News & Ideas

Friday's News & Ideas - 9/27/2024

  • Former Christian nationalist
  • Gen Z women turn to politics
  • Catholic art & abusers
  • NY Catholic diocese settlement
  • GTS deal with Vanderbilt
  • Making calls on election night

Confessions of a (former) Christian nationalist*
Mother Jones: When religion is placed at the service of a political party, it corrupts both.

Gen Z women are dropping out of religion, but ramping up in politics
Religion News Service: Young women are less likely to be religious, and young men are less likely to be politically active.

Tone deaf and color blind? Catholic Church struggles to keep accused abusers out of religious art
The Associated Press: A few days before the highlight of Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium — a Mass at the biggest stadium in Brussels — the specially selected choir of 120 was rehearsing a brand-new closing hymn when it became known that the composer was a priest accused of molesting young women.

US Catholic diocese agrees to pay $323m to child sexual abuse survivors
The Guardian: Rockville Centre diocese in New York settles with more than 530 victims after proposed deal comes close to failure.

Proposed deal with Vanderbilt could keep a struggling Episcopal seminary in NYC afloat
Religion News Service: An earlier plan to partner with a music school with ties to a conservative Catholic donor fell through. The new lease, if approved, could help GTS through a fiscal crisis.

The Spark

News outlets brace for chaos on election night (and perhaps beyond)
Here’s how they’re preparing to make calls* in a very tight race — and ensure that viewers and readers believe them, The New York Times says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Lilly logo

Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative

The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith. 

In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.

The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.

Learn More and register for information sessions