By Codie Winslow, Director of Library and Learning Resources
There is an inherent implication to pursuing an education – you want to learn. Often times it can be difficult to grasp concepts outside of our worldview, and we have opportunities to do just that within the context of the research and learning required through our programs of study.
Here’s a new library resource recently added to the Calvary Chapel University Library that may prop the door open for curious learners interested in gaining understanding. World-Wide Religious News is a resource that curates published news on religious topics from all over the world. The Mission of WWRN is to provide the international academic and legal community (as well as various government agencies) with up to date religious news and the non-profit was initiated with the goal of promoting religious freedom and tolerance.
As the website outlines, “Throughout history, religion has proved to be a central component of society and human experience, shaping how individuals think and interact with their society and culture, both in an immediate as well as global context. WWRN’s service provides a nexus to information that highlights the unique interplay of religion and society and how this impacts the world of today.”
The site is easy to navigate. There are three tabs across the top – you can search by religions, regions, and themes. In addition, there is an About section that explains more on the objectives of WWRN.
WWRN endeavors to provide a source of information on the following:
- Trends relating to new religious movements
- Religious freedom issues
- Legislation being enacted around the world affecting religion
- “Anti-cult” and “counter-cult” trends
- Government reports on religion and human rights
- Academic profiles on religious groups
- Links to other Web sources supplying information on religion
As a part of your academic journey at Calvary Chapel University, for academic programs in the College of Biblical Studies or for personal growth, you may find World-Wide Religious News to be a worthwhile resource. It might also make a good read or seed for sparking conversation with others around the topic of religion.