Monday's News & Ideas - 7/31/2023
- Creative workarounds in ministry
- Simple reasons behind church decline
- Sinead O’Connor found peace in Islam
- Recovering persuasion
- Denmark considers book burning ban
- Popular theory of trauma
As churches shrink and pastors retire, creative workarounds are redefining ministry
Religion News Service: As older clergy get set to retire, there are few younger seminarians to replace them — and few churches that can afford to pay them.
The misunderstood reason millions of Americans stopped going to church*
The Atlantic: The defining problem driving people out is just how American life works in the 21st century.
How Sinead O’Connor found peace in Islam after a lifelong struggle with religion
NPR: Scott Detrow speaks with Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, chief imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland. He was a friend and spiritual advisor to Sinead O’Connor who died last week.
Recovering persuasion in an age of argument
Deseret News: Listening may seem at odds with persuasion, but it’s a necessary first step.
Denmark considers banning burning of holy texts including Quran at protests
The Guardian: The government says such demonstrations play into hands of extremists and can have “significant negative consequences for Denmark.”
The Spark
Tell me why it hurts
New York Magazine details how Bessel van der Kolk’s once controversial theory of trauma* became the dominant way we make sense of our lives.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
