Friday’s News & Ideas - 8/1/2025
- ELCA’s first Black presiding bp.
- President of SBC’s ERLC resigns
- The religious right & thinness
- Catholic AI app
- Attending multiple churches
- Gas station food
ELCA elects first Black presiding bishop, calls Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide
Religion News Service: The Rev. Yehiel Curry, bishop of the ELCA’s Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019, will serve a six-year term as presiding bishop of the 2.7 million-member denomination.
Leatherwood quits ERLC
Baptist News Global: The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) — the SBC’s public policy arm — has been criticized for failing to fall in line with the MAGA agenda.
Why the right is obsessed with thinness*
The New York Times: Conservative Christian influencers are reshaping beauty standards and promoting diet culture — and their messages are resonating with women.
A Catholic AI app promises answers for the faithful. Can it succeed?*
The Washington Post: It’s like ChatGPT for Catholicism, but the only sources in this large language model are 27,000 documents connected to the church.
Why many American churchgoers are attending more than one congregation regularly
Deseret News: Attending more than one religious service became more common during the pandemic; some are continuing the practice, personalizing their religious life by blending faith traditions.
The Spark
Gas station food is southern Black resilience
Gas stations were often a haven for Black travelers to eat when they were denied entrance to restaurants. Their legacy is rooted in Black resilience and resourcefulness.
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