Whether it’s about deciding between simple living or prosperity “gospels” or about how church members approach the matter of giving and financing, there is growing ambivalence about the relation of money to religion, according to recent reports. In his new book Crisis In The Churches (Oxford, $30), sociologist Robert Wuthnow looks at the relation of clergy and laity to […]
On/File: June 1997
01: Most of the new charismatic Christian networks and denominations active in the U.S. are home-grown. So the establishment of Christian Outreach Centres in the U.S. imported from Australia is something of a novelty. The Brisbane -based group has 10 newly affiliated congregations in the U.S., reversing a “trend in which several church groups from America–such as the Assemblies of […]
Findings & Footnotes: June 1997
01: Millennium Rage: Survivalists, White Supremacists, and the Doomsday Prophecy (Plenum, $25.95) is an absorbing look at the current wave of militias, white supremacists, and other similar groups. Author Philip Lamy attempts to show how so-called “hate groups” have manufactured an apocalyptic ideology that fits in with their racist ideologies. Millennium Rage is useful for those with an interest […]
Catholic Church in Chile still carries public weight
While Catholicism has been reported to be losing influence in many Latin American countries due to the rise of secularism and evangelicalism, Chile seems to be an exception. The influence of Catholicism in Chilean society, and particularly in the media, was recently demonstrated in a conflict between Catholic-based media and the government, reports the Economist (May 10). President Eduardo […]
How much of a Christian factor in British politics?
Is there a “Christianization” of British politics taking place? Commentators have cited new Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s speeches, which draw on Christian terminology, and the success of a large number of strongly Christian candidates of all parties, including the victorious Labour Party in recent elections, including the victorious Labour Party, as evidence of such a trend. The […]
Persecution of Christians to intensify?
The persecution of Christians around the world may become increasingly worse in the near future, although those suffering from such actions may have difficulties convincing immigration officials of their plight, reports Faith Today (May/June), a Canadian evangelical magazine. The persecution of Christians has become a matter of increasing concern for American evangelicals (and, increasingly, Catholics), as well as becoming an issue for the […]
Current Research: June 1997
01: There appears to be a growing disbelief in the Devil, according to a recent poll by the Barna Research Group. The survey shows that nearly two out of three adults — 62 percent — agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” While this response has remained consistent throughout […]
Feng Shui finds ‘place’ in Canada
The growth of an ancient Chinese mixture of religion, philosophy, astrology and architecture is taking root in North America, especially Canada, reports the Canadian news weekly MacLean’s (April 28). The phenomenon is known as feng shui, the Chinese “art of placement,” which teaches that the arrangement of space and furniture can bring either good or bad “energy” and fortunes. […]
Religious-based colleges retooling fund raising programs
As both public and private sources of revenue in higher education are being cut back and downsized, church related colleges are finding their survival depends on new, freshly designed programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education (May 9) reports that across the country, religious colleges are stepping up efforts to stay afloat in troubled economic times. Leaders recognize that their situations […]
Christian diet programs shed sin-based approach?
Christian diet programs have existed since the early 1970s, but a growing body of evangelical weight control literature has shifted the focus from viewing weight gain as sin to taking a more medical-oriented approach, writes R. Marie Griffith in the Christian Century (May 7). Christian and Bible-based diet programs and literature have been among the most popular […]