Popular or “folk” varieties of Catholicism are resilient and flourishing, though they don’t seem to be much of an impetus for social action. Those are two of the conclusions of a world-wide study of popular Catholicism reported in the Jesuit America magazine (May 29). The study is based on seven case studies of areas where Catholic practices […]

A clash between a black Muslim based group and the prison system raises new questions about how much the state can restrict religious groups based on judgment of their beliefs and practices. The online newsletter Sightings (May 10) reports that the current conflict involves the group Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths, so called because its […]

Sophisticated marketing techniques are being used by a whole range of religious organizations. Advertising for the Catholic priesthood has become an accepted practice, and now religious orders for women are following suit, reports the Wall Street Journal (May 11). The marketing trend has taken off among women’s orders mainly due to the leadership of the Sisters of […]

The 134-year old Salvation Army, as well-known as any Christian organization around the globe, faces major transformations in the next few months. Its first American leader, General Paul A. Rader is retiring with a program involving some l.2 million members worldwide, including 117,000 in the United States. According to an interview in the Los Angeles Times (May […]

Evangelical Christians are increasingly turning to natural foods, viewing such a diet as the biblical way of living. The turn to health foods among evangelicals and charismatics is evident in such a popular magazine as Charisma, where ads and columns on herbal remedies and natural food products sometimes jostle with announcements of prophesy and healing conferences. The Ft. […]

New parachurch associations within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may provide alternative models of mainline church governance in the near future, writes Joseph D. Small in the Christian Century (May 5). The rapid growth and maturity of two new bodies, The Presbyterian Coalition and The Covenant Network of Presbyterians, are clear signals that special interest groups are coalescing […]

A boom in religious construction is underway across the country, according to NetFax (May 10), the newsletter of Leadership Network. Last year, $6.4 billion was spent on new religious construction including churches, synagogues, mosques, other religious buildings and additions to existing structures. According to the Census Bureau, this represents a 64% increase between 1994 and 1998. Early […]

Sweat and lights, costumes and hallucinogenic images of Jesus, the Buddha and Krishna projected onto walls or mountainsides while dancers bob and whirl to the constant thump of a bass beat. These are all fundamental elements of an international music and cultural movement that stretches from underground clubs in New York to open air “raves” […]

The Y2K computer problem, once the exclusive concern of conspiracy mavens and Christians viewing it as a catalyst for the End Times, has now hit the mainstream.  Print and broadcast media have taken up the cause, running numerous reports detailing the origins of the problem, the progress made in fixing it, and possible problems and chaos […]

As Sikhism celebrates its 500th anniversary this year, the religion is racked by a division that threatens to split its ranks. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (April 9) reports that the seemingly minor issue of whether to take a religious meal while seated at a table or on the floor has unleashed a string of violent incidents, not […]