Intellectual humility and forgiveness of religious leaders

This article presents two studies that examined how perceptions of intellectual humility affect response to a transgression by a religious leader. In Study 1, participants (N = 105) rated the religious leader on intellectual humility regarding different religious beliefs and values, as well as general humility and forgiveness of the leader for a transgression. Perceived intellectual humility was positively associated with forgiveness, even when controlling for perceived general humility. In Study 2, we replicated the findings from Study 1 on an independent sample (N = 299). Also, the type of offense moderated the association between perceived intellectual humility and forgiveness. For participants, who reported an offense in the area of religious beliefs, values, or convictions, the association between perceived intellectual humility and forgiveness was stronger than for participants, who reported a different type of offense. We conclude by discussing limitations and areas for future research.     

The death and resurrection of the American religious marketplace

This article expands upon existing academic literature examining both the decline and fragmentation of the American Christian Right. Specifically, it explores the impact of a fragmented evangelical body from a religious market perspective. It asserts that recent declines in evangelical church membership are largely due to the over-generality of its message, which in and of itself is a by-product of the broadcast age. Predictably, this over-generality has failed to cater to the diverse theological and spiritual needs of American churchgoers. However, with the rapid proliferation of Internet technologies, new religious frontiers are being explored and, as a result, many Christians are going elsewhere to tend to their spiritual needs. This process further reinforces the fragmentation of the evangelical body. This article similarly considers how with the growth of new and divergent religious movements, such as creation care and the emerging church, new religious leaders are finding their voice and preaching a message that diverges significantly from the old evangelical vanguard. While some might be tempted to view these developments in purely theological terms, the cultural fragmentation of the American evangelical community is not just a religious issue. A vibrant religious marketplace threatens the religious monopoly of the Christian Right, and by extension, the articulation of social conservatism and Republican politics. As new religious movements grow, so too do new conceptualisations and understandings of what it means to be a Christian and to hold Christian values. In facilitating the breakdown of the religious monologue of the Christian Right, the Internet is unsettling long-established political coalitions and giving rise to new political realities. To support these claims, this article relies on the combination of previous academic works, the reporting of recent religious and political developments, as well as personal interviews. The aim of this article is to provide a rich textual account of the state of evangelical Christianity as it is lived and experienced in a new media saturated environment.     

Intrinsic religious motivation and attitudes toward death among the elderly

Forty-five males and females ages 65 and older completed the Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale, a measure of faith development (based on Fowler, 1981), and two multidimensional measures of death anxiety (the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale-Revised and the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale). Individuals with intrin-sic religious motivation reported significantly lower levels of various types of death anxiety than did individuals with extrinsic religious motivation. No significant rela-tionships were found between stage of faith and attitudes toward death and dying.     

李瑞环同全国性宗教团体领导人举行迎春座谈

中共中央政治局常委、全国政协主席李瑞环今天邀请全国性宗教团体领导人到中南海座谈,迎接即将到来的中华民族传统节日新春佳节。李瑞环在认真听取了宗教团体领导人的发言后讲了话。他首先代表江泽民总书记和朱镕基总理,向全国性宗教团体领导人、全国宗教界人士和广大信教群众致以亲切问候和良好祝愿。他说,过去一年,我国经济建设和各项社会事业都取得了显著成就。广大宗教界人士和信教群众同党和政府齐心协力,积极开展工作,为贯彻落实各项宗教政策,为维护安定团结的社会局面,为推进两个文明建设,做出了应有的贡献。     

The religious physician

In order to understand what it means to be a physician, we must, according to Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, analyze four words that capture the essence of the medical enterprise: profession, patient, compassion, and consent. The resultant model provides a rational and secular basis upon which the Jewish or Christian physician can then build an understanding of medicine in its peculiarly religious form. This religious form is likewise characterized by four words: vocation, neighbor, love, and covenant. An analysis of these words provides a model of and for the religious physician.     

贾庆林与全国性宗教团体负责人举行迎春谈

本报北京2月1日讯记者袁建达报道:中共中央政治局常委、全国政协主席贾庆林2月1日邀请全国性宗教团体负责人到中南海座谈,共同迎接即将到来的中华民族传统节日春节,并代表胡锦涛总书记和中共中央、国务院向全国宗教界人士和广大信教群众祝贺新春佳节。贾庆林在听取宗教团体负责     

Aspects of fear of personal death,levels of awareness,and religious commitment

This study used a multidimensional and multilevel approach to study the relation between fear of death and religious commitment. A multidimensional self-report measure of fear of personal death, four TAT cards known to elicit a relatively high frequency of death themes, and an index of Jewish religious commitment were administered to 178 young male Jewish Israelis. Unidimensional and multidimensional analysis of these measures suggested that Jewish religious commitment is related to a heightened specific sensitivity to death at different levels of awareness.