Thursday’s News & Ideas - 12/4/2025

Catholic universities search for tricky balance on Trump anti-DEI push 
Religion News Service: Many Catholic university leaders are trying to thread the needle between staying under the Trump administration’s radar and framing their work with marginalized students as grounded in their Catholic identities.

Christmas giving surges among churchgoers, especially toward local needs 
Religion Unplugged: The average Protestant churchgoer says they typically make financial donations at Christmastime to two types of causes, in addition to any regular giving they do, with 84% saying they make at least one additional donation this time of year.

Pentagon preachers proclaim a Lord of War 
A Public Witness: Hegseth framed his decision to send more troops to the nation’s capital as a mission to save America as a “Christian” nation, claiming “the Christian faith” is “the faith of this country.” The most significant way Hegseth’s establishing his faith is with monthly Christian prayer services held at the Pentagon during work hours.

Vatican commission votes against ordaining female deacons 
National Catholic Reporter: A Vatican commission reported that the current state of historical and theological research “excludes the possibility of proceeding” toward admitting women to the diaconate, slowing momentum on one of the church’s most debated questions while stopping short of a definitive no.

Empathy and reasoning aren’t rivals — new research shows they work together to drive people to help more 
The Conversation: New research suggests the “heart versus head” argument is too simple.

The Spark

Why Taylor Swift’s accent has changed, and yours might too
Researchers studied Swift’s voice* as a way of exploring a phenomenon called “second-dialect acquisition,” or the way people learn a new style of speaking. Turns out, there’s a lot more flexibility during our lifespans than previously thought, writes The Atlantic.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers