Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2010 - Cokesbury

etter understand the changing contours of American religious demography, focusing especially on
those cities and towns where the new plurality has been most evident and discerning the ways in
which this plurality is both visible and invisible in American public life. 2) To study the religious
communities themselves ¬ their temples, mosques, gurudwaras and retreat centers, their informal
networks and emerging institutions, their forms of adaptation and religious education in the
American context, their encounter with the other religious traditions of our common society, and
their encounter with civic institutions. 3) To explore the ramifications and implications of
America’s new plurality through case studies of particular cities and towns, looking at the response
of Christian and Jewish communities to their new neighbors; the development of interfaith councils
and networks; the new theological and pastoral questions that emerge from the pluralistic context;
and the recasting of traditional church-state issues in a wider context. 4.) To discern, in light
of this work, the emerging meanings of religious “pluralism,” both for religious communities and
for public institutions, and to consider the real challenges and opportunities of a public commitment
to pluralism in the light of the new religious contours of America.
The Pluralism Project has the most comprehensive archive anywhere of the print materials of
America’s new immigrant religious communities, including newsletters, serial publications,
anniversary programs, handbooks, prayer books, calendars, and educational materials donated
directly by centers. The Project files also include numerous research papers, profiles of centers,
and information on events, all available at www.pluralism.org.
The Pluralism Project On-Line Directory maintains an extensive directory of religious centers
in the United States. At present, this directory exists in a searchable database, with listings of over
six thousand centers across the U.S.
Current or Recent Research
The Pluralism Project produced a CD-ROM, “On Common Ground- World Religions in America,”
to present some of the wide range of work that had emerged from three years of research. Numerous
affiliate research reports from a wide network of university professors and students are available on
their website. Religious Diversity News summarizes news stories on pressing issues in the United
States including most minority faiths, with a companion International News; both of these resources
are available online in searchable databases, with archives back to 1997. In 2005 the Pluralism Project
released, “Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism,” available on VHS and DVD. “World
Religions in Boston: A Guide to Communities and Resources,” is an online resource that profiles many
of the diverse religions centers in the Boston area. Current research includes The Interfaith Initiative,
The City Hall Initiative, The Women’s Initiative, and The International Initiative. One can subscribe to
their monthly e-newsletter online.
SOURCES
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