Monday’s News & Ideas - 8/11/2025

Christian revival event draws thousands in quest to save Portland’s soul
Oregon Public Broadcasting: For nearly a century, evangelists have come to Portland to spread their faith in a city known for its lack of religion. The leader of a West Linn megachurch is the latest, with the PDX Crusade event at the Moda Center.

Schools are looking for chaplains, but the understanding of who – and what – chaplains are varies widely
The Conversation: There is an ongoing push to make chaplains available in public schools across the United States.

What to know about Israel’s plan to retake Gaza City
Religion News Service: Another major ground operation in one of the few areas of Gaza not already under evacuation orders would likely spark even more mass displacement and further disrupt efforts to deliver desperately needed food in the territory, where experts have warned that famine is unfolding.

The most radical church in Texas gets a facelift*
The Dallas Morning News: Mesquite’s St. Stephen United Methodist Church, an icon of organic modernism, is restored to its original grandeur.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposts video of pastors saying women shouldn’t vote
NPR: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reposted and praised a video interview of a self-described Christian nationalist pastor whose church doesn’t believe women should be allowed to vote.

The Spark

This Ohio farm community is a mecca for the ‘MAHA mom’
In a neighborhood that appeals to people from both the right and the left, residents strive for a finely tuned state of political harmony,* The New York Times says.

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