Friday’s News & Ideas - 9/19/2025
- Student recruitment
- HBCU receives historic gift
- Projecting onto the Pope
- China’s temple economy
- Deadly theology
- Crossroads in America
The great student swap*
The New Yorker: For years, public universities have aggressively recruited out-of-state and international students, charging them higher tuition. But those pipelines may be drying up.
Texas Christian university receives largest-ever gift to a private HBCU
Religion News Service: Huston-Tillotson University, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ, received its first donation from the Moody Foundation in 1968.
Liberal? Conservative? Cubs fan? Catholics project many images onto Pope.*
The New York Times: Unlike Francis, Leo XIV has given few clues about where he stands on issues dividing the church (though he’s definitely a White Sox guy). Followers fill in the gaps.
China’s ‘temple economy’ in the spotlight as scandals rock influential religious leaders
The Guardian: Powerful Buddhist monks who have previously escaped punishment are the latest target of the government’s crackdown on excess wealth and alleged corruption.
When theology kills*
The Christian Century: Ruth Miller’s beliefs led to multiple deaths. Is my own faith giving life or taking it? Brandon Ambrosino asks.
The Spark
Why America is at a dangerous crossroads following the Charlie Kirk shooting
People who opine about politics are rewarded for being more extreme and stoking outrage — that’s the way to get more eyeballs and, ultimately, more advertising dollars, the BBC says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
