Friday's News & Ideas - 5/31/2019

'An imaginary gap': Utah Pride service unites religious and LGBT communities
Deseret News: The service at Christ United Methodist Church brought together members of a wide range of religions for a common goal: acknowledging and bridging an “imaginary gap that exists in public discourse between LGBTQ identity and faith identity.”

Christians considering surrogacy encounter conflicting views
Sojourners: It should come as no surprise that Christianity, an ancient faith with an immense diversity of sects, has no official or unified stance on gestational surrogacy.

Lutheran student pastor deported amid protests
Religion News Service: Rendón and her husband were transported to Louisiana over Memorial Day weekend before being put on a plane to Colombia on Tuesday morning.

My 12 year-old son gave me a list of Islamophobic names he's been called. This is today's America
Newsweek: A normal conversation between a father and his American-born middle school son on a drive home turned into a story sharing session no parent ever wants to face.

Italy's new ruins: Heritage sites being lost to neglect and looting
The (London) Guardian: Overgrown and weathered, many historical monuments are disappearing as public funds for culture fail to match modern Italy’s inheritance.

The Spark

National spelling bee, at a loss for words, crowns 8 co-champions
A superhuman group of adolescents broke the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The competition said it was running out of challenging words, The New York Times reports.

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