Historical trajectories, ideological differences, and shifting geopolitical realities shaped both the making and unmaking of the Islamist alliance between the current ruling party of Turkey, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the (Arabic) Muslim Brotherhood (MB), writes historian Jan-Markus Vömel in a detailed report published by the Documentation Centre Political Islam in Vienna, Austria […]
The resurgence of Tengrism in Kazakhstan has been decried as an artificial and political project by a number of scholars, but researchers report in the Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe (Vol. 45, Issue 5) on recent evidence of a “growing interest in Tengrism…driven by spiritual exploration as well as the quest for identity […]
A secularization theorist himself, Detlef Pollack (University of Münster, Germany) still claims to be surprised to see a dramatic decline of religion in many regions of the world, as he releases the third, revised edition of his book (in German), Religion in der Moderne: Ein internationaler Vergleich (€ 49), co-authored with his colleague, Gergely Rosta. […]
The 4 a.m. Club, the brainchild of self-proclaimed psychic Gia Prism, may be the closest thing to QAnon among progressive and left-leaning people. The club is a confederation of spiritually inclined women who all claim to have woken up suddenly around 4 a.m. on November 6 with a sinking feeling that Donald Trump had won […]
While it has been widely noted, often by theologians and other religious leaders, that the “new atheism” has fallen out of favor, no longer drawing the large following that it had in the early 2000s, more academic researchers are now weighing in on this noticeable shift. The new atheism was marked by its emphasis on […]
Like other universities facing the contemporary challenges of market pressures and new governmental measures, such as those targeting DEI policies, Christian colleges are being forced to rethink their missions and adopt new models, writes John Seel in Aaron Renn’s Substack newsletter (May 20). While elite “institutions often deploy ideological gatekeeping, endowment resources, and legacy prestige […]
Amidst the reports and claims of religious revival in recent months [see last month’s RW], the role of young men, especially those returning or converting to Eastern Orthodox churches, stands out. Soon after the pandemic, there were anecdotes and some survey results showing that Eastern Orthodox parishes had more resilience in attendance than other churches, […]
More evangelical churches are reciting the Nicene Creed in their worship services, a departure from their “no creeds but the Bible” position of the past, writes Daniel Silliman in Christianity Today magazine (May/June). This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, which is considered the first creedal statement of Christianity resulting from the […]
As Pope Leo XIV’s papacy begins, there are indications that he intends to carry on the unfinished business of the Francis papacy, from finances to the abuse crisis to the reform of the Roman Curia, according to the Catholic Herald (May 27). Elise Ann Allen reports that, early on, the pope gave an official—if nominal—job […]
Close to 3 in 10 Americans make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortunetellers at least once a year, though only a small fraction rely on these practices to make major life decisions, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. About 2 in 10 Americans say they engage in these occult activities “just […]
