Although much is made of how the reelection of President George W. Bush revealed the cultural divide between secular and religious Americans, the 2004 elections also showed new political allegiances and patterns taking shape within religious traditions and denominations. The Catholic vote for Bush was generally underplayed in the media and in many polls, but […]

Evangelicals have become front-line leaders in AIDS prevention around the world in recent years, but there is growing division over how to prevent the disease without compromising their beliefs. Evangelicals, with the support of the Bush administration, have increasingly stepped into the AIDS battle, often following the “ABC” approach modeled in Uganda [see March 2003 […]

Many French dioceses are experiencing increasing difficulties in meeting their expenses, reports the Paris-based Catholic daily La Croix (Oct. 3). In 2003, resources of the French Catholic Church amounted to 446 million Euros (US $ 570 million), which corresponds to an increase of 1.92 percent (slightly above inflation rate of 1.59 percent). However, despite a rise in […]

A document reprimanding the Episcopal Church for its advocacy of gay clergy and leadership has been held up as an attempt to keep the worldwide Anglican communion intact, but observers doubt the report can exert such a unifying force. The document, called the Windsor Report 2004, was called for by the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan […]

The Amish are attracting new attention for their potential voting power and, in turn, have become more politically involved. The Economist (Oct. 16) reports that Republicans have been courting the Amish in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The election boards in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Holmes County, Ohio, have seen a surge in Amish names […]

The faith-based social services program championed by the Bush administration has failed to evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives and may discourage charitable giving to such causes, reports the liberal Washington Monthly magazine (October). This sober assessment made by writer Amy Sullivan charges that while the Bush administration initially argued that the faith-based groups would be judged […]

Experts with a knowledge of religion, particularly Islam, are playing an increasingly prominent role in battling terrorism, according to an article inThe Atlantic magazine (November). Such experts engaging in a field the article calls “forensic theology,” have become key in authenticating terrorist documents, identifying and targeting perpetrators for surveillance and, most importantly, pinpointing groups that present […]