Thursday's News & Ideas - 2/20/2025

33 Christian Reformed ministers take oath to a rival denomination as church split deepens
Religion News Service: The ministers, mostly from Grand Rapids, are no longer willing to abide the denomination’s increasingly rigid stance on sexuality.

Catholic universities scrambling amid Trump’s diversity crackdown
National Catholic Reporter: Student and educational programs face elimination under the administration’s plan to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives

Latino Christian National Network plans next steps to help immigrants after lawsuit
Religion News Service: “We are running a tremendous risk, but we are doing it on principle,” the Rev. Carlos Malavé, LCNN’s president, said.

Hamas releases the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including mother and young sons
NPR: Hamas has handed over what it said are the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two young sons who had become a symbol in Israel of the plight of hostages held in Gaza.

Peter Beinart’s ‘Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza’ expertly dismantles pro-Israel propaganda — But does it adequately reckon with the genocide?
Religion Dispatches: It’s a tall-order for such a slim volume, but it’s one that Beinart is uniquely positioned to take on.

The Spark

The long flight to teach an endangered ibis species to migrate
Our devastation of nature is so extreme that reversing* even a small part of it requires painstaking, quixotic efforts, The New Yorker says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers