The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released a new survey last week, focusing on people's predictions for life in 2050, which finds that "the public is divided over whether Jesus Christ will return to earth by 2050."
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Announcements, events, and opportunities related to topics of interest to TIF readers are posted here. Additionally you may find round-ups of news items and brief commentary on current events.
For a listing of all of the events announcements, click here.
For a listing of announcements regarding books, click here.
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The “inter-religious” university and the Christian right
by Jake AlterIn early June, the Claremont School of Theology announced that it would merge with its local Jewish and Muslim counterparts to form an inter-religious university this coming fall. Philip Clayton discusses the controversy this has aroused in conservative Christian communities.
June 29, 2010
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Religious views on immigration don’t mirror party politics
by Grace YukichIn a recent article for Mother Jones, Suzy Khimm asks whether a right-wing schism may be developing over immigration reform. In recent months, many evangelical leaders- including conservative Christians like Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention- have voiced support for immigration reform that would include a pathway to legalization for many undocumented immigrants. While Land's group has supported a comprehensive approach to reform for several years, he has become more adament in his support since the passage of Arizona's contentious immigration law. These increased efforts by conservative Christians on behalf of immigrants have created conflict between their groups and right-wing groups opposed to immigration reform, making former allies into possible political enemies.
June 29, 2010
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The American Jew and Israeli politics
by Amanda KaplanSara Reef, Project Manager at Intersections International, writes at The Huffington Post on the American Jew's "right" to speak on the state of Israel.
June 29, 2010
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Democrats and evangelicals try to forge coalition for immigration reform
by Jake AlterThe Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) was introduced in 2009 to close a loophole in immigration law that discriminated against homosexuals. As Sarah Posner documents at Religion Dispatches, this provision has become more controversial as the democrats have reached out to religious organizations to help in their fight for immigration reform.
June 30, 2010
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“The Lady Twilight”
by Charles GelmanOver at Killing the Buddha, William Dalrymple is excerpting his new book, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India.
June 30, 2010
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Traditionalism and female subordination in church
by Amanda KaplanIn her article, "The Persistence of Patriarchy," subtitled Hard to believe, but some churches are still talking about male headship, founding member of the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus, Anne Eggebroten laments the institutionalized gender inequality still present in some Christian services and lifestyles.
July 1, 2010
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Generic crisis or defining moment?
by Penny EdgellWhen does a crisis become a turning point? Dr. Russell Moore, dean of SBTS's School of Theology, hopes the Gulf oilspill crisis will amplify and expand an emerging environmental concern among evangelicals. Is this a defining moment for a new kind of evangelical activism or . . . just another crisis?
July 2, 2010
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Hours of unrelieved, humorless argument
by John Lardas ModernWars of Religion 2.0
July 3, 2010
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Child abuse, church and state in Belgium
by John D. BoyLast week, a conflict between the Vatican and Belgian authorities over the handling of abuse cases within the Roman Catholic church came to head. The Catholic church had been dealing with abuse cases through an internal commission until Belgian authorities—no strangers to brutal pedophilia cases—raided a meeting of bishops to secure evidence. There were reports that some clergymen were detained for many hours. Vatican officials protested the Belgian authorities, claiming that the way in which they dealt with church officials were "unprecedented even under communism." The controversy shows how church–state relations are shifting in light of the abuse scandals within the Catholic church.
July 6, 2010