The recent Pew Research Center study on American Jews is still being mined for insights into changes among American Jewry, but one of the more overlooked findings is decreased opposition to Messianic Jews claiming a Jewish identity. The survey found that 34 percent of American Jews think that believing Jesus is the Messiah is compatible […]
Seminaries and church-related universities getting back together
Declining enrollments in Protestant and Catholic seminaries are forcing some schools into new relationships. In some cases, it includes mergers with colleges and universities, reviving an educational model that was more common in earlier centuries, reports Forum Letter (January), an independent Lutheran newsletter. In the new model, seminaries are coming under the university’s umbrella as […]
New scholarly attention to Scientology and its struggle to define itself
While Scientology has consistently been a (frequently controversial) player in the field of “new religious movements” in the Western world since the 1960s, there has been comparatively little academic research conducted on the movement. That may be due in part to the Church of Scientology’s inclination to keep control on knowledge produced about it, but […]
Featured Story: Revision more common than stasis in many new religious movements
Many critics of new religious movements (NRMs) have usually viewed these upstart faiths (or “cults”) as having an authoritarian nature under charismatic leaders, who brook few challenges to a fixed body of teachings and practices. But the case studies in the new book Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements (Ashgate, $35.96), edited by Eileen […]
Iraq’s quietist Shiite influence challenging Iran’s religious establishment
Iraq’s emergence as a center of Shiite pilgrimage since 2003, especially among Iranian Muslims, is presenting a “serious challenge to the legitimacy of Iran’s state-sponsored religious establishment,” according to the Middle East Quarterly (Winter 2014). Nearly two million Shiite pilgrims passed from Iran to Iraq between March 2009 and February 2010—comparable to if not greater […]
Ethiopia seeks to exercise control over Islam
Since 2011 the Ethiopian government, concerned about regional developments and eager to prevent activist forms of Islam destabilizing the country, has been promoting the Islamic Supreme Council as sole representative of Ethiopian Muslims. The government is now also cooperating with the Lebanese-based al-Ahbash organization for the purpose of imposing a government-sanctioned, “moderate” Islam, writes Terje […]
Ukraine crisis finds Orthodox churches divided between east and west
The pluralistic and divided religious situation in Ukraine has led its various churches to stand with the people protesting the government’s current crisis. Ukraine’s dilemma over whether to choose Russia or the European Union as its main economic partner has shaken the country, leading to massive protests in the streets. In a blog for American […]
Hinduism establishes itself in Continental Europe
The Hindu diaspora is adding a new element to Europe’s unprecedented religious diversity, with temples now open in several countries, according to Hinduism Today (January/March). Still, Hindu temples on the European mainland resemble mandirs in North America 30 years ago: while beautiful, purpose-built edifices with traditional architecture are now being built across the continent, most […]
Creationist activism on the increase in Europe
Although creationism is viewed as primarily an American phenomenon, there are surprisingly active creationist networks in Europe, and not all are U.S. imports, writes Stefaan Blancke, Johan Braeckman (both at Ghent University, Belgium), Hans Henrik Hjermitslev (University College South Denmark) and Peter C. Kjærgaard (Aarhus University, Denmark) in the Journal of the American Academy of […]
Evangelicals rethinking alcohol prohibition
Evangelical attitudes toward alcohol have become considerably more tolerant in recent years, judging by the trend of evangelical educational institutions lifting their long-time bans on drinking, reports Christianity Today magazine (December). Last summer, Moody Bible Institute, a leading center for training evangelical leaders, lifted its restriction on drinking for its employees, following similar moves by […]
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