A controversy about teaching evolution in Serbia shows that the evolution-creation conflict can be played out along Eastern Orthodox lines. After “a group of interested citizens” in Serbia submitted a petition—with signatures from more than 50 academicians and 100 additional people with postgraduate degrees—asking to “revise the curriculum for study of evolution” so that it […]
The growth of computers and cell phone use in Amish communities is causing divisions among members and raising new questions about the relation of faith and work and the future of the group’s renowned work ethic, reports the New York Times (September 17). The use of new technology has created a wave of prosperity among […]
There have been mounting reports on the growth of “religious cyber-bullying,” or in the words of journalist Mark Silk, “religious cyber-vigilantism,” and often such charges are aimed at the religious right. Silk’s blog Spiritual Politics (September 25) finds something akin to a religious “alt-right” in the recent Internet campaign against Jesuit James Martin surrounding his […]
The “structural establishment” of both Christian and Buddhist traditions shows little interest in reviving what was once a vibrant dialogue, writes James W. Heisig (Nanzan Institute) in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture (Issue 41, 2017), noticing a dwindling of dialogue events, publications, and participants. While the […]
Camps based around megachurches in Nigeria are slowly evolving into self-contained cities, providing services to members once reserved for the government, writes Ruth Maclean in The Guardian (September 11). The Redeemed Christian Church of God, a global Pentecostal denomination, has been especially active in its native Nigeria. The church’s headquarters set up “Redemption Camp” on […]
While there are Muslim authors putting forward arguments supporting a tolerant social order regarding Muslims who apostatize, the dominant view remains restrictive and represents a major challenge when it comes to religious freedom in Muslim countries, writes historian and political scientist Johannes Kandel (Berlin) in his analysis of a book in German by Islamic Studies […]
The new presence of missionaries in nations that are hostile to Christianity is an “unintended and often overlooked by-product of China’s aggressive drive to develop new trading routes and carve out influence across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Hundreds and possibly even thousands of the country’s growing cadre of Christian missionaries are along for […]
The growth of immigrant church leaders seeking to evangelize their fellow immigrants in the U.S., often through transnational groups and congregations, is coinciding with “America’s volatile relationships with immigrants [and] the waning interest of second and third generations who have little memory of their homeland,” reports Christianity Today magazine (July-August). Most of these mission initiatives […]
Holistic health and alternative medicine are finding a following among the far right, even if the ethnic and religious origins of these remedies may seem worlds apart from their agenda, according to Holly Folk of Western Washington University. Folk, who presented a paper at the mid-August meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion […]
The use of spirituality and the occult in beauty products is a new feature in the global organic personal care market, which is expected to exceed $25 billion by 2025. The New York Times Style Magazine (August 20) reports that “It is no longer enough to employ pesticide-free ingredients—these days, products should have superpowers, too. […]
