Southern Baptists are showing a new interest in liturgical observances such as Advent, possibly reflecting a “pushback” among evangelicals against the contemporary worship movement, according to an article in Baptist Press (Dec. 11). The news service reports that LifeWay Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has recently published Advent devotional books, and has included […]
Online churches report growth and continuing innovation
Churches involved in online ministries, or completely online with little physical presence, are showing continued expansion and experimentation with new technology, reports the evangelical magazine Ministries Today (November/December). Although the article does not provide a count of online churches, two of the pioneers of these ministries, Bobby Gruenewald of Life.Church, and Nathan Clark of Northland, […]
Women serve as ‘willing victims’ in Korean exorcism
Recent cases of “Korean exorcism” in the U.S. and other countries suggest that women in Korean-American churches are more likely to be the “willing victims” of such deliverance practices, in some ways paralleling their involvement in similar shamanic practices in Korea, writes Kyung Hong in the International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society (Vol. […]
Polling problems pose new challenges in understanding today’s religion
Religious polling is facing the same loss of confidence from the public and other problems as polling in general, but surveys on religion may face particular challenges, writes sociologist Robert Wuthnow in First Things magazine (Aug./Sept.). In an article adapted from his forthcoming book on religion and polling, Wuthnow writes that religion polling’s use of […]
The ‘nones’ embracing ‘Good Samaritan ethic’?
The growing attention to non-affiliated often assumes they are biblically illiterate, but many are actually engaged with the Jewish and Christian scriptures, even if in a non-traditional and individualistic way, writes Elizabth Drescher in the Jesuit magazine America (June 8-15). In her research and soon-to-be published book on the non-affiliated, or the “nones,” including both […]
Tension (but not too much) ahead for Mormon viability?
“Too much tension with the surrounding culture invites scorn; too little threatens its uniqueness:” Such is the dilemma facing Mormonism after nearly two centuries of existence, writes Peggy Fletcher Stack in The Salt Lake Tribune (April 21), after talking with veteran Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss. The LDS Church cannot afford too much conflict with the […]
Gun control moves on to mainline, ecumenical agendas
Mainline Protestants and other ecumenical religious groups are using a range of strategies to fight for gun control, writes David A. Graham in The Atlantic (February). “A coalition of mainline Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church, and Jewish and Muslim leaders are now among the staunchest institutional backers of stricter gun control,” he adds. Some of […]
Online ordinations put to unconventional spiritual uses
Online ordinations groups, such as the Universal Life Church (ULC), are branching out from mainly offering the public “priests for the day” for friends and family members’ weddings to appealing to more serious spiritual entrepreneurs seeking a license for their unconventional ministries, writes Heather Adams in the Washington Post (Jan. 13). The ULC and related […]
Catholic media struggling with digital publishing, hopes for brand loyalty
The move to online publishing may seem inevitable but will the transition from print to electronic formats adversely affect the loyalty the Catholic media has built up over the years? That was one of the concerns voiced by editors of several national Catholic publications during a symposium co-sponsored by the Jesuit magazine America held in […]
Presbyterian schisms—deeper roots and long time coming
Hundreds of congregations and clergy have left mainline Protestant denominations since 2000. In 2009 the ELCA and in 2011 the PCUSA adopted policies allowing ordination of gay clergy. Research reported at the Religious Research Association conference in Indianapolis this past October looked at the recent exodus of conservatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, […]