As suicide bombing has become a principle means of terrorism, specialists are trying to second-guess those who perpetrate such violence. But how predictable is terrorism, especially when it is motivated by religion? There is no one answer to that question as social scientists approach this new field. Science & Theology News (October) reports that researchers’ attempts to […]

Throughout Latin America, new church-state battles are heating up as pro-choice groups seek to implement more liberal abortion laws, reports Conscience (Fall), a liberal Catholic quarterly. Legalized abortion is almost non-existent in Latin America (with the exception of Cuba) and most of the pro-choice activists speak of “decriminalizing” rather than legalizing the practice, though there is little […]

New intentional communities are springing up in the U.S. among evangelicals that differ from their counterparts of a generation or two ago by their use of traditional spiritual and monastic practices in order to structure community life, reports Christianity Today (September). A movement called the “new monasticism” is made up of young single evangelicals increasingly dissatisfied with […]

An emerging group of Hispanic evangelical leaders are likely to have an unprecedented impact both in and outside of their ethnic community, reports Prism (evangelical churches because of the remaining barriers between Hispanic and non-Hispanic America. One such emerging leaders, Luis Cortes, whose organization, Esperanza USA has hosted the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, says that Hispanic evangelicals […]

Although not in the headlines, conflicts and controversies over evolution and creation are unfolding in Orthodox Judaism, reports Moment magazine (October). While Judaism has generally not been divided by the evolution controversy to the same extent as Christianity, the growth of the right wing in Orthodox Judaism has changed that situation. The controversy became visible when Rabbi […]

“How far will Benedict go?” asks Robert Moynihan, the editor of Inside the Vatican (August-September). According to the Catholic magazine, Benedict XVI is currently preparing his first encyclical, which will deal with the subject of liturgy. The encyclical is expected before the end of the year. The recent meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the head of […]