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1 Mar 2010
It has been a puzzle why evangelicals, and particularly Pentecostals, have long had a presence in Africa, and especially Nigeria, but it is only in the past two decades that the religion has taken off and become a major social force on the continent. In her new book Political Spiritualities , University of Toronto religion and political science professor Ruth Marshall seeks to unravel this puzzle. 
Christian-Muslim relations: Swiss Evangelicals criticize minaret ban
1 Mar 2010
Although the ban on building new Muslim minarets in Switzerland was co-initiated by the Federal Democratic Union (FDU), a political party devoting itself to the “gospel of Jesus Christ,” there is opposition to the referendum among some Swiss evangelical churches.
Buddhism: campaign to turn Bodh Gaya into vegetarian zone
8 Jan 2010
Hollywood star Richard Gere, who is in Bodh Gaya in Bihar to attend a five-day discourse on Buddhism by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Thursday supported the demand to turn the town where Buddha attained enlightenment into a vegetarian zone.
France: French Sikhs bringing turban ban issue to Delhi
8 Jan 2010
A delegation of Sikhs from France will land in New Delhi Thursday for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual gathering of the Indian diaspora, to highlight the continuing problem of the ban of Sikh turbans in France.
Catholicism and Orthodoxy: a forgotten page of the history of uniatism in Albania
4 Jan 2010
Uniatism remains a contentious issue in Catholic-Orthodox relations. A recent book by Albanian-born scholar Ines Angeli Murzaku brings to light the history of failed attempts to create a uniate movement in Albania.
Catholicism and Anglicanism: new Vatican provisions offer new day for Anglican converts in the US
24 Dec 2009
The recent Vatican invitation to Anglicans that allows them to convert en masse to Catholicism has a familiar ring to many American ears, although recent developments in world Anglicanism may neverthless make the call to Rome alluring.. The invitation, made public in October, is part of a plan by the Catholic Church to enable disenchanted Anglicans to retain their traditions and practices while being in communion with Rome.
India: Uttarakhand to train yoga gurus to tackle swine flu
19 Dec 2009
Hundreds of hermits and yoga gurus will be taught about the proper practice of hand washing and other necessary medical precautions to control the spread of swine flu during the upcoming Kumbh Mela (a very large religious fair).
USA: Sikh with turban taken back in US Army
19 Dec 2009
A campaign by Sikhs in America has resulted in the US Army accepting another Sikh recruit for active duty with his religious identity intact. It will be for the first time in 23 years that Sikhs will serve in the US Army with their turbans and unshorn hair.
USA: decline in conservative Churches
15 Dec 2009
Religion-in-public news last week featured a Pew poll that demonstrated how many Americans mix faiths. More on that in some other week. This week’s stories raise a screech question: Will there long be faiths to mix in America? “Faiths” here means bodies of believers, gathered in communities such as congregations. Has the United States begun to follow the overall pattern of decline in membership, attendance, activity, support, and visibility that is so patent in, say, Western Europe?
Africa: growing African Unitarians offer liberal alternative but with a difference
15 Dec 2009
Unitarianism, considered a classic liberal religion, is growing in Africa more by word-of-mouth and Internet presence than by missionaries. The church's American leadership may also be surprised by the social conservatism of its newest converts, opposing abortion and gay rights, in a continent more known for its burgeoning Pentecostal presence.
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