Is there a “Christianization” of British politics taking place? Commentators have cited new Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s speeches, which draw on Christian terminology, and the success of a large number of strongly Christian candidates of all parties, including the victorious Labour Party in recent elections, including the victorious Labour Party, as evidence of such a trend. The […]
Persecution of Christians to intensify?
The persecution of Christians around the world may become increasingly worse in the near future, although those suffering from such actions may have difficulties convincing immigration officials of their plight, reports Faith Today (May/June), a Canadian evangelical magazine. The persecution of Christians has become a matter of increasing concern for American evangelicals (and, increasingly, Catholics), as well as becoming an issue for the […]
Current Research: June 1997
01: There appears to be a growing disbelief in the Devil, according to a recent poll by the Barna Research Group. The survey shows that nearly two out of three adults — 62 percent — agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” While this response has remained consistent throughout […]
Feng Shui finds ‘place’ in Canada
The growth of an ancient Chinese mixture of religion, philosophy, astrology and architecture is taking root in North America, especially Canada, reports the Canadian news weekly MacLean’s (April 28). The phenomenon is known as feng shui, the Chinese “art of placement,” which teaches that the arrangement of space and furniture can bring either good or bad “energy” and fortunes. […]
Religious-based colleges retooling fund raising programs
As both public and private sources of revenue in higher education are being cut back and downsized, church related colleges are finding their survival depends on new, freshly designed programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education (May 9) reports that across the country, religious colleges are stepping up efforts to stay afloat in troubled economic times. Leaders recognize that their situations […]
Christian diet programs shed sin-based approach?
Christian diet programs have existed since the early 1970s, but a growing body of evangelical weight control literature has shifted the focus from viewing weight gain as sin to taking a more medical-oriented approach, writes R. Marie Griffith in the Christian Century (May 7). Christian and Bible-based diet programs and literature have been among the most popular […]
Prayer shawl use signaling shift to solitary spirituality?
During the past two years, evangelical and charismatic pastors have been using Jewish prayer shawls as a means to foster private prayer among their members, according to the new book God-Talk in America (Crossroad, $24.95), by Phyllis Tickle. In reporting on the Christian retailing and book trade, Tickle, the religion editor of Publisher’s Weekly, found an unexpected interest […]
Jehovah’s witnesses’ future bright at home and abroad
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are likely to maintain steady growth and will likely be a “very large religious body” in the future, according to an article in the Journal of Contemporary Religion (May). Rodney Stark and Lawrence Iannaccone write that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are becoming a global religious force that have not received much attention from scholars. Witnesses […]
American Buddhism facing uncertain future?
While Buddhism is increasingly portrayed as a growing and celebrity-studded religion in the U.S., there are indications that this diverse faith may have serious problems surviving in the future. In an in-depth article in the Wilson Quarterly (Spring), Jan Nattier writes that not only is American Buddhism divided between different expressions [see October `95 RW], but that these movements […]
Partnerships strengthen between suburban and urban Catholic parishes
New partnerships are forming between suburban and urban Catholic parishes based around common social ministry and dialogue about racial prejudice and misunderstanding, according to the Catholic magazine Salt of the Earth (March/April). These parishes often view “working together for a common good is one way to begin a process of tearing down prejudices like these while creating […]