The divorce rate for Israeli Jewish couples has reached about 38 percent and projections are that the trends can reach 50 percent within a few years, reports the Jerusalem Post newspaper (Jan. 11). In the year 2000 there were 9,153 couples divorced compared to 8,773 in 1999, an increase of about 4.5 percent, which is in keeping […]

The chastity movement started by evangelicals in the U.S. is spreading to Africa and gaining an ecumenical following. The Long Island Catholic (Jan. 31) reports that young Africans are signing strict chastity pledges to avoid AIDS and the promiscuity of their peers. True Love Waits Kenya is a non-denominational movement, although it has received substantial funding from […]

There has been much talk about GenX and their different approach to faith and worship in the U.S., but it is in Europe that this generation is reported to be starting many small informal fellowships removed from traditional churches and denominations, according to Religion Today.com. With ministry names such as Tribal Generation, Jesus Freak, 24-7 [see […]

The movement to channel welfare through faith-based organizations that has been so prominent in the U.S. is also gaining support and generating controversy in Britain. The British charismatic magazine Renewal (January) reports that Prime Minister Tony Blair and Conservative Party leader William Hague have pressed for new partnerships with the voluntary sector to deal with problems such […]

A recent violent attack against a Catholic Church in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia by Rastafarians points to a more militant mood among Rasta believers, reports the Los Angeles Times (Jan. 7). In early January, Rastafarians attacked a church in Castries, St. Lucia, torching a dozen parishioners that resulted in two deaths, and setting fire to […]

The Asian influx in Canada is working to counteract secularism in the nation’s three largest cities, according to a recent government survey. The Washington Post (Dec. 30) reports that as Asian immigrants have gravitated to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, they have maintained, and in many cases, taken up new devotion to the Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and […]

The Jehovah’s Witnesses may be changing their approach to blood transfusions, as different branches of the movement allow their members to remain in fellowship with the group after undergoing the once-taboo medical procedure. The Christian Research Journal (Volume 23, Number 2) reports that the leadership of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was quick to deny that they were […]

The members of Fulan Gong in the West are mainly wealthy, educated Chinese immigrants, suggesting that the movement is far from a refuge for the superstitious and poor. Much has been written on Fulan Gong, especially on the group’s persecution by the Chinese government, but there has been little research on the meditative movement’s large […]

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to switch to a more congenial congregation or denomination rather than fighting?” It was a question that frequently crossed this writer’s mind after interviewing people involved in efforts to reform their particular denomination or church body. The concern to renew and reform a religion from within is almost as ancient […]