Turkey is drawing closer to its Islamic neighbors as a Muslim-based political party is gaining power in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report (Feb. 26). In Turkey’s November elections, Refah, a pro-Islamic party, won almost 22 percent of the vote — “more than any other party, though not enough to form a government on […]

The prognosis for the recovery of Judaism in the former Soviet Union continues to be negative, although there are signs that the faith is surviving and growing, according to recent reports. For the past several years the common wisdom about the future of Judaism in the former Soviet Union (FSU) is that the religion is on the […]

There is increased pressure being exerted against Christian churches in China as officials fear that Christianity is finding new appeal among the Chinese, even among Communist Party members, according to the evangelical newsweekly World (Feb. 17). In recent months there has been a new crackdown on religion in China. Protestant and Catholic leaders have been detained by […]

The Buddhist Churches of America, one of the oldest American Buddhist denominations, is facing declining membership ranks, divisions over demands for doctrinal renewal, and a “simmering war” between the sexes, according to the Christian Century (Feb. 28). The BCA has served as the cultural home for Japanese-Americans for 97 years and is distinct from other forms of […]

Evangelicals are increasingly organizing “Christian guilds” and other organizations to use their secular careers to spread Christian influence in American society, writes Andres Tapia in Pacific News Service (Feb. 19-23). Calling themselves “marketplace Christians,” such evangelicals have formed guilds that are geared to specific professions, such as Christians in the Arts, and have formed a dozen related organizations. […]

Catholic laywomen have increasingly joined U.S. religious communities as “associate members” in recent years, according to two reports. Associate membership in religious orders does not require vows of lifetime commitment, but such members are growing while vowed members are declining in many Catholic orders. A recent study cited in CARA Report (Winter), the newsletter of the Center […]

Churches, synagogues and other organizations are recovering and reconstructing practices that incorporate rites of passage into their work in order to help ease young people’s journey into adulthood, according to Common Boundary (January/February), a magazine reporting on the interaction of psychology and spirituality. “Rites of passage currently being conducted include wilderness survival programs; reconstructed African rituals […]