The Russian Orthodox Church is aligning itself with Russia’s hardline foreign policy, reports The Tablet (June 16). Russia has reasserted its power after more than a decade of relative tranquility, most evident in President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to block deployment of U.S. missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well in recent skirmishes between Moscow […]
French-speaking Europe and cults: An update
Official and semi-official agencies dealing with “cults” in France and Belgium feel that much has been achieved over the past two decades, but they would like to see some additional legal regulations introduced. Both the French MIVILUDES (Inter-ministerial Mission of Vigilance and Fight against Sectarian Deviances) and the Belgian CIAOSN (Information and Advice Center on […]
Current Research: July 2007
01: There has been a sharp increase of Catholics training for lay ministries in the church, according to a recent study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The report notes that the biggest change in 2006-2007 was in the number of people working toward degrees or certificates for “lay ecclesial ministry” — […]
Southern Baptists drifting toward center on politics?
The fundamentalist trend in the Southern Baptist Convention may be at an end as an influential group of moderates is “seeking to move the denomination to become less political,” writes James L. Evans in the e-newsletter Sightings (June 28). For the past three decades the SBC has moved steadily rightward in both doctrine and politics. While the […]
Seeking alternatives to the megachurch-state clash
Churches and municipalities are clashing over land use issues, particularly due to the growth of megachurches, causing both local governments and congregations to look beyond the usual route of enforcing free exercise of religion legislation. World magazine (June 9) reports that clashes between politicians and churches over land use and resulting loss of tax revenue are […]
Unitarian-Universalist Buddhism — made in America?
The significant growth of Unitarian-Universalist Buddhist (UUBU) groups bears witness to the eclectic approach of a segment of American Buddhism today, according to French researcher Molly Chatalic. She delivered a paper on UUBU groups at the 2007 conference of the CESNUR (Center for Studies of New Religions), which took place on June 7-9 at the […]
Findings & Footnotes: June 2007
01: The current issue of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies (Winter) is devoted to fundamentalism and democracy. Although tomes have been written on this subject, the issue carries some interesting articles on conservative (not necessarily fundamentalist) religion and politics. An article by economists David Chen and Jo Thori Lind looks at the relationship between social and fiscal conservatism. […]
Head coverings a barometer of new Islamic conflicts
The issue of head coverings for women is becoming increasingly contentious in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, with even the manner in which such Islamic attire is worn revealing trends in worldwide Islam. The Economist (May 12) reports that the controversy covers the spectrum–from Turkish secularists protesting the possibility of a Muslim candidate being elected because […]
Russian orthodoxy gains strength through new unity
On May 17, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia officially reestablished communion with the Moscow Patriarchate. The move has been hailed by some as finally marking the end of the Russian Civil War (Russia Profile, May 17). As reported by RW (June 2006), a Council of the Church Abroad had accepted unity as a matter of principle […]
Europe’s ‘New Atheists’ gain momentum
There is a resurgence of atheist activism on the European continent, reports Alexander Smoltczyk in the German weekly Der Spiegel (May 26). The trend of a “new atheism’’ mentioned in the March issue of RW now appears to have crossed the Atlantic. Why “new”? Because the new wave of atheists seem driven by a previously unknown missionary […]
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