01: Eight out of 10 professors consider themselves spiritual, while 64 percent say they are religious, according to recent UCLA study. The study, the most recent in a series on religion and academia, did not ask professors specific religious preferences, and found that the term “spirituality” was often referred to in a generic way that involved […]
Full seminaries, emptying pulpits for American Protestants
Enrollment at Protestant seminaries is increasing, but a shrinking proportion of graduates from these schools are moving into the pastorate, reports the New York Times (March 17). Those seminarians especially from mainline denominations are being drawn to a wide range of professions, from academia to social work to hospital chaplaincy. Evangelical Protestant seminarians often end up in […]
African Pentecostal churches see US as new mission field
Although they still mainly attract those of African American descent, African-based churches have been making inroads in the US for the past decade, reports Rachel Zoll in the Associated Press (March 26). This represents one unexpected aspect of the trend toward the “browning of Christian proselytism” evidenced last year by Paul Freston at an international conference in […]
Black evangelicals marching to Zionism?
Although black-Jewish relations are reported to have fallen on hard times, a segment of the black church is moving toward closer support of Israel, reports Moment magazine (April). The numbers are small but there are signs that African-Americans are becoming more favorable to the “Christian Zionism” strong among white evangelicals, writes Evan Goldstein. A rising star in […]
Russian orthodoxy — divided and democratizing?
Although Russian Orthodox believers have been moving toward a greater acceptance of democracy, theirl church may be losing much of its independence under the administration of Vladimir Putin. Such contradictory and conflicting findings were commonplace in presentations at a late March conference in New York on the state of Orthodoxy in “post-atheist” Russia that RW attended. Samuel […]
On/File: March 2006
The Zenkoji Daikanjin Bunkai is the first labor union for Japanese Buddhist temple workers. The fledgling union, comprising a handful of monks and other temple workers in Nagano, was created to facilitate collective bargaining for pay raises and better employment conditions. Trade union leaders believe the monks’ labor activism will quickly spread to other temples […]
Findings & Footnotes: March 2006
01: The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) has greatly expanded its features, and website, giving students, scholars and other religious professionals access to the most comprehensive collection of data on religion. Among the ARDA’s newest features are statistical and descriptive profiles of nations and regions around the world, providing facts and figures on the […]
India’s Nagaland heartbeat for missions in central Asia
The Nagaland region of India is becoming a powerhouse of cross-cultural missions in Central Asia, reports Christianity Today (February). India’s northeastern state on the border of Burma had a history of tribal warfare and headhunting, but today some 60 percent of Nagaland’s population is Baptist. The state is rapidly changing from a mission field to a sender […]
China’s communists increasingly religious
At least one-third of the 60 million members of the Chinese Communist Party belong to a religious organization, reports the Catholic news agency AsiaNews (Feb. 28). Moreover, half of those believers are reported to be regular participants in religious services, despite the fact that a ruling issued last October prohibits cadres from participating in religious activities for […]
Islamic banking standardized and expanding
Islamic banking is thriving, even as it is becoming more standardized throughout the world, reports The Epoch Times (March 3). Recent surveys show there are 270 Islamic banks worldwide, holding more than $265 billion in assets. The need for Islamic financial institutions to comply with Shariah laws means that they must face greater obstacles than conventional institutions […]
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