01: Saints and Madmen (Henry Holt, $25) by Russell Shorto, provides interesting accounts of how psychiatrists and psychologists have discovered the importance of religious beliefs and practices. Shorto traces the current interest in the relation of psychology to spirituality to an upstart group of psychologists in, surprisingly, the psychiatric establishment of New York in the 1980s. They […]
Raelians pioneering in cloning?
While many religious groups are debating the ethics of cloning, one new religious movement is taking action, pioneering in the technology. Nova Religio (October), the journal of new religious movements, reports that the Ralians, a group mixing UFO teachings with genetic engineering concepts, founded the first biotechnology firm dedicated to the goal of human cloning. The […]
Current Research: December 1999
01: Scholars claiming that the church attendance figures of Americans have been inflated were given a boost by political scientist Robert Putnam at the recent meetings of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Boston. Putnam, who gained attention for his study, “Bowling Alone,” which found a widespread decline of Americans belonging to voluntary organizations, […]
NCC’s problems intensify
The National Council Churches may be near collapse or radical restructuring on the eve of its 50th anniversary, according to a report in Religion Today (Nov. 27), an online news service. For over a decade, there have been mounting reports of the NCC’s financial problems and a lack of support among congregations and some of its member […]
Conservative Christians corner internet filter market
Conservative Christians are in the forefront of creating filters that block out pornographic and other offensive sites on the Internet, although they are divided whether to view such an endeavor as a ministry or a business. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Nov. 4) reports that “Christian-led Internet companies dedicated to providing smut-free online service” are a growing trend […]
Brighter side of the millennium found in popular magazines
The growing crescendo of writings in the most influential American magazines on the religious dimensions of the new millennium is producing at least two major themes. Such leading journals as Newsweek (Nov. 1), U.S.News & World Report (Oct. 25) and Christianity Today (Oct. 25), focus on how believers can find hope and renewal for the coming years through seeing the Hebrew […]
A review of millennial violence thwarted
With the year 2000 only a few weeks away, it was not surprising that several sessions of the November meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Boston focused on millennial topics, including a special session on millennial violence that analyzed the 1985 siege of the Covenant Sword and Army of the Lord compound in […]
Millenial fervor downshifting?
The annual conference of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University in early November was relatively low key at a time when one might think speculation about millennial fervor would be at its peak. The speakers, mostly prominent academics of millennialist groups and phenomenon both past and present, confirmed the impression that there has […]
Charter schools compete with religious schools
It’s a small ripple now, but the rapid formation of charter schools–specialty schools operated by public schools — is making a dent in the demand and interest in religious schooling, reports the Wall Street Journal (Sept. 15). Charter schools operate independently of public school districts and borrow many innovations from private schools, such as small classes and […]
On/File: November 1999
01: In a move directly related to the larger struggle now going on within the Christian Right over whether to drop out of secular society and form a countercultural society or to keep trying to transform secular society, leaders of the latter course of action are starting the Patrick Henry College. The Purcellville, Va.-based college is […]
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