Mormon fundamentalists are receiving renewed scrutiny from law enforcement officials, mainly for their practice of polygamy. The Washington Post (Aug. 9) reports that a publicized case of a teenager’s “escape” from a polymagmous Mormon fundamentalist group where she claims that she was abused by her father, has put the spotlight on polygamy — illegal in Utah, […]

Female-led communion services are becoming more public and widespread in the face of a hardening Vatican line against the  possibility of women priests in the Catholic Church, reports the Washington Post (July 28). The practice of holding women-based communions has usually taken place in small groups and private homes and it has been debated by participants whether such […]

The annual preview of religious titles by Publishers Weekly (July 13) for the fall book season suggests that many recent fads in religious reading and practice are receding. Author Lynn Garrett suggests that once-popular books on angelology, everyday spirituality, and 12-step therapies, are in  low demand for the first time in recent years. What seems to be the […]

Ministries shaped for the sensibilities of Generation X are growing and becoming more distinct from their origins in the megachurch movement. Mother Jones magazine (July/August) reports that at least 150 religious congregations across the nation are mixing “fundamentalist ethics,” experimental liturgy and personal renewal to target Generation Xers. These congregations, located mostly near urban universities, emphasize […]

The Y2K computer bug has become an obsession of conspiracy-buffs, but the possible economic crisis resulting from a computer breakdown in 2000 has even mainstream evangelicals gearing up for the end-times, reports the evangelical newsweekly World (Aug. 22). Since many evangelicals believe that Christ’s second coming will be preceded by world crises and disasters (a position known […]

The recent linking of the terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa with radical Islamic groups has reignited fears about the growth of religious terrorism. In the past several years, specialists have noted that there is a significant change in the nature and purposes of terrorism. The Economist magazine (Aug. 15) notes that the older terrorism […]

The growing appeal of Celtic spirituality among Christians is finding institutional expression in new congregations and even a quasi-denomination. Both liberal and conservative Christians, as well as those in alternative religions (such as Neopaganism), have adopted various elements of Celtic traditions and spirituality–from an earth-based spirituality to a renewed concern with divine transcendence. The Australian […]

An effort to extend the influence of the Unification Church through bestowing blessings on individuals and families is finding fertile ground in Africa, according to observers and Unification officials. Unification leader Sun Myung Moon’s campaign of holding worldwide blessing services has been interpreted either as an effort to broaden the  boundaries of the church to include […]