The dramatic downturn felt by secular Internet companies has affected the once-booming Christian dot com world, reports Christianity Today (Feb. 16). Companies, such as iBelieve.com, i.Christian.com and Lightsource.com (which provided Christian audio programs on the web) have crashed, while Crosswalk.com is losing support and revenues. Most of the closings and losses are tied to the same general […]

The appointment of 44 new cardinals by Pope John Paul in February suggests a moderating influence among this body of papal electors as well as new Latin American influence. The liberal National Catholic Reporter (Feb. 9) notes that analysts are puzzled by the selection of such moderates as German Archbishops Karl Lehmann and Walter Kasper. Lehmann in […]

While psychotherapy and Buddhism may appeal to the same people, the effort to merge the two fields into one form of spiritual practice is becoming more common. The Utne Reader (March/April) reports that Buddhist spiritual teachers are now taking their students on as paying clients for psychotherapy, erasing the boundaries between therapy and religion that have already […]

Although mainline Protestants have emphasized inclusiveness and have criticized traditional family initiatives, their churches have attracted fewer non-traditional families than evangelicals who espouse more conservative family views, writes W. Bradford Wilcox in the Christian Century (Feb. 21). Wilcox looks at the articles, sermons and programs of mainline churches and finds that they may speak of the plight […]

Women who are former Catholics have been increasingly moving into the ranks of mainline Protestant clergy, although the journey is difficult and they tend to carry some of their Catholic background and mind-set into their new roles. The influx of ex-Catholic women into the Protestant ministry has been underreported by the press and underresearched by academia, […]

A segment of the Christian churches has long viewed the idea of government support for faith-based social services warily, believing accepting public funds will compromise their religious mission. Now a related concern of unpopular and alternative religious groups receiving such support is adding another obstacle to widespread acceptance of this program. This is seen in […]

A new study of young American Catholics suggests religious relativism doesn’t necessarily weaken commitment to a faith, that there is not a large influx of Hispanics out of the church, and that GenX Catholics are not much different than baby boomers. The current issue of Visions (November/December), a newsletter on demography for churches, discusses the findings of […]

The divorce rate for Israeli Jewish couples has reached about 38 percent and projections are that the trends can reach 50 percent within a few years, reports the Jerusalem Post newspaper (Jan. 11). In the year 2000 there were 9,153 couples divorced compared to 8,773 in 1999, an increase of about 4.5 percent, which is in keeping […]

The chastity movement started by evangelicals in the U.S. is spreading to Africa and gaining an ecumenical following. The Long Island Catholic (Jan. 31) reports that young Africans are signing strict chastity pledges to avoid AIDS and the promiscuity of their peers. True Love Waits Kenya is a non-denominational movement, although it has received substantial funding from […]

There has been much talk about GenX and their different approach to faith and worship in the U.S., but it is in Europe that this generation is reported to be starting many small informal fellowships removed from traditional churches and denominations, according to Religion Today.com. With ministry names such as Tribal Generation, Jesus Freak, 24-7 [see […]