Monday’s News & Ideas - 7/7/2025

For the parents of Camp Mystic, an agonizing wait for missing children*
The New York Times: Girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian camp in Central Texas, remain missing, along with one counselor.
The Associated Press: Floods turned beloved Texas camp into a nightmare. At least 27 girls remain missing

What if Jesus was a vlogger? The AI Bible stories flooding social media
The Guardian: Jesus walks through an emerald field holding a selfie stick. The first chords of Billie Eilish’s Birds of a Feather rise like a prayer. “OK besties so apparently I’m the chosen one, like full-blown save humanity arc,” he cheeses. “Love that for me.” Jesus flicks his Jonathan Van Ness locks behind his ears.

Pastor films as masked federal agents arrest Iranian Christian asylum-seekers in LA
Religion News Service: The arrests sparked angst in the community and have concerned advocates of Iranian Christians who’ve fled persecution from the Islamic regime.

The Christian documentarians trying to help Ukraine
Christianity Today: As Russia scales up attacks, a team of filmmakers is calling attention to evangelicals being “hunted by an empire.”

Pope Leo’s scandal-plagued hometown sees a bright future in buying his childhood home
NPR: While the unanimous motion drew a smattering of applause in the room, not everyone is thrilled about this use of village funds.

The Spark

What happens after A.I. destroys college writing?
The demise of the English paper will end a long intellectual tradition, but it’s also an opportunity to reexamine the purpose of higher education,* The New Yorker says.

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