Thursday's News & Ideas - 10/7/2021
- What’s in American sermons?
- Williamsburg Black church unearthed
- SBC task force’s lost months
- 150 years of Fisk Jubilee Singers
- Science & religion’s benefits
- ‘Laughable’ child care resources
What American Christians hear at church*
The New Yorker: Drawing on newly ubiquitous online services, Pew has tried to catalog the subject matter of contemporary sermons.
The remnants of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches have just been found
NPR: The brick foundation of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country’s origins and the role of Black Americans.
SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force has lost one-third of its time to delays, but now the work may begin
Baptist News Global: Nearly four months after messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting overwhelmingly approved appointment of a Sexual Abuse Task Force, the work can begin, although the panel has lost fully one-third of its allocated time before a report is due next June.
Fisk Jubilee Singers continue to sing spirituals 150 years later
Religion News Service: ‘Fisk Jubilee Singers are artists and do not limit themselves to just Negro spirituals,’ its director said. ‘There’s versatility in our choice of music when we have celebrations.’
What science can tell us about the benefits of religion*
The Washington Post: In his new book “How God Works,” psychologist David DeSteno uses the latest scientific evidence to examine how rituals help shape behaviors such as compassion, trust and resilience and why many of them are so beneficial.
The Spark
Moms are back to work, but child care resources are ‘laughable’
The New York Times reports* on yearlong waiting lists, babysitters nowhere to be found and families feeling the strain.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
