Friday’s News & Ideas - 8/28/2026
- Abuse settlement payments
- Dolly Parton, honky-tonk angel
- Omaha’s interfaith experiment
- Pastor at immigration court
- Record conversions
- Latin Rock House
‘This whole thing’s a farce’: New Orleans Catholic church sex abuse settlement brings anger and shock
The Guardian: Survivors have begun to receive letters with payment amounts months after the $305 million settlement agreement was struck.
Dolly Parton, honky-tonk angel*
The New Yorker: Dolly Parton belonged to a beloved category: the outlaw Christian, who loved Jesus and refused to hate anyone else.
The Associated Press: In Dolly Parton’s theology, God and acceptance shared the same stage
As tensions test interfaith ties, Omaha’s experiment with three-faith campus marks 20 years
Religion News Service: “The challenge is the actual work, the actual relationship, navigating these geopolitical pieces, without having to lose hope,” said Karim Khayati, the president of the mosque on campus.
‘Our immigrants are invisible’: A pastor ministers to the frightened at immigration court
Religion News Service: For years, the Rev. Eduardo Fabian Arias, a Lutheran pastor in Manhattan, has ministered to immigrants. Now, much of his work takes place inside and around Federal Plaza immigration court in Midtown Manhattan.
US Catholic churches see a record number of conversions: ‘It’s a real shift’
The Guardian: After decades of declining religious affiliation, churches in southern California have seen an increase among Gen Z.
The Spark
This house trumpets its history in the face of gentrification. Now it’s a landmark
The house is unmissable, NPR says. Its colorful exterior, a painted forest of faces.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
