. 4) reports that two of the nation’s largest Protestant denominations, the United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran […]
Muslims underrepresented on book shelves
Even if Muslims are gaining more recognition in American society, they are underrepresented when it comes to books about their faith. Publisher’s Weekly (Nov. 13) reports that the bookstore shelves do not fully reflect U.S. religious diversity when it comes to Islam, but “signs of change are evident.” Most Muslim books continue to be published by […]
American Muslim’s success story?
It is not unusual for politicians and the media to speak of discrimination and intolerance toward Muslims, but there is little evidence of such prejudice, writes Daniel Pipes in Commentary magazine (November). Using figures and information provided by Muslim organizations, Pipes writes that in education and the professions Muslims are near the top among ethnic and religious […]
Election 2000 — reflecting culture wars or common ground?
Do the voting patterns from the U.S. presidential elections show a religious divide or new common ground in America? Just as the final election results remained uncertain long after November 7th, the impact of the “religious factor” in voting is still under debate. This much is clear: White Protestants, who comprise 54 percent of the […]
Mainline struggle with gender issues, while moderating?
Over the past three months, three major mainline Protestant denominations, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Methodist Church, held their scheduled national conventions, and, as in previous years, issues of sexuality and gender drew the most controversy and publicity. But there were also signs, particularly in the United Methodist Church, that these […]
On/File: November 2000
01: Deism, the religious philosophy held by some U.S. founding fathers and Enlightenment thinkers and many scientists, is gaining a new following, as well as organizational structure through the work of the World Union of Deists (WUD). Deism teaches that God created and reveals himself through creation and natural laws rather than revelation and direct involvement in the […]
Findings & Footnotes: November 2000
01: European scholars have long held that the U.S. is the exception to the secularization occurring in the Western world. Grace Davie’s new book Religion in Modern Europe: A Memory Mutates (Oxford, $27.95) demonstrates that it is actually Europe that is now exceptional. Davie, a British sociologist, presents evidence of continuing disaffection from the established (particularly, the […]
Anglican evangelicals pressing for freedom to organize parishes
Conservative churches and renewal associations in mainline bodies, particularly Anglicanism, are increasingly pressing not just for evangelical doctrine, but also the right to plant their own congregations unfettered by denominational control. This trend can be seen in The First Promise movement, where evangelical activists seek alternative means of leadership from that of their liberal bishops […]
Faith movement spreads worldwide in changed forms
The faith movement, known for promoting prosperity teachings, is growing rapidly around the world, and although the movement may have started in the U.S., it is finding its own expressions, particularly in the Third World. In the Journal of Contemporary Religion (October) Stephen Hunt writes that while the faith movement was once a strand of the Pentecostal […]
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