News & Ideas

Friday's News & Ideas - 1/10/2025

  • LA congregations lose buildings
  • Decline in college students
  • Daystar controversy
  • Move to Christianity in Kosovo
  • Legacy of Brazilian snack
  • Redemption of would-be bomber

California congregations vow to help neighbors even as their buildings are lost to fires
Religion News Service: A synagogue, a mosque, a Catholic parish and at least 7 Protestant churches are among the buildings destroyed by the wildfires raging in California.

A looming ‘demographic cliff’: Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates
NPR: The current class of high school seniors scheduled to graduate this spring will be the last before an expected long decline begins in the number of 18-year-olds — the traditional age of students when they enter college.

Rash of charismatic Christian leaders departs Daystar amid ongoing scandal
Religion News Service: The Christian TV network says the departures of Lance Wallnau, Jack Graham, Jesse Duplantis and others are unrelated to the controversy involving alleged abuse cover-up.

A move toward Christianity stirs in a Muslim land*
The New York Times: Christian converts in Kosovo, where the vast majority of people are Muslim, hope to revive a pre-Islamic past they see as a key to their European identity.

Brazil’s fight over the soul of a snack*
Christianity Today: For decades, acarajé has been considered an offering to Afro-Brazilian religious deities. What happens when evangelicals start producing and selling it?

The Spark

How a would-be bomber rebuilt his life
Zakaria Amara was jailed for his part in the Toronto 18 terror plot. Then came the hard work of redemption, The Walrus says.

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Tim Soerens

Applications now open for Reflective Leadership Grants

“This was a game-changer for us. The chance to climb up from the ‘dance floor’ of our everyday activity and discern a clarified organization future from the ‘balcony’ was the gift we needed even more than we understood at the time.

If possible, please pursue this extraordinary opportunity.”

— Tim Soerens, Parish Collective

Christian leaders from a variety of roles are welcome to apply. The grants provide “balcony time” to reflect on accomplishments, broaden perspectives and discern next steps. The application deadline is May 2, 2025.

Learn more