Friday's News & Ideas - 5/17/2019

Abolish the priesthood
The Atlantic: To save the Church, Catholics must detach themselves from the clerical hierarchy -- and take the faith back into their own hands, says James Carroll.

Today I am thinking about May 17, 1954, and white Baptists then and now
Baptist News Global: White Baptists were, by and large, not pleased about ending racial segregation. Now, many of those passing abortion bans are white Baptists too.

Religious reaction to abortion ban: Some activists waited decades for this
AL.com: Clergy protest leaders had a dream that the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide would be struck down. Three decades later, they are closer than ever to that dream.

Why I ditched the evangelical persecution complex
Sojourners: It wasn’t until Kevin Singer started making friends with people of minority religious traditions that he began to reevaluate the premise that devout Christians are an endangered species in America that require special protection.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right -- the Bible denounces high interest rates
Newsweek: The Bible has a lot to say about money lending with high levels of interest and usury.

The Spark

Flannery O’Connor’s two deepest loves were mayonnaise and her mother
Caroline McCoy writes about the Southern gothic author’s love for a very white condiment at Literary Hub.

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