In fighting off fundamentalists' attempts to cut off funds and change the way trustees are elected, Mercer University and moderate Baptists accomplished the first major defeat of the conservatives since they took over the Southern Baptist Convention eight years ago. (MSE)

Three federal court decisions dealing with use of public university and public school facilities for student religious activities are outlined. The court decisions illustrate a "capriciousness" in the application of the "public forum" and "impressionable youth" issues and leave many questions unanswered. (MD)

States that the social conditions that produce cults are favorable today and that those young people who are attracted to cult membership are idealistic, innocent, inquisitive, independent, identity-seeking, insecure, and vulnerable. Suggests that educators can help students be aware of the seriousness of the problems cults can cause. (TJ)

Today, church-related colleges supported by the three African-American branches of Methodism (Christian Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion) are thriving, and see a bright future. Despite early segregation in the Methodist Church, African-American and predominantly white Methodist groups are…

This ethnographic study expands educational anthropologists' knowledge of the relationship between higher education and personal and social change in so-called traditional societies. It describes transitions in the status of Druze women in Israel brought about by the first women from the community to obtain higher education, granting new insights…

This examination of the social order of the Church of Christ, Scientist, provides a valuable learning opportunity for leaders of any organizational entity--or for any student of organizational communication/behavior. The study addresses labor, trust, power, and legitimization of activity within the church. It raises the issue of whether Christian…

Questions addressed include: the sources of the desire for higher education among kibbutz members; the response of the kibbutz movement to this push; the current and likely future consequences of ever larger numbers of kibbutz members with advanced education: and what lessons can be learned about equalitarian societies generally from the kibbutz…

International Churches of Christ, not affiliated with the mainline Church of Christ, actively recruits college students and proselytizes to a degree that some consider harassment and intimidation. Some major institutions have banned the groups from campuses. Some religious groups hesitate to call the International Churches of Christ a cult,…

Examines literacy practices in their sociohistorical contexts, drawing examples of religious reading practices and stances from Orthodox Jewish reading practices. Notes that religious reading practices highlight the repertoire of reading genres, strategies, and stances that members of modern multicultural societies learn to control. Concludes that…

Discusses the development and implementation of an academic service learning course designed to explore partnership possibilities between a university, religious organizations, and neighborhood coalitions in West Philadelphia. Course goals were twofold: for students to activate partnerships with community members and congregation participants to…

this paper uses an interdisciplinary research methodology to engage the resources provided by the humanities and the liberal arts in a discourse analysis of Unitarian Universalism. The paper describes Unitarian Universalism as a contemporary religious-rhetorical movement and distinctive persuasion which nurtures an evolving, enriching religious…

The use of religious tracts in teaching a course in persuasive communication is described in this paper. Excerpts from a number of tracts are presented to show how religious tracts can be used in teaching about (1) persuasive messages that appeal to fear, (2) the question of ethics in persuasion, (3) appeals to concerns about physiological…

Rastafarians have used biblical geography to invest themselves with sanctity, status, and a global significance. They have reinterpreted the geography of the Bible in a novel manner that makes sense for them and provides a world map essential to their doctrine and manner of life. (RM)

This book considers the Catholic university in relation to religious truth and academic freedom. The book offers a practical consideration of how the ideal Catholic university might be expressed. The chapters are: (1) "Biblical Foundations of the Modern University"; (2) "Science: The Truth of Universities"; (3) "Art: Signatured Truth"; (4)…

This book is a brief guide to understanding Islam, intended to help individuals better understand Islamic culture, Muslims, and the Holy Quran. It consists of the following three chapters: (1) Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam; (2) Some Benefits of Islam; and (3) General Information on Islam. The book is extensively illustrated with photographs…