As a radical stream of vegetarianism, veganism—that refuses any product of animal origin, including eggs, milk or honey—bears many of the marks of a religious belief, writes German Protestant theologian Kai M. Funkschmidt in a two-part article in the November and December issues of Materialdienst der EZW. Funkschmidt understands veganism as a kind of substitute […]
Near-death experiences shared and divisive
It might not be too unexpected to find that the next expression of the New Age movement expanding among aging baby boomers is near-death spirituality and practice, but more surprising is that its one-time strong evangelical supporters are increasingly divided about the phenomenon, according to two studies. At the recent meeting of the American Academy […]
Gay marriage and the secularizing of American foreign policy
The growing distance between religious teachings and American cultural norms as represented by the recent legalization of gay marriage may well lead to new conflicts in foreign policy, writes Andrew J. Bacevich in Commonweal magazine (Aug. 14). Bacevich writes that the Supreme Court justices who voted in favor of gay marriage in the Obergefell vs. […]
Megachurches’ future may be brightest outside US
Megachurches abroad now have the higher average attendance in the world, even though the vast majority of megachurches are still in the United States, reports the Washington Post (July 24). While there are 230 to 500 such churches elsewhere in the world, the Hartford Institute estimates that there are about three times more megachurches in […]
India investing in secularized Yoga
Like in the West, yoga is becoming increasingly secularized but less for reasons of personal health and wellness than to promote national greatness and unity, according to the New York Times (June 20). The newspaper reports that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated an International Day of Yoga in late June to be celebrated […]
Turkey’s new ‘mosque diplomacy?’
A state sponsored program to build mosques in foreign countries has emerged as a foreign policy instrument for Turkey and a way to assert a leadership role in the Muslim world, writes Thomas Seibert in Al Monitor (Feb. 13). The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) runs the international mosque-building program through a foundation. Most recently, […]
Adventists’ evangelical temptation
There is a growing clash in Seventh Day Adventism between those who want to move closer to evangelicals in worship style and shared beliefs and those pressing for maintaining Adventist identity, reports Christianity Today (January/February). For more than a decade, there has been a movement of Adventists toward contemporary evangelical worship styles and closer cooperation […]
Evangelical student activism sparked by university crackdown on gay rights
A growth of evangelical student activism may be one unintended consequence of the hard-line that universities have taken against conservative religious groups on campus on the issue of gay rights, according to the conservative scholarly journal Academic Questions (December). The simmering conflict between conservative Christian campus organizations and university administrations over gay rights broke into […]
New religious movements shaping American eating habits
Many of the innovations in food that have been introduced by new religious movements (NRMs) have become so much a part of mainstream America that they are not easily recognized, according to University of Oregon sociologist Marion Goldman. In presenting preliminary results from her study at the recent meeting of the Society for the Scientific […]
Defining Christian martyrdom down?
There has been a significant shift in the pattern of Christian martyrdom in recent years that highlights the motivations of the killed rather than the killers and the inclusion of Christians who have died as a result of mass killings and genocides, writes Todd M. Johnson and Gina Zurlo in the social science journal Society […]