The Zion Christian Church—an African-initiated church that's powerful in South Africa—traces its origins to John Alexander Dowie, a 19th-century Scottish spiritual entrepeneur who founded the city Zion, Illinois.
Fiji has long been known
to Westerners mainly as an exotic tourist destination. In recent years, though,
the country has acquired a troubling reputation for religious and
ethnic confrontations.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the
persecuted Orthodox Church began its resurrection. Nothing better illustrates this revival than the restoration of the cathedrals and churches.
Many Mexican Christians behave heroically, working for peace and meeting social needs where government has
all but abdicated power. But the drug crisis has also exposed some weaknesses in the church.
Not long ago, European religious cinema thrived. Now, religion typically appears in films only as a problem--and the solution to that problem is usually liberated sexuality.
Philip Jenkins is a distinguished senior fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and the author of Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses.
