Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

You are here: Home / Archives for Richard Cimino

Church choirs decline, shift toward more participatory mode

by

In some sectors of American Christianity, choirs are on the downturn, yet this musical form is adapting itself to the new religious landscape, writes Cathy Lynn Grossman in a Religion News Service-based article in the Washington Post (Sept. 17). Citing the recently released National Congregations Study, Grossman reports that choirs are on the downturn especially […]

Current Research: October 2014

by

01: Although the Emerging Movement has been known for its promotion of diversity and inclusiveness, clergy identifying as Emerging tend to be liberal in their politics, according to a study by Ryan Burge and Paul Djupe. The writers and leaders associated with the EM, known for its postmodern approach stressing community and non-dogmatism, have often differentiated […]

Findings & Footnotes: October 2014

by

01: The summer issue of the East West Church & Ministry Report is devoted to the Ukrainian crisis and its impact on the churches. Ukraine’s conflict with Russia is reshaping church relations between the two countries as well as the level of unity between and political involvement of Ukrainian Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches. Although evangelicals […]

Growing conflicts over Israel among mainline Protestant churches

by

Mainline Protestants are facing internal and external conflicts over their position on Israel, writes Sarah Pulliam Bailey in a Religion News Service-based article in the Washington Post (Sept. 16). The recent resignation of Episcopal chaplain Bruce Shipman at Yale University over a letter he wrote to the New York Times linking growing anti-Semitism in Europe […]

Findings & Footnotes: September 2014

by

01: Questions about the knowledge of religion gathered through and derived from surveys, polls and census data are examined in ten articles of a thematic issue of the journal Religion (July). The special issue, edited by Abby Day (University of London) and Lois Lee (University of Kent), includes a good deal of statistical data. Clive D. […]

Sikhs gaining center stage in Bollywood, even as stereotypes endure

by

Recently, Sikh characters have found a popular place in Bollywood films, though such portrayals tend to perpetuate the stereotype of Sikhism as an exotic and warrior-based religion, according to an article in the journal Sikh Formations (published online Aug. 21). Today, top Bollywood actors are vying with each other to play Sikh characters, and such […]

Hinduism’s appeal in religious marketplace fueling extremism in India?

by

If Islamic extremism is often linked to socio-economic malaise in Muslim societies, the current wave of Hindu extremism can be attributed to India’s success, writes Shikkha Dalmia in the libertarian magazine Reason (August/September). She notes that India continues to belie forecasts about secularization, as its burgeoning Hindu revival has grown alongside a rise in prosperity […]

Eastern Christian, Muslim immigration forges new church partnerships in Sweden

by

The recent immigration of Muslims and Eastern Christians to Sweden is leading to new public and private interfaith and ecumenical initiatives, says Johan Garde, Ersta Skondol University College. Speaking at the meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, Garde notes that there has been a one-third increase of Muslims and Eastern and Oriental […]

Ireland’s ‘extra-institutional’ religious turn

by

While there has been a sharp decline in Mass attendance and religious vocations in Ireland, there is also the emergence of “extra-institutional” religion, which tends to be ecumenical with a concern for spirituality, community, personal growth and social justice, according to sociologist Gladys Ganiel of Trinity University of Dublin. In a paper presented at the […]

Current Research: September 2014

by

01:  A recent survey finds that 36 percent of  Americans report experiencing or witnessing some form of religious discrimination at work, with nearly half of non-Christian workers (49 percent) reporting so. Tanenbaum’s 2013 Survey of American Workers and Religion finds that almost the same percentage of white evangelicals (48 percent) report experiencing or witnessing religious non-accommodation […]