Friday's News & Ideas - 8/9/2019

ELCA declares self a ‘sanctuary church body,’ marches to ICE building in Milwaukee
Religion News Service: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” signaling its support for immigrants, during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center.

Iraqi man dies after Trump administration deports him
Politico: An Iraqi national who spent most of his life in the U.S. died after being deported to Iraq, apparently because he was unable to obtain insulin. The man, Jimmy Aldaoud, was a Chaldean Christian, an eastern branch of the Roman Catholic church who are at high risk of being tortured or killed by the terror group ISIS in Iraq.
Catholic Herald: Iraq’s Christians ‘close to extinction’

Federal appeals court overturns decision banning cross from county seal
WFMZ: A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that the inclusion of a Latin cross on a Pennsylvania county seal does not violate the First Amendment. County officials argued the cross signified the area's German founders, who sought religious freedom.

‘Jesus wasn’t this American corn-fed God’: Lyz Lenz on faith, loss, and sexism in rural America
Pacific Standard: Writer Lyz Lenz talks about her new book, “God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America,” which examines the impact of church closures as well as the larger ways that evangelical faith has shaped the culture and mentality of America's heartland.

How we differ from chimps
Orbiter: Chimps have intelligence, sociality, dexterity and communication skills. So what distinguishes humans from chimps? Religion, for one thing.

The Spark

When my favorite patient turned on me, I learned a lesson in the emotional work of doctoring
How do we honor the call to medicine without becoming undone ourselves? asks Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu, a fourth-year resident in psychiatry.

Want to get News & Ideas in your inbox every weekday?
Subscribe to our News & Ideas newsletter or receive our RSS feed in your RSS reader.