The division between Muslims of African-American background and those from South Asian and Middle Eastern background may be narrowing as the concern for civil rights has become a concern of Islamic communities after 9/11. African Americans say they have been marginalized in mosques and Islamic organizations by South Asian and Middle Eastern Muslim immigrants. Concerns […]
Home churches becoming an accepted alternative?
A combination of controversy and denominational action seems to be increasing the presence and influence of home churches. Charismamagazine (June) reports that the house church movement is “exploding across North America.” Pollster George Barna is cited as estimating that eight to nine percent–22 million to 24 million people–are now involved in some form of house church. […]
Evangelical campuses friendly to social activism
A growing network of students at evangelical campuses are “becoming politically active in combating world poverty and hunger, the AIDS epidemic, debt relief, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and global warming,” reports Stan Friedman in the Christian Century (May 30). Evangelical social activists report unprecedented activity on social issues among evangelical students, even from relatively conservative and […]
The eclectic and communal new age movement?
The New Age movement has often been seen as a highly individualistic and ephemeral phenomenon by sociologists, but recent studies suggest that the picture is more complex than that. Articles in the May issue of theJournal of Contemporary Religion note that New Age practitioners are socialized into New Age groups and teachings just as one is […]
On/File: May 2006
01: The recent establishment of U2 Eucharists in the Episcopal Church is another example of the way mainline Protestants are adapting contemporary secular musical and artistic forms to the liturgy. The services are somewhat similar to the “rave masses” and multimedia celebrations in the Church of England and Episcopal Church in the U.S. in the 1990s. But, […]
Findings & Footnotes: May 2006
01: The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition is a new monthly from the Jerusalem-based daily newspaper in partnership with The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The magazine is clearly targeted to evangelical Zionists, reporting both on news of Israel and Christian activity around the world relating to the Holy […]
German church buildings for sale
Due to economic pressures and declining attendance, more and more church buildings in Germany will have to be closed or sold. However, the conversion of church buildings into alternative use sometimes leads to reactions even among secular-minded Germans, Joachim Guntner reports in the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung (April 24). The number of Roman Catholics going to […]
Lay Catholics make headway in British society
A listing of Britain’s top 100 lay Catholics by The Tablet magazine (March 18) shows the high degree of acceptance and prominence reached by Catholics in recent years. Among those heading the list of influential largely practicing Catholics (or “cultural Catholics” whose work and lives are still shaped by the faith) include: Mark Thompson, director of the […]
Church of England, Methodists diversify worship menus to grow
Defying the dire predictions made above, Anglican and Methodist churches in England have joined forces to draw in the unchurched and reverse declines by diversifying their worship offerings. The Tablet (April 8) reports that an official movement called Fresh Expressions, sponsored by the Methodist Church and the Church of England, has drawn approximately 400 churches to offer […]
Current Research: May 2006
01: The effort to scientifically measure the effects of prayer on medical outcomes was complicated by a new study showing neutral and even negative effects from prayer on recovery from heart disease. The $2.4 million study supported by the John Templeton Foundation and presented in the American Heart Journal, randomly divided bypass patents from six hospitals into […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- …
- 199
- Next Page »