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Article: Mainline decline, Buddhist style.(Buddhist Churches of America)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- February 28, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SINCE IT WAS established 97 years ago, the Buddhist Churches of America has provided a cultural shelter and a religious center to four generations of Japanese-Americans. The BCA's sponsorship of a wide array of cultural activities--youth sporting events and mixers, scouting programs, women's auxiliaries--enabled older Japanese-Americans to hang together in their adopted country. With 60 temples throughout the nation, the BCA has long been the best-organized Buddhist organization in the U.S.
But three years shy of its centennial celebration, the BCA's future is clouded by declining membership, an unmet demand for doctrinal renewal and a simmering war between the ...