For the first time since the break with the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) in 1927, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Metropolitan Laurus, made an official visit to Russia in the second half of May and has had discussions with Patriarch Alexy II as well as with other Russian Church hierarchs and […]

After French authorities recently tried to expel an Algerian imam who had apparently justified his wife’s beating based upon religious principles, as well as expelling a self-proclaimed imam who had told his congregation to rejoice about Madrid’s bombings, the issue of training the future religious leaders of French Islam increasingly appears as a key issue. […]

The Christian media, particularly radio, in Canada is expanding, serving as a new alternative to the secular media, reports the Canadian evangelical magazine Faith Today (May/June). “Whether it be radio, television, print or web, new Christian alternatives are popping up quicker than ever before and non-Christian audiences appear to be growing. In radio alone, more than 30 […]

Conservative Christian “stay-at-home moms” are increasingly entering the ranks of pro-family activism, reports World magazine (May 15). The magazine reports that there is an “emerging group of women who have faced a choice: Continue in paid work in support of conservative values or stay home to nurture their kids….Instead they’re working part-time from home, advocating for family […]

Although charismatics are the biggest buyers of Christian books, Pentecostal and charismatic works remain underrepresented in the theological offerings of evangelical publishers. In Books & Culture (May/June), Arlene Sanchez-Walsh writes that a combination of remaining anti-intellectualism among Pentecostals and a rationalistic bias among evangelical gatekeepers has excluded the publication of scholarly work from Christians of this tradition. […]

American black churches are ambivalent and in many cases opposed to the prospect of gay marriage– a reality that is likely to forestall wider, ecumenical church support for this measure. An article in Baptists Today (June) reports that aside from the conservative Church of God in Christ and a few activists on the left, “most black denominations […]

The availability of the Internet and other technologies offers new opportunities for religious groups to present themselves in both new and traditional forms. But such technology also gives rise to new challenges, especially during controversies. One case study of how the Internet and satellite television has been instrumental in reshaping a religious organization can be […]