The new unity and strength among conservative Third World Anglican bishops is likely to have repercussions on churches in the U.S. and other Western countries, according to the Christian Challenge (September/October), a traditional Anglican magazine. The growth and influence of conservative Anglicanism in the Third World has been taking place for a number of years (with the […]

In the last five or so years, rapidly increasing numbers of Catholic teenagers are participating in  revitalized youth programs in all parts of the country. The Catholic World Report (October) find growing numbers of young people drawn to church-directed programs based on strongly orthodox Catholic teachings in the context of socially oriented outreach. Some five years ago, Catholic […]

Despite recent attempts at interracial unity, divisions based on race are still stirring in American Pentecostal churches, according to Charisma magazine (October). Pentecostals made headlines in 1994 when the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America, which represented mainly white denominations (such as the Assemblies of God), voted to dissolve itself and form a new multi-racial entity called the […]

Eight months after the pope’s visit to Cuba, there are new advances as well as setbacks in religious freedom in the nation, according to two reports. The New York Times (Sept. 13) reports that religious vitality and openness in Cuba has intensified since John Paul’s visit last January, with increases in baptisms, ordinations and the formation of […]

As talk of a “post-denominational” Christianity is increasingly common, the same phenomenon appears to be taking place in American Judaism. In an overview of  non-Orthodox Jewish groups in Commentary magazine (September), Clifford Librach finds a growing convergence between Conservative and Reform Judaism. Conservative Judaism is moving to the left to meet Reform’s position on matters such as gay […]

Catholics dissatisfied with the parochial school system are leading a rapidly growing movement of independent Catholic schools. In the last three years alone, the number of such schools have increased from under 30 to more than 100, according to the National Catholic Reporter (Sept. 11). Most of these schools are modest, do-it-yourself efforts started up by parents […]

It’s become almost a church growth law that strong, “strict” congregations will grow the fastest in the future. But in an article in the Christian Century (Aug. 26-Sept. 2), sociologist Peter Berger calls that paradigm into question as he sees congregations increasingly improvising to minister to Americans who have lost much of the old certainties regarding religious […]

A movement based on millennial and New Age teachings is finding some unusual bedfellows. Jose Arguelles, a pioneer New Age leader, has been in the forefront of a millennial movement predicting an imminent period of tribulation and planetary rebirth based on a return to the ancient Mayan calendar. Arguelles is considered a key popularizer of […]

Children are becoming increasingly active in charismatic practices as well as in evangelism and prayer movements, reports Charisma magazine (September). A notable feature of recent revivals in an Assembly of God church in Brownsville, Florida was the participation of young children in the phenomenon, dancing, speaking in tongues and being “slain in the spirit.” The role of […]