Monday’s News & Ideas - 12/8/2025

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.

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