Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

Vatican’s diplomacy revives under Pope Francis

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After a period of inactivity and withdrawal, Pope Francis has put the Vatican “back on the geopolitical map,” as well as rejuvenating the Catholic Church’s interreligious and ecumenical work, writes John Allen in the Boston Globe (June 8). Allen writes that the pope’s recent prayer summit for peace brings together Israeli President Shimon Peres and […]

Current Research: July 2014

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01: Disclosing one’s faith in applying for jobs may be detrimental for job hunting in the U.S., particularly if you are a Muslim, according to a study by University of Connecticut researcher Bradley Wright. In Christianity Today magazine (June), Wright reports on a study he conducted with Michael Wallace where they created four different kinds […]

Keeping food halal and aiming for non-Muslim market

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Just as kosher food found a following beyond its Jewish market, Islamic halal products are seeking to reach non-Muslim mainstream American consumers, according to two reports. The New York Times (June 13) reports on the successful efforts of Adnan A. Durrani to market his Saffron Road halal frozen food entries to the popular store chain […]

Two-tiered Buddhism being replaced by more fluid approach

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The long-time divide between ethnic and convert based Buddhism in the U.S. is showing signs of giving way to a more fluid situation where Buddhist groups reach out beyond their traditional followings, according to a study in the Journal of Global Buddhism (Vol. 15, 2014). In a survey of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), […]

Featured Story: ‘Evangelical Catholic’ politicians finding Republican vote

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The two-decade alliance between conservative Roman Catholics and evangelicals on moral and social issues is having political repercussions, with several leading Republican politicians drawing on both traditions for inspiration. In a Religion News Service report (June 16), Sarah Pulliam Bailey notes that the surprising victory of Dave Brat in the Virginia primary is one example […]

Current Research: June 2014

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01: Public displays of religious devotion by American athletes are nothing new, but such actions can prove divisive to fans if they are too closely associated with a particular faith, according to researchers writing in the American Sociological Association’s magazine Contexts (Spring). The two most recent examples of public piety by American athletes have been […]

Quebec decides against strict secularism

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The recent ousting of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) from power in the Canadian province of Quebec was more a rejection of the party’s secularist agenda than its separatist policies, according to many observers. In the elections, the PQ retained just 30 seats while the Liberal Party gained 70 in the National Assembly, seriously setting back […]

Churches embracing drive-through praying

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Although there have long been outdoor or “drive-in” churches, a number of congregations have taken the concept further and started “drive-through” churches. The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 28) reports that churches are “embracing what community banks and pharmacies have utilized for decades: the drive-through.” These churches hold drive-through hours where they offer prayer and other services, […]

Conservative Christians rallying to charter school movement

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Support for charter schools has often been viewed in largely pragmatic terms, but the movement to establish this popular alternative to public schools has had significant religious and particularly evangelical involvement and interest, according to a study in Social Science Quarterly (June). Author Andrea Vieux writes that conventional wisdom suggests religious conservatives would most likely […]

Evangelical support for Israel waning?

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Evangelicals’ support for Israel can no longer be counted on, especially as they are being “confronted with an evangelical-friendly, anti-Israel narrative,” writes David Brog in the Middle East Quarterly (Spring). The attempt to promote the Palestinian cause among evangelicals is nothing new, but the center-right political complexion of at least American evangelicals made such appeals […]