Turkey’s Whirling Dervishes, Muslims practicing mystical dances, are experiencing the same divisions existing between moderate and militant Islam throughout the world, particularly over the role of women. The Washington Post (Dec. 25) reports that the dervishes, known for their whirling, trance-like dances which are seen as a way of communicating with God, have traditionally been for […]

A “radical” youth-oriented church movement in Europe is growing by using high tech entertainment-oriented services, reports Charisma magazine (January). Membership at Zurich’s International Christian Fellowship (ICF) has grown sharply in the past four years, as it has branched out to  seven other congregations in other parts of Switzerland, and neighboring Germany. The church’s services — which are called […]

Many churches are forming new radio ministries through the growth of new low power FM stations. Charisma News Service (Dec. 28) reports that about half of the first 255 new low-power FM (LPFM) licenses offered by the U.S. government’s broadcast licensing body have gone to churches and ministries. Operating at between 50 and 100 watts, the […]

The Way International (TWI), a movement that gained many followers and notoriety in the 1970s, appears to be on an accelerated course of decline after sexual scandals involving leaders and law suits against the organization have recently been revealed. The Christian Research Journal (Volume 23, Number 1), an evangelical countercult publication, reports that The Way, a group […]

Kwanzaa, the cultural and spiritual holiday for African-Americans, is being commercialized and is facing criticism by purists, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News (Dec. 27). American blacks spend as much as $700 million on Kwanzaa-related merchandise. Such mainstream retailers as Target, Pier 1, and Borders Books are competing with stores catering specifically to blacks […]

American Muslims are increasingly influencing their fellow believers in other parts of the world, reports the Los Angeles Times (Dec. 29). Although American Muslims are a small fraction of the one billion Muslims worldwide, they are wielding significant influence in business practices and economic development in their homelands “through a mushrooming number of non-profit organizations,” writes Teresa […]

Conservative Christians are banding together and intensifying their activism in the global arena, particularly on family issues in the United Nations, reports the current issue of The Public Eye (Summer/Fall), a leftist newsletter monitoring the religious right. “Frustrated with political defeats at the national level, the Christian Right is turning to the developing world as an innocent, […]