Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

Ex-Jewish Orthodox movement finding voice in activism, books, media

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From existing on the fringes of Jewish society only a few years ago, ex-Orthodox Jews are increasingly organized and speaking out via newly published memoirs and other media, reports Forward.com (May 30). The number of books and media detailing the “de-conversion” of Orthodox Judaism, usually Hasidism, includes Leah Vincent’s memoir “Cut Me Loose,” Shalom Auslander […]

Featured Story: Another Calvinist moment in American Christianity?

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In the last two decades, scholars have spoken of both the “Baptistification” and the “Pentecostalization” of American Christianity, referring to the wide influence these traditions have on other churches and denominations. It might be stretching things to speak of a similar process of “Calvinization” occurring, but there is little doubt that Calvinist beliefs and practices […]

Findings & Footnotes: June 2014

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01: The Review of Religion and Chinese Society is a new journal that looks at the diversity of religions both in China and in different Chinese populations and diasporas throughout the world. The multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary journal defines religion in a broad way as including various spiritualities and “meaning-making systems of belief and practices.” The first […]

B.J.P.’s pragmatic turn not convincing Hindu right

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The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.) and Narendi Modi as prime minister of India has been seen as pointing to a resurgence of Hindu nationalism and anti-Muslim sentiment, but the party has shed much of its sectarian fervor and divisiveness, according to several reports. India Today magazine (May 26) reports that B.J.P.’s landslide […]

Featured Story: Change in Christians’ legal status in Israel showing strategy of `divide and conquer’?

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In February, Israel’s Knesset adopted new legislation meant “to distinguish between Muslim and Christian Arab citizens and to heighten involvement of Christians in Israeli society,” according to its sponsor, MP Yariv Levin. Providing separate attention and separate representation to Palestinian Christians holding Israeli citizenship is supposed to connect them more strongly to the Jewish State, […]

South America’s reverse missions to Europe—strengthening preachers’ status back home?

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The much publicized missionary work in Europe conducted by networks of South American preachers only attracts small European followings, but it serves to reinforce the legitimacy of sending churches and their leaders, writes Ari Pedro Oro (Professor of Anthropology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil) in the Journal of […]

On/File: May 2014

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01: A program known as the Safe Spaces Initiative aims to assist U.S. mosques in identifying potential extremists in their midst has been started by a Muslim advocacy group. The initiative was prompted by the Boston Marathon bombings and was created by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. The program is voluntary but represents a departure from […]

Findings & Footnotes: May 2014

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01: If the study of religion(s) “opens itself to calls for direct ‘societal relevance’ to a greater extent, advocacy will gain greater prominence,” writes Michael Stausberg (University of Bergen, Norway) in introducing a thematic issue on the topic of advocacy in the study of religion(s) in the journal Religion (April). Advocacy research is conducted to promote […]

Overview of Christians in the Middle East finds new and varying crises and responses

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While Christian minorities are currently facing severe challenges in several countries of the Middle East, as evidenced by the situation in Syria, there is no set pattern to these conflicts, according to the April issue of Religion & Gesellschaft in Ost und West (April), which is devoted to country-by-country analyses. In Egypt (84 million inhabitants), […]