Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

International students mix studies with strategies for global evangelism

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The idea of viewing one’s profession and education as a religious vocation and even an opportunity for Christian mission may have fallen out of favor in many Western societies, but no one has told this to the growing ranks of international evangelical students who are not hesitant about bearing witness to their faith while they […]

On/File: September/October 2010

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01: While observers may assume that American metaphysical groups are aging or declining, Christ Church Unity (CCU) in Orlando, Florida is one example of a fast-growing church in this tradition, reports Philippe Murillo (Toulouse University, France). Founded in 1939, and now described as “the fastest growing Unity church within the American metaphysical tradition,” it has […]

Findings & Footnotes: September/October 2010

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01: The current issue of the journal Religion, State and Society is devoted to the religious situation in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, which many have viewed as among the most religiously vibrant and pluralistic in the region. The issue looks at most of the religious expressions in the republic, as well as providing an […]

Orthodox schisms in the Caucasus complicated by international political and religious factors

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While not recognized by any “canonical” Orthodox Church, the independent national Orthodox Churches created in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the past twenty years are benefiting from political considerations that go far beyond themselves and—in the case of South Ossetia—from the willingness of foreign Orthodox groups to offer them assistance, writes Kimitaka Matsuzato in the […]

Political crisis in Maldives may fuel growth of extreme Islamism

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The nascent multi-party democracy in the Maldives, which, like Saudi Arabia, claims to have a 100 percent Muslim population, has plunged the country into a political crisis that may help Islamist extremists to gain a foothold in this Indian Ocean archipelago. The 300,000 citizens of the Maldives are all Sunni Muslims, but they practice Islam […]

Anthroposophy’s world center under financial pressure

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The General Anthroposophical Society, an esoteric movement based on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, is facing cutbacks at its spiritual center, even as the group is experiencing new growth at some places. The society will need to reduce expenses by 8 to 10 percent, since it is no longer able to cover all the costs […]

French megachurches’ small yet growing influence

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Although there are few megachurches in France, they are influencing the broader evangelical movement in the country and possibly even the Catholic Church, according to a recent study by French researcher Sebastien Fath. In a paper delivered at the August meeting of the ASR in Atlanta, Fath reported that there are only four genuine megachurches […]

Vodou in Haiti emerges stronger after earthquake and conflict with evangelicals

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After last January’s earthquake in Haiti, and a resulting conflict between evangelicals and Vodou practitioners, Vodou has found a more prominent place in the nation’s public life, writes Leslie Desmangles in the magazine Religion in the News (Summer). At least before the earthquake, some reports noted a decline in Vodou, but the disaster compelled the […]

Current Research: September/October 2010

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01: Thirty years ago, Americans were more likely to think of God as a friend rather than as a king; in 2008, the reverse was true. That is one of the preliminary findings of a paper presented by Rebekah Peeples Massengill and Conrad Hackett at the August meeting of the Association for the Sociology of […]