The proliferation of “wedding churches” in Japan is leading to a unique form of Japanese Christianity that is long on ritual and short on belief, according to an article in the Journal of Religion in Japan (online in July). For decades there has been a large Japanese demand for Western-style church weddings, usually in hotels […]
1) The Catholic Land Movement is being revived after almost a century as some Catholics work to reclaim traditional European farming methods and ways of life. During a time of food crises and shortages, the effort is motivated by a desire for more autonomy in the way participants feed and provide for their families, physically […]
Irreligious and secular elements are taking control of the American political right, according to recent reports. While the recent Supreme Court rulings on abortion and church-state issues suggest the continuing relevance of religion to conservative activism, Nate Hochman argues in the New York Times (June 5) that they are more like a “last gasp,” as […]
A religious “commitment gap” between liberal and conservative Jews is increasingly defined by politics and raising questions about the future of the Jewish left, write political scientist Samuel Abrams and historian Jack Wertheimer in Tablet magazine (June 24). The authors cite recent research suggesting that politics is driving religious identity more than religious beliefs are […]
A historic yet small Russian Orthodox body has recently been taking center stage in debates ranging from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to the religious leanings of the far right in the U.S. There have been recent media and scholarly reports holding that recent converts to the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S. have taken […]
The precarious future of the second generation of Korean American Christians came in for scrutiny at the second annual conference of the Korean Diaspora Institute (KDI), which was held in early June at Sandy Cove Ministries in Maryland. KDI is a non-profit organization founded by mostly Methodist Korean American ministers. The conference, which RW attended, […]
Spiritual coaching is becoming more distinct from the life-coaching industry it originated from, filling a niche for female alternative religious professionals, writes Molly Worthen in the New York Times (June 3). Spiritual coaches are part of the life-coaching industry, which became an established profession in the 1990s by combining self-help psychology, positive thinking and insights […]
An assessment of the current challenges for ecumenical relations ahead of the next assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) points out that the field of ecumenism has become more diverse and complex, with denominational boundaries losing significance and new divisions appearing within religious bodies, in part due to social and ethical disputes. Writing […]
Americans’ belief in God has dipped to a new low, according to Gallup poll results. While a large, 81 percent majority of Americans still say they believe in God, that number represents a six-point dip from the 87 percent rate of belief consistently reported from 2013 to 2017. Over 90 percent of Americans had said […]
The Catholic Church is facing increased repression in Nicaragua, leading to new resistance efforts by the hierarchy as well as a growing exile community in the U.S. that is taking up the fight for religious freedom. Writing in The Pillar (June 28), Edgar Beltrán Notes that things have changed dramatically since the time when Nicaraguan […]
