News & Ideas

Friday's News & Ideas - 1/24/2025

  • Attitudes on Christian nationalism
  • Bishop Budde’s sermon text
  • Asheville church after Helene
  • Americans form health insurance
  • Israel pushes into West Bank
  • A family returns to Gaza

Attitudes toward Christian nationalism don’t just boil down to views on race, religion and history − research suggests ‘moral foundations’ play a critical role
The Conversation: White Christians are not the only ones sympathetic to Christian nationalist ideas. Nearly 40% of Black Protestants and 55% of Hispanic Protestants agree with statements such as “being Christian is an important part of being truly American.”

Bishop Budde delivered a truly Christian message*
The Atlantic: Exhortations for mercy are never easy for the powerful to hear.
The Guardian: ‘Contempt is a dangerous way to lead a country’: Here is the sermon that enraged Donald Trump

After Helene, one Asheville church finds a way to step up
Religion News Service: In less than four months, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church has doled out more than $3.5 million in rent support to hundreds of people who have walked through its doors.

Americans are ditching traditional health care for something cheaper — and riskier
Vox: An obscure health insurance alternative is seeing tremendous growth. But there’s a catch.

Why is Israel launching a crackdown in the West Bank after the Gaza ceasefire?
The Associated Press: The violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from his far-right allies after agreeing to the truce and hostage-prisoner exchange with the Hamas militant group.

The Spark

One family in Gaza returned home. But home was gone.
“It took us a few minutes to accept that this pile of rubble was our home,” said Islam Dahliz, whose family was ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate* Rafah in May.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Lilly logo

Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative

The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith. 

In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.

The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.

Learn More and register for information sessions