01: A recent controversy about women rabbis in Orthodox Judaism has helped create a new rabbinical council, known as the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF), and has fanned the flames of a reform movement in Orthodoxy. The fellowship is one of part of a network of groups and yeshivas that seek to create a more egalitarian […]

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 […]

01: The current leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church has for years emphasized the need to improve the quality of its theological education. As part of such efforts, a significant step has been taken with the launch in 2009 of the Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate and Doctoral School under the direction of the influential Metropolitan Hilarion […]

01: There are not many conscientious objectors in Turkey (although the numbers are said to be rising), but 33-year-old Enver Aydemir is one such dissenter who refused to serve due to his Islamic beliefs. Already arrested and detained a first time in 2007, Aydemir was rearrested in late December and is considered to be the […]

01: The publication of the new prayer book for Orthodox Jews, the Koren-Sachs Siddur, is a significant attempt to wrest control of the Orthodox movement in the U.S. from the ultra-Orthodox wing of the movement. Until the appearance of the new prayer book, the Artscroll Siddur was the main one in use in Orthodox synagogues, […]

Willigis Jäger, a former Benedictine monk and highly successful Catholic meditation teacher in Germany, has recently created his own Zen Buddhist lineage, after leaving the Sanbô-Kyôdan Zen school in January. In recent years, Jäger had trained thousands of people at his center (since 2003) called Benediktushof, in Holzkirchen (Germany), a former Benedictine monastery bought by […]

01: The Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society represents a growing movement of Buddhist “punx” consisting mainly of young people pressing for an “anti-establishment” version of Buddhism. Founded by Noah Levine, a Southern California Buddhist teacher, the society has more than 20 affiliated groups nationwide. Infused with punk rock’s anti-establishment ethos, these so-called “Dharma Punx” […]

01: Aleksandr Dugin has made a name for himself in Russian political and intellectual circles for his radical anti-Americanism and a unique kind of religious nationalism. Dugin’s recent rise from being an obscure intellectual to a key government advisor took place alongside Vladimir Putin’s ascent to power. Dugin, a dissident since his youth, was heavily […]

01: Dorothy Rowe has created a niche for herself as an atheist self-help guru. Rowe, a British clinical psychologist and author, has recently written What Should I Believe?, which merges the two worlds of atheism and self-help. With strong influence from “new atheist” spokesman Richard Dawkins, Rowe’s basic argument is that religion, by which she […]

Word of Life (or Livets Ord) has been one of the largest charismatic groups in Sweden, if not Europe, but recently the Uppsala-based movement has moved in more ecumenical and “Catholic” directions. In the past, Word of Life has generated its share of controversy over its “word-faith” teachings (where one is taught to claim God’s […]