Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African nations may be the next staging ground for the mixture of extremist Islam and terrorism, reports the Village Voice (Jan. 8-14). “Africa’s widespread political unrest and economic instability have made many of its countries candidates for the next Afghanistan,” writes Ta-Nehisi Coates.  Strong Christian-Muslim violence found in Nigeria AND Sudan  as well as a smoldering […]

Hopes for a reconciliation between the Vatican and Catholic traditionalists appear to be growing dim. Following the decision by a group of Roman Catholic traditionalists in the Diocese of Campos, Brazil, to submit to Rome a year ago, there had been increased expectations that the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) might finally take the […]

The issue of homosexuality and its place in the churches of the Anglican Communion has created a good deal of turmoil in recent months, especially following the decision made last June by the diocese of New Westminster (British Columbia) to allow blessings of homosexual partnerships. But there might still be more problems to come in […]

Following the recent media hype around the Quebec-based Raelian movement’s claims regarding cloning (which some observers suspect since the beginning of having been in fact a clever publicity stunt from a movement well-known for its provocative strategy), the Canadian media have published a series of articles on this controversy and other  issues of new religious movements […]

Home schooling among American Muslims is growing partly over a concern with extremism in Islamic schools, according to a report  in the Christian Science Monitor (Jan. 14). Islamic homeschooling has existed for several years, but it has involved only a small minority of American Muslims. After September 11, however,  new interest has been shown in homeschooling among Muslims, according […]

Freemasonry in the U.S. is lifting the veil of secrecy from some of its rituals in order to fill its ranks, reports the Long Island section of the New York Times (Jan. 12). Freemasonry is an international fraternal and charitable organization with secret rituals and a non-sectarian belief in a divine creator that dates back to the […]

Mormons are increasingly borrowing and marketing to evangelicals, a fact that is causing considerable unease among some evangelical leaders. The Christian Research Journal (Volume 25, Number 2) reports that after ads and reviews of the new film The Other Side of Heaven appeared in many Christian newspapers, radio stations and web sites, it was discovered that it was produced and directed […]

The Internet has given unofficial and dissenting Mormon groups more breathing space, while the official LDS church is increasingly taking an optimistic approach toward this technology, writes Hugo Oaiz in the independent Mormon magazine Sunstone (December). At first the open and dynamic quality of the Internet worried church leaders and other LDS members as participation in this […]

A growing interest in books on discernment points to a renewed search for guidance and direction among Christians, reports Religion Bookline (Jan. 7). Driving the trend is more than a concern about seeking what God wants Christians to do with their lives.  Popular titles such as Debra Farrington’s “Hearing with the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s […]

There have recently been several books and major articles about “cultural creatives” and other influential  Americans who set the trends in society. A series on the “creative class” in the Austin American-Statesman (Dec. 29) newspaper reports that an important trait of this group of Americans is their high interest in spirituality while showing less confidence in organized religion. […]