The Democratic Union Party (DUP), now the largest political party in Northern Ireland, has distanced itself from much of its fundamentalist past and is accommodating a more pragmatic wing, according to Gladys Ganiel of Trinity College, Dublin. In a paper presented at the meeting of the ASR, she traced how the DUP has changed from […]

Known for its strict segregation of the sexes, ultra-Orthodox Judaism in Israel is undergoing a notable change in gender relations, according to a researcher at Hebrew University. A paper by Nurit Stadler presented at the meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) finds that the image of Heredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jewish men […]

There is a growing alliance between social conservatives made up largely of evangelicals and Catholics and the new Conservative Party in power in Canada, reports Religion in the News (Summer). Although the emergence of a religious right and culture wars in the mold of the U.S. is unlikely in Canada, the election of Conservative Party leader Stephen […]

Buddhist immigrants are downplaying the ethnic elements of their faith and stressing its affinity to modernity and science in order to counteract the widespread conversions to Christianity in their community. This change of emphasis and strategy is most apparent among Taiwanese Buddhists in the U.S, according to researcher Carolyn Chen of Northwestern University. Chen delivered […]

Calvinism continues to grow in evangelical institutions and denominations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, especially softer strains of the faith that emphasize spirituality as much as doctrine. The gravitation of evangelicals toward the Reformed tradition, both in theology and political thinking, has been taking place [and noted in RW] for well over a decade. Christianity […]

The Da Vinci Code is only one of several “new traditions” that are currently circulating about Jesus and finding large followings among spiritual seekers. In a paper presented at the conference of the Center for the Study of New Religions (known as CESNUR) in San Diego in July, Reender Kranenborg of the Free University of […]

A new breed of mainline Protestant congregations are growing by taking a countercultural stance in American society. That is the provocative plot-line running through the new book Christianity for the Rest of Us (Harper SanFrancisco $23.95) by Diana Butler Bass. The book is the result of a three-year study of what Bass calls “intentional” or “practicing” churches […]

Religion in Eastern Europe, especially in Orthodox nations, is likely to have a growing influence in forming new national identities, according to sociologist Irena Borowik. With the fall of communist ideologies and the impact of globalization, Eastern European countries are experiencing a rapid change in their identities. This is the major difference with Western Europe, […]

Vatican watchers have been trying to detect clues and patterns in the previous work of Joseph Ratzinger that might reveal the nature of his papacy as Benedict XVI. But they may need to look no further than the controversial document he penned in 2000, with Pope John Paul II’s approval, called Dominus Iesus. Writing in […]

Relations between Jews and Christians are changing due to the growing influence of Christianity in the global South, according to an article in theChicago Defender (July 14). Today it is no longer a matter of Jewish groups dialoging with American mainline Protestant groups or working with evangelicals on their mutual support of Israel. The changing situation […]