Monday's News & Ideas - 10/4/2021

A brief guide to the Southern Baptist meltdown over sexual abuse
Religion News Service: A fight over one clause in a contract has deep implications for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
Baptist News Global: Who are the key players behind the SBC Executive Committee’s response to a sexual abuse investigation?

Abortion, guns, religion top a big Supreme Court term
Associated Press: The future of abortion rights is in the hands of a conservative Supreme Court that is beginning a new term today: a term that also includes major cases on gun rights and religion.

Pope Francis joins world faith leaders in urgent climate appeal ahead of COP26
National Catholic Reporter: In response to the “grave threat” of climate change, heads of the world’s major religions united at the Vatican to issue an unprecedented joint appeal to government leaders at next month’s United Nations climate summit.
America: Pope Francis and 40 faith leaders call for urgent action to combat climate change: ‘Future generations will never forgive us’*

Religion is deepening the NBA’s vaccine drama
Deseret News: Religion plays a supporting role in the NBA’s escalating conflict over COVID-19 vaccines.

Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context isn’t a practice confined to those opposed to vaccines – it has been done for centuries
The Conversation: “As a historian of the Bible in American life, I can attest that such shallow reading in service of political and cultural agendas has long been a fixture of evangelical Christianity.”

The Spark

Employers have been offering the wrong office amenities
As companies and their employees ponder what the post-pandemic office will be like, the cool new amenity won’t be a foosball table, says The Atlantic. It’ll be something we should have had all along — clean air.*

*access is limited for nonsubscribers