Monday’s News & Ideas - 8/25/2025

Religion and spirituality among LGBT Americans
Pew Research Center: Americans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) tend to be less religious than those who are not LGBT.

Jen Hatmaker’s life exploded in middle age. So she built a better one.*
The New York Times: Former Christian women’s influencer Jen Hatmaker went through a drastic middle-age crisis. Twice.

Pastor leading Target boycott on its impact and the retailer’s response
PBS: The company faced backlash after a rollback of its DEI initiatives prompted a boycott that slowed store traffic nationwide, one of the factors that pushed CEO Brian Cornell to step down.

Trump fears he won’t get into heaven. I think he has nothing to worry about
The Guardian: His concerns are understandable after decades acting in his own best interest. On the other hand, he’s very rich.

Dr. James Dobson’s death ends a life, but not a legacy of lies and harm
Religion News Service: His radio show and books shaped generations and fueled the shame that drove queer people like me into conversion therapy.

The Spark

Confusion, explosive anger and waiting: NPR spent a day in New York immigration court
This summer, dozens of other courts nationwide became the epicenters of the Trump administration's efforts to increase the rate of immigration arrests, NPR says.

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