Friday's News & Ideas - 3/15/2019

Improper voting discovered at Methodist vote on gay clergy
The New York Times: Voting irregularities are apparently not enough to change final vote margin but raise questions about the process behind the divisive decision.
United Methodist News Service: GC2019 voting credentials under review

A damnable shame
Comment: The church as co-conspirator in unrelenting, adaptive racism.

Study asks: Are 13 seminaries sustainable?
United Methodist News Service: A new independent study makes the case that each of the 13 UMC seminaries plays a crucial role in developing Wesleyan church leaders but the question of long-term sustainability is less certain.

Is fasting just an affectation?
UnHerd: Hunger is the most fundamental political problem of them all, says Giles Fraser.

Southern Baptist executive, experts say churches should address abuse of adults
Religion News Service: Leaders from the SBC and other denominations are seeking to educate clergy and other staffers about appropriate boundaries as they relate to adults in their congregations, classrooms and counseling sessions.

The Spark

Our memorials teach us to forget
More than 1,000 monuments and memorials are scattered around New York, with at least five more on the way. But as New York magazine reports, all those statues, plaques, fountains, and sculptures can never match our ability to forget.

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