Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, is reviving its ties to the Muslim faith after a long period of divorce from the tradition and syncretism among many of its Western, especially American, practitioners. Gnosis magazine (Summer), a quarterly on esoteric spirituality,  reports that the closing of such a gap between sufi “gurus” and practitioners and traditional Islam […]

Some observers and scholars have speculated that conservative Catholic seminaries and dioceses — like their conservative Protestant counterparts — are more likely to draw in members and vocations than more liberal groups. In reporting on a conservative and liberal dioceses, writer Charles R. Morris found  that there is something to this speculation, but not everything. Writing […]

While Pope John Paul II recently endorsed much of Darwinism’s biological underpinnings,  the theory is drawing some sharp attacks from American neoconservative writers, academic anthropologists and social theorists. The libertarian Reason magazine (July) reports that such American neoconservatives as Irving Kristol are asserting that human society must rest on the permanent moral foundations found in religious faith. Darwinism’s […]

The late June decisions by the Supreme Court on church-state relations effectively open a new era in the potentially explosive world of religious freedom and judicial  sovereignty. In the decision to allow publicly funded school teachers to offer instruction in parochial schools, and in the declaration that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is unconstitutional, the nation’s […]

Whether it’s about deciding between simple living or prosperity “gospels” or about how church members approach the matter of giving and  financing, there is growing ambivalence about the relation of money to religion, according to recent reports. In his new book Crisis In The Churches (Oxford, $30), sociologist Robert Wuthnow looks at the relation of  clergy and laity to […]

While Catholicism has been reported to be losing influence in many Latin American countries due to the rise of secularism and  evangelicalism, Chile seems to be an exception. The influence of Catholicism in Chilean society, and particularly in the media, was recently  demonstrated in a conflict between Catholic-based media and the government, reports the Economist (May 10). President Eduardo […]

Is there a “Christianization” of  British politics taking place? Commentators  have cited new Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s speeches, which draw on Christian terminology, and the success of a large number of strongly Christian candidates of all parties, including the victorious Labour Party in recent elections, including the victorious Labour Party, as evidence of such a trend. The […]

The persecution of Christians around the world may become increasingly worse in the near  future, although those suffering from  such actions may have difficulties convincing  immigration officials of  their plight, reports Faith Today (May/June), a Canadian evangelical magazine. The persecution of Christians has become a  matter of  increasing concern for American evangelicals (and, increasingly, Catholics), as well as becoming an issue for the […]

The growth of an ancient Chinese mixture of religion, philosophy, astrology and architecture is taking root in North America, especially Canada, reports the Canadian news weekly MacLean’s (April 28). The phenomenon is known as feng shui, the Chinese “art of placement,” which teaches that the arrangement of space and  furniture can bring either  good or bad “energy” and fortunes. […]

As both public and private sources of revenue in higher education are being cut back and downsized, church related colleges are finding their survival depends on new, freshly designed programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education (May 9)  reports that across the country,  religious colleges are stepping up efforts to stay afloat in troubled economic times. Leaders recognize that their situations […]