The movement of African-American Muslims that broke away from  the Nation of Islam nearly 30 years ago is undergoing a period of turmoil and identity crisis after its leader recently stepped down. The resignation of W.D. Mohammed as leader of the American Society of Mosques revealed divisions and problems in a movement that has largely been […]

A largely unnoticed Catholic young adult ministry has proven to be an effective way of drawing 20- and 30-something generations to reconnect with the church. America magazine (Sept. 22) reports that since 1981, a program known as Theology On Tap has spread across the U.S. due to its informal style of discussion and socializing, often held in […]

Baby boomers who converted during the Jesus movement and the charismatic renewal in the 1970s are largely driving the trend of parents insisting on Christian college education as an alternative to today’s secular culture. That was one of the findings of a Washington Times (Sept. 8) report on the new growth of Christian colleges. The newspaper visited […]

During the last two decades, there were flurries of  reports of  new converts moving into Eastern Orthodoxy and changing these churches in the process. But an article in the current issue of the journal  Nova Religio (November) finds that these new Orthodox converts — often coming from Protestant backgrounds — are discovering as many obstacles as opportunities in their […]

Media reports from several Muslim countries continue to express suspicion toward alleged US Christian designs to evangelize the Middle East. For instance, the Egyptian opposition daily Al-Ahrar (Aug. 7) quotes unnamed “prominent sources” in Ankara, claiming that there is an “American plan to Christianize thousands of Iraqis in the North of Iraq.” The editor appears convinced that […]

A series of articles by Geneviève Otis-Dionne in the daily Le Devoir (Aug. 23-26, ) examines changes taking place in Quebec in the ways of confronting death in recent years. Baby boomers are increasingly looking for new rituals associated with death and fewer celebrate funerals in churches. Since the 1960s, the previously dominant Roman Catholic Church in the […]

Europe is at a “turning point” in showing an increase of religious beliefs, suggesting that it may not be the secular exception in an increasingly religious world, according to a new study. The study, presented by Yves Lambert of the Paris-based Group de Sociologie des Religions et de la Laicite (GSRL) at the mid-August conference […]

As part of the recent “intentional” thrust in mainline churches (see above article), there is growing interest  in planting new congregations. The Christian Century (Aug. 23) reports that “Instead of trying to teach old churches new evangelistic tricks, more and more denominations are starting fresh by creating new churches to meet the special needs of ethnic or racial […]

Is the Episcopal Church edging toward a serious schism after the denomination’s recent move to elect a gay bishop and allow same-sex ceremonies? At this point, the answer seems far from clear and often depends on which publications and observers one listens to and reads. But even beyond the question of schism, the controversy over the […]

For some time now, there has been a strong pressure on Pakistan’s religious schools (madrassas) to change their ways, since they have been widely seen as having contributed to the development of radical forms of Islam. In a major turnaround, madrassas run by Maulala Fazalur Rehman’s Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam group will be modernizing their syllabus to remove […]