Despite professionalization, Muslim clergy in the U.S. rely on an informal “Rolodex” of contacts composed of fellow imams, students, and other sources of support to fill leadership positions in American Islam, Nancy Khalil and Safiyah Zaidi write in the journal American Religion (Fall). By this figurative Muslim “Rolodex,” the researchers point to an element they […]
Divisions over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination in the Anglican Communion are now expanding to include new issues related to the nature of the priesthood, including women’s ordination, and deeper matters of biblical interpretation among conservative Anglicans. Writing in First Things magazine (November 6), Gerald McDermott argues that these issues stem from divisions in the […]
In 2023, there were a recorded 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes documented by police and civil society in 35 European countries, including 232 personal attacks, such as harassment, threats and physical violence, according to a report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians (OIDAC). At least 2,000 Christian places of worship were damaged in […]
Young people in the Turkish Black Sea region are increasingly breaking away from Islam and seeking to join Christian communities, reports Evangelical Focus newsletter (November 22). “What is striking,” Johannes Reimer writes, “is that Christian missionaries are rarely responsible for this awakening. For one thing, they have hardly any access to the region, and for […]
While the Orthodox Church has enjoyed special status since 2002 through a concordat-like agreement, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which won the October parliamentary elections with 53.9 percent of the vote, is proposing to make Orthodox Christianity the state religion through a constitutional amendment, reports special correspondent Thomas Guichard in La Croix International (Dec. 2). […]
Muslim and Jewish exchanges and encounters have multiplied in Berlin and in the state of Brandenburg in recent years. Numerous projects of cultural and religious rapprochement and understanding have been most evident in the large city of Berlin, where there has been a “remarkable” growth of encounters between Muslim and Jewish artists and actors as […]
The Amish’s high fertility, communal practices, and lifestyles are coming together to fuel upward mobility and economic flourishing, according to recent articles and research. Aaron Renn’s newsletter (November 1) cites a Wall Street Journal article reporting on how Holmes County, Ohio, a bastion of the Amish, has become a standout for economic mobility among millennials. […]
While theological perspectives remain open to the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) developing the capacity for religious experiences, one theologian argues that the deeply embodied and evolutionary roots of human religion suggest that even highly advanced AI systems would likely be incapable of developing anything comparable to human religious behavior. Marius Dorobantu, an Assistant Professor […]
While faith-based films have grown sharply over the past few decades and drawn a global audience, mainstream movie studios still largely steer clear of these projects despite a clear economic upside, Daniel Parris writes in his Substack newsletter Stat Significant (September 25). The early 2000s witnessed the emergence of numerous independent studios dedicated to creating […]
While voting patterns among religious believers have held steady in recent elections, there was less support for President-elect Donald Trump among Protestants compared to 2020. RW was going to press as the election results came out, and we will undoubtedly report more on the election and the upcoming Trump presidency in the next issue. In […]
