1) The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) inauguration of the Abrahamic Family House (AFH) in Abu Dhabi in early February represents the first interfaith worship center in the Middle East. The center includes a church, mosque and synagogue, all within close proximity to each other to encourage religious dialogue and co-existence. The establishment of the Abrahamic […]
The Engaged Spirituality Project encourages journalists covering religion to adopt ethnographic methods to convey a more in-depth and fine-grained account of religion for their readers. The project, run by the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, brings together social scientists—including a core of ethnographers—and journalists to identify, interview, contextualize, […]
1) Charismatic Christian leaders, critical of fellow charismatics in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and their support of former President Donald Trump and the events of January 6, have intensified their opposition with a new statement and website, www.narandchristiannationalism.com. The 1,544-word statement condemns Christian nationalism, which is the belief that America is a Christian nation […]
1) F3 is a fast-growing network of men’s fitness programs that joins exercise with faith-based social gatherings that are seen as helping to ward off loneliness, especially during and after the pandemic. The workout groups are often seen as an extension of church life, though they are not necessarily all Christian-based. F3, started in 2011 […]
Among organizations seeking to lessen the sharp polarization of Americans, Christians for the Common Good (CCG) has achieved a measure of success. The group, based in Portland, Oregon, has drawn the attention of researchers for its effectiveness in passing state bills, particularly in the area of human trafficking, that have garnered support from both left […]
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 […]
1) National conservatism is seen as an intellectual outgrowth of the nationalist and populist presidency of Donald Trump, but the religious positions of the fledgling movement have not been spelled out. That changed, however, with the recent issuing of a manifesto for the movement. The document features such MAGA faithful as Charlie Kirk of Turning […]
Peoplehood is a spinoff of the spiritually oriented exercise company SoulCycle, but without the workout. The fledgling company, founded by SoulCycle entrepreneurs Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, conferred with psychologists, spiritual leaders, and scientists during the pandemic and started the first Peoplehood sessions last summer. The theme of connecting with others without the exercise came […]
1) The Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Campus Climate Index, or INSPIRES, created by researchers at Ohio State University and North Carolina State University, measures higher-ed institutions on their levels of religious diversity and inclusion. The index is based on extensive surveys of officials at 185 public, private and religiously affiliated institutions, covering questions relating […]
1) The Global Flourishing Study (GFS) is a new project conducted jointly by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and Program on Pro-Social Behavior and Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Project, that will look at the factors shaping human betterment, including its religious dimensions. The project will involve data collection from some 240,000 participants from […]
