News & Ideas

Monday’s News & Ideas - 12/8/2025

  • Christmas in Bethlehem
  • Fast-growing Atlanta church
  • Saint Nicholas
  • ‘Outsiders welcome’ campaign
  • Are fascism’s roots Christian?
  • First futurists

Christmas — and hope — return to Bethlehem after two somber years
Religion News Service: Christmas here is not escapism. It is defiance.

Young adults are waiting in line to worship at this fast-growing Atlanta church
The Associated Press: Lines packed with young adults snake outside 2819 Church, some arriving as early as 5:30 a.m. to secure a spot for Sunday worship.

‘Saint Nicholas is our guy’*
Christianity Today: A conversation with printmaker Ned Bustard on what traditions teach about the joy of generosity.

Church of England to challenge Tommy Robinson’s ‘put Christ back into Christmas’ message
The Guardian: Church leaders respond to the far-right appropriation of Christian symbols with an “Outsiders welcome” message and campaign.

Is fascism inherently Christian?*
The Christian Century: Antifascist writers of the last century grappled with the same bewilderment we do — and they made sense of their politics theologically.

The Spark

The first futurists and the world they built
From Saint-Simon to Silicon Valley, the urge to forecast the future has always masked a struggle over who gets to define it, JSTOR says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Thursday’s News & Ideas - 2/12/2026

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Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 2/11/2026

  • Clergy & risk
  • Oldest Catholic priest
  • NOLA archbishop resigns
  • Donald Trump, pagan king
  • Priests stopped for citizenship
  • Surrogacy
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