A nationwide controversy over an unauthorized exorcism in Romania has unleashed concerns about the growing competition and lack of training of clergy in this predominantly Eastern Orthodox nation. The New York Times (July 3) reports on the publicized case of an Romanian Orthodox monk with a growing following who conducted an unauthorized exorcism of a young women […]

Anti-Semitism in England is among the worst in Europe due to changing attitudes in the Muslim community and mainstream acceptance of these views, reports the Israeli journal Azure (Summer). According to a report from the Community Security Trust, which tracks anti-Semitic incidents, 2004 was the worst year of such hate crimes since the group began keeping statistics […]

A strategy of resistance to secularism is unfolding in Europe among Catholics that bears some resemblance to the Christian right in the U.S., according to the National Catholic Reporter (July 1). In June, the Catholic Church in Italy, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini and with the support of Pope Benedict XVI, mobilized at all levels […]

Technology, ethnic diversity and outreach to the disenfranchised are key concerns of a new generation of leaders in the charismatic movement, according to the 30th anniversary issue of Charisma magazine (August), the leading publication of the American charismatic and Pentecostal movements. In profiling 30 up-and-coming charismatic leaders, the magazine finds that they tend to be “burned out […]

“Is there a schism between the human rights movement and religious communities?” That is the question posed by Jean-Paul Marthoz and Joseph Saunders, two staff members of Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org), in a recently released report entitled, Religion and the Human Rights Movement. They list many contentious issues, including reproductive rights, gay marriage, and blasphemy […]

While few people expect prompt changes, the beginning of Benedict XVI’s pontificate seems to be marked by renewed attempts to solve the problems between China and the Vatican and to establish diplomatic relations. While there were diplomatic relations between 92 states and the Holy See in 1978, there has been a dramatic growth during John […]

Intensifying conflict in the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem could jeopardize a Middle East peace accord, as well as strengthen Arab nationalism in Orthodox churches in the region, reports The Tablet magazine (June 25). Much of the recent turmoil stems from the allegations that Patriarch Irineos had been selling off valuable parcels of land and property belonging […]

The model of congregations partnering with each other to plant churches around the world rather than working through mission agencies has become popular with such “new paradigm” churches as the Vineyard Fellowship. The charismatic Vineyard churches have pioneered in building decentralized networks of churches that avoid many denominational trappings, and increasingly these congregations are interested […]

A new genre of children’s books combines naturalistic science with alternative and Eastern philosophy and spirituality, reports the magazineWhat Is Enlightenment (June/August). Such new children’s titles as “Born With A Bang,” and “All I See Is Part of Me,” represent “what must be the latest defensive tactic of `spiritual but not religious’ parents everywhere– inculcating children […]

The burgeoning Catholic-evangelical alliance has attracted attention due to both churches’ common activism on “culture war” and pro-life issues, but the partnerships are taking shape on other levels as well, write Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom in Books & Culture (http://www.Christianity today.com/bc/2005/004/1.10.html). In reviewing evangelical-Catholic relations of the past few decades, the writers note that the evangelical […]