Singapore’s megachurches have been known as some of the largest worldwide, but recently there has been some disenchantment about these mammoth congregations and the movement of some ex-members toward mainline churches, writes Robbie B. H. Goh in the current issue of the journal Studies in World Christianity (31:2). Singapore and other global South countries (such […]
Organized fitness training is being adapted by young Salafi Muslim men as they create communities and transnational networks that foster spiritual and physical strength and well-being, writes Sergio Altuna Galán in the journal Current Trends in Islamist Ideology (August). As the practice and communication of Islam shifts away from institutionalized settings toward more “personalized, visually […]
Global Lutheranism in the Contemporary World, edited by RW’s editor, Richard Cimino, provides accounts and analyses of the Lutheran situation in a wide range of countries and societies. The new book from Routledge brings together 21 contributors to examine trends in Lutheranism in the U.S., Canada, Spanish-speaking South America, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, Chinese societies in […]
Scholars and observers from such secular bastions as the UK and Australia are detecting a rising spiritual interest, if not religious revival, while also acknowledging the advances of secularism. The growth of religious affiliation and participation in British cities, a search for authority and meaning among younger generations that has resulted in a self-spirituality and […]
Movies with themes of death have mushroomed in just the last year, but unlike those of earlier decades, these films are in sharper conflict with Christian narratives and more likely to replace them with a “vague spirituality, nihilism and even existential humanism,” according to Joseph Holmes in Religion Unplugged (July 7). He adds that whereas […]
In recent decades, the Catholic Church has undergone “a profound recovery of the theology of deification, also known as divinization,” that is having ecumenical repercussions, reports the National Catholic Register (July 16). Jonathan Liedl writes that this “ancient approach to the Christian life emphasizes that salvation isn’t merely about being freed from sin, but is […]
The success and growth of Republican fundraising and activism among American Jews suggest a significant crack in the traditional Jewish-Democratic alliance, writes David Drucker in the conservative online magazine, The Dispatch (July 23). In a lengthy article on the growing fortunes and influence of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), Drucker writes that the second administration […]
While the growing number of Christian yoga practitioners see mystical experiences as part of their practice, they don’t necessarily see the Hindu-based bhakti yoga tradition to be relevant, a new survey finds. Bhakti yoga based on the Bhagavad Gita has been the most prevalent form of yoga in the West, with practitioners of different faiths […]
Deaconesses are active, growing, and playing key roles in Orthodox parishes, yet they aren’t very visible or publicly acknowledged, writes Andreas Westergren in the Belgian journal Exchange (online in July). With some fanfare, a deaconess was ordained in an Orthodox church in Africa last year, with observers noting its rare occurrence [see Vol. 39, No. […]
The Old Catholic movement is experiencing new divisions over its continued liberalization, writes William Tighe in the magazine Touchstone (Summer). Old Catholics broke away from the Roman Catholic Church over such doctrines as papal infallibility in the late 19th century and saw themselves as a bridge to Anglicans and Eastern Orthodoxy. When these churches were […]
