While the Messianic Jewish movement—i.e. Jews converted to Christianity while keeping their Jewish identity and some Jewish practices—has only existed in Germany since 1995, it numbers now some 40 groups with about 1,000 members, reports Stefanie Pfister in the German monthly Materialdienst der EZW (July). The appearance of Messianic Judaism is linked to the revival […]

“Indigo children” have become a popular phenomenon in alternative spiritual and New Age circles, blending millennial concepts and psychic beliefs with child-rearing concerns. The Skeptical Inquirer magazine (July/August) reports that the phenomenon of children who are said to be the next stage in evolution and possessing a spiritual energy has found a hearing among parents […]

Gay Jewish synagogues are finding a growing number of heterosexual Jews in attendance and even playing leadership roles, mostly due to the welcoming and experimental nature of these congregations, reports the website Forward.com (June 4). In some cases, synagogues established originally for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-sexual Jews now even have a majority of straight […]

A movement of Gentiles observing some aspects of Jewish law and teachings and usually coming from Christian or Messianic Jewish backgrounds, the Noahides are reported to be experiencing growth, as the Internet allows such believers to find information, interact and make their ideas known much more easily, reports Ben Harris of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency […]

Several high-level defections from the Church of Scientology have led to new accusations of abuse by the leadership in the controversial organization, as well as allegations that the church is struggling with a loss of membership. A special 35-page report in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper (June 21–22) is based on the accounts of top […]

Congregations are feeling their way through the “social media,” such as Facebook and Twitter, and are finding they need to develop new forms of etiquette to adapt such innovations to their ministries. The National Catholic Reporter (May 29) notes that the cell phone texting network known as Twitter is the “newest technology arriving in contemporary […]

The increased outreach of the Democrats to Catholics has paid off, with a new breed of liberal Catholic activists and politicians gaining a place in the Obama administration. The National Catholic Reporter (June 26) notes that “Catholics are visibly more active in the Obama administration than in any other Democratic administration in recent memory.” These […]

Al Qaeda is in trouble, as a dwindling number of Muslim scholars are willing to approve its views and actions, but the terrorist organization might also be facing a more practical challenge besides an ideological one: a shortage of cash. According to Reuters‘ William Maclean, not for the first time, Al Qaeda is in financial […]