Conflicts over the suspension of a popular bishop may be bringing the Serbian Orthodox Church close to the brink of schism, according to several reports. The former Orthodox bishop of Kosovo, Artemije, who was deposed from his position last May, has been reduced to the status of a monk by a decision of the majority […]
Religious music develops its own niche in secular Europe
Europe may be secularized, but a paradox is that religious music by members of the clergy or religious orders seems to be enjoying wide popularity, reports the Catholic news agency APIC (Nov. 19). A group of three French priests stayed at the top of French hit parade for nine weeks and sold 500,000 CDs. In […]
Knights of Columbus facing decline in Canada
With 75 percent of their members above the age of 51, the Knights of Columbus in Quebec are experiencing a slow decline—a trend that is also seen in other parts of Canada, reports the Swiss-based international Catholic news agency APIC (Nov. 28). A Catholic fraternal organization with a worldwide membership of 1.7 million, the Knights […]
Religious fervor at low ebb in mid-term elections
The religious divide so evident in previous elections did not make much of an appearance in the recent U.S. mid-term political contests. The Christian Century (Nov. 30) reports that the Democrats’ strategy of inserting religion into the 2008 elections and capturing a segment of Catholics and some white Protestants was largely absent last month. Liberal […]
End of liberal era or anti-incumbency mood at American bishops’ conference?
The recent election of conservative Archbishop Timothy Dolan to the presidency of the U.S. Conference of Bishops (USCB) reveals a shift in the approach and strategies of the bishops that will have long-term effects on the American church, according to the liberal National Catholic Reporter (Nov. 18). In what has been described as part of […]
International students mix studies with strategies for global evangelism
The idea of viewing one’s profession and education as a religious vocation and even an opportunity for Christian mission may have fallen out of favor in many Western societies, but no one has told this to the growing ranks of international evangelical students who are not hesitant about bearing witness to their faith while they […]
On/File: September/October 2010
01: While observers may assume that American metaphysical groups are aging or declining, Christ Church Unity (CCU) in Orlando, Florida is one example of a fast-growing church in this tradition, reports Philippe Murillo (Toulouse University, France). Founded in 1939, and now described as “the fastest growing Unity church within the American metaphysical tradition,” it has […]
Findings & Footnotes: September/October 2010
01: The current issue of the journal Religion, State and Society is devoted to the religious situation in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, which many have viewed as among the most religiously vibrant and pluralistic in the region. The issue looks at most of the religious expressions in the republic, as well as providing an […]
Orthodox schisms in the Caucasus complicated by international political and religious factors
While not recognized by any “canonical” Orthodox Church, the independent national Orthodox Churches created in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the past twenty years are benefiting from political considerations that go far beyond themselves and—in the case of South Ossetia—from the willingness of foreign Orthodox groups to offer them assistance, writes Kimitaka Matsuzato in the […]
Political crisis in Maldives may fuel growth of extreme Islamism
The nascent multi-party democracy in the Maldives, which, like Saudi Arabia, claims to have a 100 percent Muslim population, has plunged the country into a political crisis that may help Islamist extremists to gain a foothold in this Indian Ocean archipelago. The 300,000 citizens of the Maldives are all Sunni Muslims, but they practice Islam […]
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