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Clergy
sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. While
many of the activities and decisions revealed in the news
this year actually happened years ago, the revelations
this year about decisions (and non-decisions) made about
abusive priests by people in authority have dominated
the news media.
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Islam
redefining itself for the modern world. We don't know
yet what will happen to emerging efforts in Iran and Turkey
to create a more moderate Muslim government that is more
open to Western ideals of democracy and human rights.
And we can't be sure of the motives of all those involved
in these efforts. But there is some chance that these
nascent movements will be seen later in this century as
crucial steps toward an Islam whose people are better
able to live in community with non-Muslims.
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Challenges
to authority and traditional structures in the Catholic
Church. This year has brought an escalation of earlier
tendencies in American Catholicism in the direction of
greater power for the laity and more openness in the clergy
and hierarchy. The resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law
and the circumstances which brought it about are examples
of this. I think we'll see much more -- and perhaps even
a split within the American Catholic Church or between
the American Church and the larger Catholic Church.
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Reactions
to Islam in the United States. As the United States
becomes more diverse, and as both Muslims and non-Muslims
deal with the implications of the beliefs of those who
attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers, many
Christians struggle to understand the relationship between
firmly held convictions about absolute truth and living
with others who don't share those convictions. And Muslims
in the U.S. respond that they can be both Muslim and American.
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The
continuing struggle to establish a proper relationship
between religion and government in an increasingly diverse
United States. The big issues here -- so far -- are
school vouchers, government aid to faith-based social
service organizations, the placement of such documents
as the 10 commandments in public spaces, the presence
of "under God" in the U.S. pledge of allegiance.
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Conservative
vs. liberal/moderate in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Churches in the Anglican tradition throughout the world,
especially in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia,
are struggling with the broad spectrum of perspectives
represented in the church on such issues as homosexuality
and the ordination of women. There are some who expect
a schism in the communion.
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The
role and place of women in more conservative religious
communities. This one overlaps with others in this
list, but it's worthy of special mention because it crosses
lines between different religions. The Vatican holds fast
to the tradition of not ordaining women, Southern Baptists
argue that a woman must be subservient to her husband,
traditional Muslim countries place severe restrictions
on women's practices. And yet some within these and other
more conservative religious communities are arguing for
more power for women.
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Discovery
of ossuary and debate about its authenticity. Scholars
seem to have reached a consensus that the burial box with
the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" is approximately 2000 years old, but some argue that at
least part of the inscription was added later to suggest
a direct connection to the biblical Jesus.
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Alliance
efforts between Jews and conservative Christians concerning
U.S. and UN policies regarding Israel. Efforts include
joint fund-raising activities and financial support to
American Jews relocating to Israel.
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Religious
response to proposed US/UN invasion of Iraq. Statements
by most mainstream Christian churches and other religious
organizations have been against a preemptive invasion
of Iraq. An official of the Southern Baptist Convention
has argued in support of such an invasion. One important
element of this news story has been the relative lack
of response to these arguments from government officials.
