Thursday's News & Ideas - 1/24/2019

Pope Francis says the fear of migration is 'making us crazy' during his trip to Central America
Associated Press: Pope Francis said Wednesday that fear of migration is "making us crazy" as he began a trip to Central America amid a standoff over President Donald Trump's promised border wall.

With new 'affirmation' policy, American Bible Society loses LGBT staffers
Religion News Service: Employees at the American Bible Society have until the end of this month to sign a statement promising that they will attend church and abstain from sex before marriage, which it defines as between a man and a woman.

Church of England announces £35 million investment in new churches and outreach
Anglican News: A new congregation in a nightclub area and the Church of England's first weekday-only church are two of several new worshipping communities to receive a share of £35 million GBP in funding.

Provoked by Trump, the religious left is finding its voice
NPR: Religious conservatives have rarely faced much competition in the political realm from faith-based groups on the left. The provocations of Donald Trump may finally be changing that.

Government allows S.C. foster care group to keep Protestants-only policy
Religion News Service: An exemption will allow Miracle Hill, a Greenville-based Christian ministry, to continue to accept only Protestant churchgoing parents to its federally funded foster care program.

The Spark

The miraculous power of reading aloud
The human voice is just a sound in the air, and yet it has built bridges from ignorance to knowledge, and from bondage to freedom, Literary Hub reports. From Zora Neale Hurston to Chen Guangcheng, how reading aloud saves lives.

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