News & Ideas

Monday’s News & Ideas - 2/2/2026

  • No religious revival data
  • Buddhist monks’ peace walk
  • Trump’s false ‘de-escalation’
  • Maine clergy organize
  • Misdemeanor against abuse survivor
  • A.I. delusions

There is no religious revival
ARC: Trend stories about rising religiosity are not supported by evidence.

If I wasn’t Methodist, I might be Buddhist
Religion News Service: My Methodist heart was ‘strangely warmed’ in the dead of winter in North Carolina by a stalwart group of Buddhist monks walking for peace, Michael Christensen writes.

Make no mistake about Trump’s Minnesota ‘de-escalation’
Religion Dispatches: With ‘immigration czar’ Tom Homan taking the reins it’s likely to be pivot in style only.

If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious beliefs and practices
Pew Research Center: Large numbers can be difficult to picture, but what if we scaled down the numbers by imagining a town of 100 people?

US woman resolves misdemeanor case opened after accusing priest of predatory behavior
The Guardian: Heather Jones said that she can’t help but surmise that a misdemeanor case may have been pursued to undermine her credibility after coming forward against Robert Sullivan.

The Spark

How bad are A.I. delusions? We asked people treating them.
Dozens of doctors and therapists said chatbots* had led their patients to psychosis, isolation and unhealthy habits.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Most recent News & Ideas

Friday’s News & Ideas - 2/13/2026

  • CoE abandons LGBTQ efforts
  • Walk for peace concludes
  • Black leaders inspired church
  • Bankruptcy is not repentance
  • Fifteen years after Egypt uprising
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Thursday’s News & Ideas - 2/12/2026

  • Jewish clergy against ICE
  • Christian support for Trump
  • Epstein files on Catholic conservatives
  • Israeli strikes Gaza
  • Immigration attorneys in NY
  • What will AI do to jobs?

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