Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

Elections signal downturn for religious right?

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The November elections were widely viewed  to have favored the Democrats over the Republicans, but the fortunes of the religious right seems more open to interpretation. The New Republic magazine (Nov. 23) holds that the election signaled the public’s disenchantment with the social agenda of the religious right. Those Republicans who were elected or reelected, such as Texas […]

Denominations still play role in congregational life

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“Postdenominationalism” has become a popular term for describing the religious situation today. Polls and other studies have shown that Americans, especially the younger generations, no longer have deep loyalty to denominations, as shown in the many who have switched churches or find their spirituality outside of institutions and “brand name” religions. Yet recent research suggests […]

On/File: November 1998

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01: Track One is a new kind of denomination that’s designed by marketers and slated to go out of business in about 20 years. Track One is an evangelical movement aimed at baby boomers and younger generations offering contemporary worship and comprising about 100 churches around the U.S. Because many studies have found that religious movements rarely […]

Findings & Footnotes: November 1998

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01: There has been a growing debate among scholars studying new religious movements over the issue of how objective and disinterested such research has been. A large part of the current issue of Novo Religio, (October)  the journal of new religions, is devoted to this question, particularly looking at the issue of academic integrity in studying NRM’s. The […]

Pakistan’s government yields to Islamic revivalists

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Growing pressure from Islamic hard-liners to create an Islamic state in Pakistan appears to be working. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  is pressing for a sweeping bill that would impose Islamic law, although hard-liners say his actions are just a ploy to consolidate power, reports the Associated Press (Oct. 23). The change could be seen in the way Islamic […]

Underground Chinese church turns activist

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The underground “house church” movement in China is becoming more outspoken about their situation both with Chinese leaders and the West, reports the evangelical newsweekly, World (Oct. 3). The once largely silent evangelical house church movement is said to be the fastest growing segment of Christianity in China, as well as among the most restricted and persecuted […]

Church of England schools re-find religion

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After a long period of  downplaying the religious identity of its schools, the Church of England is seeking to reassert the Christian and Anglican nature of these institutions. The British Catholic magazine The Tablet (Oct. 10) reports that since the late 60s, Church of England primary and secondary schools have emphasized serving the entire community and minimizing their […]

Current Research: November 1998

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01: Conservative evangelicals tend to give more to the poor than  religious liberals and others concerned about poverty, according to a recent study. In the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (September), Mark Regnerus, Christian Smith and David Sikkink note that it has been the general wisdom that mainline Protestants and practicing Catholics are more generous toward the poor […]

The family’s favorable future?

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Despite setbacks and opposition from critics and ex-members, the Family (formerly the Children of God) appears to be passing on leadership to the second generation and keeping its distinctive identity, according to a report in Nova Religio, (October) a journal on new religious movements. The Family has courted controversy since its beginnings in the Jesus movement […]

Nation of Islam dropping anti-White thrust?

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The Nation of Islam is shedding much of its anti-white rhetoric and beliefs, according to the newspaper In These Times (Oct. 4). Last month RW noted the unusual alliance between Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Louis Farrakhan and New Age visionary Jose Arguelles. It appears that this development may be part of a broader change in the NOI toward […]