Friday's News & Ideas - 7/24/2020

Christian advocacy group says board member Yoho’s behavior toward Ocasio-Cortez does not reflect its values
Religion News Service: Bread for the World, a prominent Christian advocacy group for which Florida Rep. Ted Yoho serves as a board member, said the Republican lawmaker’s recent behavior toward Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not reflective of the “respect and compassion that Jesus calls on us to exhibit every day.”

William Barr, nation’s top lawyer, is a culture warrior Catholic
National Catholic Reporter: Of the myriad forces that have shaped Barr’s views, a constant has been his connections to a tight-knit Catholic culture where fraternal organizations, think tanks and conservative clergy understand faith as a bulwark against perceived attacks on traditional morality, the family and church.

Creating a better world means asking better questions*
SSIR: By shifting the focus of social innovation from actions to the thinking behind those actions, social sector leaders can create a better world -- a world different than the past.

Columbia Theological Seminary takes steps to atone for racial past
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Columbia Theological Seminary has joined other institutions of higher learning that today are reckoning with their past racial history and connection to the enslavement of Black people.

Baptist pastor is fired after coming out as transgender*
The New York Times: Junia Joplin, a Baptist pastor in Ontario, asked for acceptance in a sermon: “I want to be the person that God created me to be.” The congregation narrowly voted to terminate her contract.

The Spark

A vaccine reality check
So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine* is only the beginning of the end, The Atlantic says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers

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