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Homosexuality



The changing political and social status of LGBTQ Americans has forced Christian churches to choose whether to recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples and whether to ordain openly gay or lesbian clergy. Many LGBTQ Christians embrace both their sexual and gender identities and their religious commitments, but other Christians, claiming to uphold biblical values of a Christian understanding of gender, have formed advocacy groups opposing LGBTQ civic and religious rights.... Read more about Homosexuality

The Ethics of Abortion



For American Christians, abortion is a highly-charged political and religious issue. Religious groups that support abortion rights, like the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, have long faced opponents of abortion, notably Catholics and evangelicals. Despite the polemics, some Americans on both sides have made efforts at open conversation.

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The Ecumenical Movement

Members of the Protestant, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Mormon churches all call themselves Christians—yet they also maintain theologies and practices that diverge in significant ways. Ecumenical organizations such as the World Council of Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals attempt to bridge those differences, although such efforts remain controversial.

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Formation of the Next Generation

The Eastern Orthodox Church’s Syndesmos World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, Roman Catholic World Youth Days, and evangelical campus ministries are all efforts by Christian groups to reverse the trend of young people turning away from religion. Many centrally organized youth groups host international gatherings to solidify community and invest in the future of the faith.

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The Scholarly Tradition

The tradition described by the neologism “Confucianism,” first used by European scholars in the 19th century, is rooted in the “The Scholarly Tradition,” of which Confucius is the most well-known practitioner. Some scholars argue that the tradition is a humanistic system of ethics, emphasizing the purification of one’s heart and mind to actively engage in familial and societal matters. Others argue that Confucianism is indeed a humanistic religious tradition, since the completion of moral cultivation is said to lead to cosmological and spiritual transcendence.... Read more about The Scholarly Tradition

“Confucius and Sons” in America

Confucian teaching and interpretation largely became based on four key texts called The Four Books: Analects, Book of Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean. East Asian immigrant communities in the United States differ in the way they view Confucian teachings: Some deem the teachings irrelevant for scientific society and democratic governance, while others uphold the teachings as an integral component of their cultural traditions.... Read more about “Confucius and Sons” in America

To Become a Sage

To find expressions of Confucian values in the United States one must look not so much at explicit ceremonial activities, but at underlying motives as they surface in everyday life. Confucian values are often expressed among many East Asian immigrants through an emphasis on education, family cohesiveness, and self-abnegation in support of others.... Read more about To Become a Sage

The 21st Century: A Confucian Revival?

The late 20th century saw the rise of organizations that promote Confucianism in the United States and abroad. In 2004, for instance, the Chinese government opened the Confucius Institute, a partnership with many institutions to teach Chinese language, culture, and literature. In the United States, Boston Confucianism is a growing intellectual movement that asserts that anyone, not only East Asians, can participate and learn from the Confucian tradition.... Read more about The 21st Century: A Confucian Revival?

The Way and Its Power

The central text of Daoism, the Daodejing, describes the dao as an ineffable creative, cosmological process in the world, often depicted by the diagram of yin, dark mystery, and yang, white clarity, trailing and carrying the seed of the other. Most Daoists hold a shared goal of becoming in tune with the ziran (spontaneity) of the Way, but philosophers in the centuries from 600 BCE - 200 CE have presented varied teachings and traditions drawing from the Daodejing and other Daoist texts.... Read more about The Way and Its Power

Folk Daoism Comes to the West

Daoism has entered the United States more or less to the degree that US immigration laws have accepted or rejected immigrants from Asia, particularly East Asia. Doaist practice has significantly increased in the United States since immigration reform in 1965, and Daoism has gained greater public popularity through the widespread practice of taijiquan (Tai Chi) for health purposes and the translation of the Daodejing into English.... Read more about Folk Daoism Comes to the West

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