Friday’s News & Ideas - 7/24/2026
- Tree of Life rabbi retiring
- US megachurches grow
- Nun detained by ICE speaks
- Baptists pushing the vote
- Far-right Christian militia
- Fighting lookism
This Pittsburgh rabbi led the Tree of Life through its darkest days. Now, he says goodbye
The Associated Press: Myers, 70, is retiring this month as spiritual leader of Tree of Life, a position he had assumed just over a year before the shattering events of Oct. 27, 2018.
US megachurches grow bigger as smaller churches decline*
Christianity Today: A new study shows larger churches rebounded after the 2020 pandemic drop while others have yet to recover.
Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas
The Associated Press: Ugboaja, 56, was released several hours after being detained while on her way to church near the U.S.-Mexico border.
‘It’s a sin if you do not vote’: Progressive National Baptists urge midterm turnout
Religion News Service: The historically Black denomination made voting a theme of its annual session.
Can this far-right Christian militia de-radicalize?*
The Christian Century: The Bratstvo Battalion was once known for its antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Now it’s fighting alongside diverse Ukrainians to save the country from Russia.
The Spark
Should we do more to fight lookism?
Discrimination* against the unattractive is widespread — and widely tolerated, The New Yorker says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
