News & Ideas

Monday's News & Ideas - 7/22/2019

  • Josh Harris separation
  • US taking no refugees?
  • Diana Butler Bass on rallies
  • Economics of Lord’s Prayer
  • Mary Magdalene recovered
  • Walking & creativity

Kissed goodbye
Slate: Josh Harris, the author of a wildly popular manifesto on abstinence before marriage, is separating from his wife -- and reevaluating his legacy.

Faith groups fear the end of refugee resettlement in the U.S.
Religion News Service: The Trump administration is considering shutting down refugee resettlement for the coming fiscal year.

The God of Love had a really bad week
CNN: “Where did these people go to Sunday school?” Diana Butler Bass asks of those chanting “send her back.”

“Forgive us our debts”: The economics of the Lord’s Prayer
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Debt covers both financial and non-financial owing, as in “mortgage debt” and “debt of gratitude.”

Scribes tried to blot her out. Now a scholar is trying to recover the real Mary Magdalene.
Religion News Service: Mary Magdalene’s role was deliberately downplayed by biblical scribes to minimize her importance.

The Spark

The unbearable smugness of walking
Glorified for its creative benefits, walking has become yet another goal-driven pursuit, says Michael LaPointe at The Atlantic.

Want to get News & Ideas in your inbox every weekday?
Subscribe to our News & Ideas newsletter or receive our
RSS feed in your RSS reader.



Sign up to receive religion news every weekday in the free News & Ideas newsletter

Signup options

Most recent News & Ideas

Thursday’s News & Ideas - 7/3/2025

  • Religion in higher ed
  • Fast for Gaza crisis
  • Divided opinion on evolution
  • Ultra-Orthodox Jews
  • Dalai Lama succession plan
  • Black Pheonix

Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 7/2/2025

  • Clergy struggle to visit detainees
  • Jimmy Swaggart dies
  • Ethics of brain-dead pregnancy
  • Gun laws after Charleston
  • Ultra-Orthodox Jews & politics
  • What makes someone cool?

News & Ideas - 7/1/2025

  • Religious attacks surge
  • Officials address religious conference
  • SCOTUS decision hurts pluralism
  • Dalai Lama turns 90
  • Church roof tells story
  • Woman frees mom from prison
Reading the lectionary

New lectionary search tool 

Easily find scripture passages and resources for any lectionary week with Zeteo’s new search feature. You can even filter by your preferred lectionary version: Revised Common, Catholic or Narrative.

Learn More