Security is becoming a leading concern in European state policy, while the right of religious freedom is coming under increasing pressure, Prof. Riks Torfs (Leuven University, Belgium) writes in the recently published volume 9 of the European Journal for Church and State Research. Controversies surrounding new religious movements in some European States, as well as the […]

As with most election years, 2004 will be remembered for the role religion played in the political arena. But last year also revealed other significant events in religion both in the U.S. and abroad. As is our custom, below are some  musings and forecasts from RW’s editor and contributing editor on developments in religion that are […]

The continuing decline of base communities in Latin America is tied more to the changing nature of politics and peoples’ movements than internal church policies or conservative leadership, according to the National Catholic Reporter (Nov. 12). Base communities, small groups based on social action and Christian reflection, were seen as the embodiment of liberation theology and the […]

Recent violence in the Netherlands has revealed the tensions and divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims over the place of Islam and free speech in secular European societies. The killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in early November by an extremist Muslim over the former’s derogatory public comments and critical work on Islam ignited a firestorm […]

Along with religious liberty and AIDS relief, anti-corruption activism is being added to the evangelicals internatiional agenda, reports Christianity Today magazine (November). In the Second and Third Worlds, “Revulsion against corruption is drawing people to Christ and inspiring Christian leaders to launch campaigns against bribery, scamming, and misappropriation of funds. More and more missions agencies say that […]

Although some scholars doubt that authentic Daoism is present in the U.S., a recent study finds that the traditional Chinese religion has made extensive inroads in the country, usually adopted and shaped by Euro-American converts to stress self-help and healing. In Nova Religio(November), a journal of alternative and emergent religions, Louis Komjathy writes that it is […]

Spam messages, or unwanted e-mail asking for donations or selling services, are increasingly religious in nature, according to CNET News (Nov. 19). Message Labs, an antispam security company, has recently intercepted a large number of spiritual e-mails. They are legal because they don’t plug products, just religious ideals. It’s on the rise for a number of reasons, […]

Although much is made of how the reelection of President George W. Bush revealed the cultural divide between secular and religious Americans, the 2004 elections also showed new political allegiances and patterns taking shape within religious traditions and denominations. The Catholic vote for Bush was generally underplayed in the media and in many polls, but […]

Evangelicals have become front-line leaders in AIDS prevention around the world in recent years, but there is growing division over how to prevent the disease without compromising their beliefs. Evangelicals, with the support of the Bush administration, have increasingly stepped into the AIDS battle, often following the “ABC” approach modeled in Uganda [see March 2003 […]

Many French dioceses are experiencing increasing difficulties in meeting their expenses, reports the Paris-based Catholic daily La Croix (Oct. 3). In 2003, resources of the French Catholic Church amounted to 446 million Euros (US $ 570 million), which corresponds to an increase of 1.92 percent (slightly above inflation rate of 1.59 percent). However, despite a rise in […]