At a time when the threat of mainline Protestant congregations leaving their denomination is looming, the legal landscape is shifting to allow such dissidents greater possibility of taking their buildings and land with them.World magazine (December 23) reports that the battle over church property is raging in the Episcopal as well as the Presbyterian and United […]
A new niche for religious toys
Religious games and toys represent a growing market, reports USA Today(December. 22). These toys meet a demand for wholesome entertainment and offer educational tools, such as learning about the 99 names of Allah while players advance toward Mecca, or about the Jewish dietary laws. There are also Catholic, Evangelical and Mormon games, with games titled “Missionary […]
Christmas returns to retailing thanks to activists
A “countertrend” of retailers using the word “Christmas” in their promotions was evident this season, largely in response to a campaign by Christian organizations pressing for renewed recognition of the holiday. The National Catholic Register (December 3) reports that in recent years it has become commonplace for retailers and other public institutions to avoid using the greeting […]
Trends in religion and business converging
The new book Next Now (Palgrave) pays a good deal of attention to religion, but its main value may be in demonstrating how marketers and advertisers are latching on to religious trends to market new lifestyles and products. Unlike many futurists, the book, by marketers Marian Salzman and Ira Matathia, clearly sees more of the same ahead […]
The pentecostal ethic and the spirit of holistic health?
Pentecostals and charismatics have not forsaken their touchstone of healing, but they are broadening the concept to include conventional and especially holistic medicine. This trend has emerged over the past several years but is especially evident in the current issue of Charisma magazine (January). The issue is devoted to “God and your Health,” but there is hardly […]
Religion in 2006 — Quiet yet eventful
Although 2006 was a relatively calm year as far as religion goes, several events suggest–from the elections to the controversy over the pope’s remarks on Islam–long ranging religious developments at home and abroad. As with past reviews, we cite the issues of RW where these trends and topic are covered more extensively. 01: The 2006 elections […]
Findings & Footnotes: December 2006
01: The role of religions in global capitalism is the special focus of the November/December issue of the journal Society. The special symposium, based on a Boston University conference on the subject, looks at Islamic, Jewish, Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox and Chinese religions’ relationships with the market. A central question that all the contributors address is how […]
Eastern Europe: Churches still seeking new role
It is difficult to make many generalizations regarding secularization or religion in Eastern Europe. Local situations are quite different, but churches are still are in a period of adjustment to new environments, reported several papers delivered at a day-long meeting of Christians Associated for Relationship with Eastern Europe (CAREE), which took place in Washington on […]
Counting France’s Catholic traditionalists
The number of Catholics attending pre-Vatican II Latin Masses roughly make up the size of two average French Catholic dioceses, writes Fr. Claude Barthe in the Fall issue of the conservative French quarterly Catholica. At a time when there are rumors that the use of the Latin or Tridentine liturgy may soon become widely authorized by […]
Current Research: December 2006
01: The Episcopal Church has experience a “precipitous” loss of nearly 115,000 members over the past three years, mainly over the issue of homosexuality. The Christian Century (November 14) reports that the losses come after a period of relative stability, if not much growth, in the denomination. Half of the losses are said to stem from parish conflicts […]
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