Thursday’s News & Ideas - 1/15/2026
- Reckoning with Yancey’s fall
- Violence isn’t greatest force
- Fractured theological education
- ‘Testament of Ann Lee’
- Pastor takes elected office
- Backcountry rescue squad
Philip Yancey’s fall forces evangelicals to confront sin and forgiveness
Religion Unplugged: “My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage. It was also totally inconsistent with my faith and my writings,” wrote Yancey to Christianity Today, where he was a columnist for decades.
Violence is not the greatest force in the ‘real world.’ People of faith know this.
Religion News Service: In the U.S., militarism pervades our politics, economy, society and culture. That’s a choice — not a destiny.
Learning in pieces*
The Christian Century: Theological education may be fracturing, but there’s wisdom and beauty in the fragments.
‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ dares to make religion feminine*
The Washington Post: At the height of the Shakers’ popularity, there were around 6,000 adherents across the Northeast and Midwest, living in communes whose craftsmanship and architecture still influence American aesthetics today.
Pastor prepares to step into N.J. elected office
United Methodist News Service: The Rev. Dale Caldwell, a United Methodist, will be the first pastor and first former university president to serve as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor.
The Spark
The backcountry rescue squad at America’s busiest national park
In the Great Smoky Mountains, an auxiliary team of elite outdoorsmen* answers the call when park-goers’ hikes, climbs, and rafting adventures go wrong, The New Yorker says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
