A clergy shortage is impacting synagogues as well as Protestant and Catholic churches, reports the New York Times (Feb. 14). The problem is most acute in the Jewish denominations and the Catholic Church. In Reform Judaism, about 200 out of 895 congregations are without a full-time rabbi. The modern Orthodox branch has a similar shortage, though the […]

Churches are increasingly engaging in coalition-building and other forms of unity in their involvement in faith-based public programs. As church-based programs move into place for prisons, inner-city youth ministries and job training, cooperation seems to be growing. In mid-February a major stride forward was taken by 57 religious leaders of all denominations as they met […]

A service consecrating two bishops on January 29 in the Anglican Church in Singapore has raised fundamental questions for the Episcopal Church in the U.S. about Anglican unity and the limits of dissent. The normal procedure in the worldwide Anglican Communion allows each national church to regulate its own ordination of bishops, with the Episcopal […]

A new interest in Catholic products — from rosaries to videos — is propelling the growth of Catholic marketing, reports the National Catholic Register (Feb. 13-19). The newspaper reports that the expansion is evident in the four-year-old Catholic Marketing Network,, a Dallas-based firm that holds trade shows for Catholic store owners and other suppliers of religious goods from […]

A spate of highly publicized scandals in the American Orthodox Jewish community has “touched off a campaign of intense soul-searching among American Jews” concerning ethics. Moment magazine (February) reports that in the last few years, prominent Orthodox, particularly Hasidic, Jewish leaders and sometimes whole communities have found themselves mired in scandals involving allegations of corruption and […]

Recent events in China suggest that religion is emerging as the most serious threat to the ruling party’s monopoly on power, reports the Washington Post (Jan. 10). In early January, an important lama of Tibetan Buddhism made a dramatic escape to his faith’s exile community in India, even though he was hand-picked by Chinese officials to squelch […]

The evangelical men’s ministry Promise Keepers may be faltering in the U.S. but it appears to be just picking up steam in Latin America. Religion Today.com reports that “through small groups, pastors’ conferences, and PK’s hallmark stadium events, the vision of inspiring men to live Christian lives is spreading. Men’s ministries are growing in at least […]

The on-going, often acrimonious controversies within Israel over its true religious history and its mission today has recently taken on a new dimension among archeologists and public leaders over the nation’s proper use of the Bible. An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (Jan. 21) finds at least three competing camps of interpretation have stirred major […]