01: Polygamy is gaining a hearing and, in some cases, a following among conservative Christians thanks to the Internet and specifically the Website TruthBearer.org. The Old Orchard Beach, Maine-based website was founded by Mark Henkel for Christians in search of multiple marriage partners. The Internet has helped fuel the growth of polygamy beyond its fundamentalist Mormon […]

The Museum of World Religions, which will open its doors on Nov. 9, will not only collect the sacred texts, art and other materials from faiths around the globe, but will also serve as another attempt to bring religions together in dialogue and cooperation. The Taiwan-based museum is similar to other recent efforts, such as the […]

01: The religion department at the University of Virginia (UVA) is unique for its blending of religious studies with theology that stresses specific faith traditions. The standard religion programs have emphasized the attempt to find common elements through the dispassionate and comparative study of the world’s religions. In contrast, UVA embraces a new “postmodern” approach, hiring scholars who […]

01: The Center for Contemplative Mind seeks to bring its teachings on contemplation and spirituality to a diverse clientele, including social and environmental activists, prisoners, lawyers, and business people. The center, started in 1997, has attracted  some of the leading corporations to its programs on “contemplative values,” including the chemical corporation Monsanto, as well as the Green Group, a group […]

01: A Conference for Faith and Order in North America is being planned that will seek to broaden ecumenical relationships to include Pentecostals, evangelicals and Catholics, who are not usually part of official ecumenism. The conference, which is set for 2004, is sponsored by an independent foundation and will be unique in drawing churches from Canada as well […]

01: In heavily Protestant western Virginia, Southern Virginia College is becoming the Brigham Young University of the east for Mormons. The college has no official ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but its curriculum is tailored to the Book of Mormon, and 98 percent of the student body of 420 is Mormon.  SVC […]

01: The Universal Life Church gained notoriety in the 1970s for its mail-order ordinations it provided to anyone of any faith. The group is still around and is prospering due to the Internet. By going to the church’s web site and pressing the “enter” key, as well as by paying $20, inquirers are legally ordained, and […]

01: The Community of the Beatitudes, a growing French Catholic movement that represents a different kind of religious order, has launched its first U.S. “pilot” community in Denver. The community consists of priests, nuns, and laity — single and married — living together as they engage in contemplative prayer and ministry to the poor. The community was […]

01: The Center for Progressive Christianity represents a unique attempt to market liberal Christianity and make it “user-friendly” to both church members and seekers. The founding of CPC was inspired by the liberal and critical religious views of retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong and is based at the Episcopal Divinity School in Boston. Its purpose is […]

01: The fledgling Institute for Global Engagement represents an attempt to bring the growing concern over religious persecution and conflict into the world of scholarship. The institute is the brainchild of Robert Seiple, a former U.S. State Department official who was in charge of implementing the International Religious Freedom Act, a bill to protect religious minorities against […]