Thursday's News & Ideas - 3/20/2025
- Christianity trends in Silicon Valley
- Bold Christian right in TX
- AI translation for churches
- Post-pandemic growth
- Letter from Jewish scholars
- World Happiness Index
Christianity was “borderline illegal” in Silicon Valley. Now it’s the new religion*
Vanity Fair: Believers like Garry Tan are flipping the script in the venture capital world, making faith matter just as much as the ability to turn a fortune. Says one entrepreneur, “There are people that are leveraging Christianity to get closer to Peter Thiel.”
In Texas, Christian right grows confident and assertive
The Texas Tribune: Emboldened by court rulings and election victories, the Christian right is outspoken as it pushes its moral views through the Texas Legislature.
Power of Babel: Real-time AI translation may be coming to church near you
Religion News Service: Wordly is one of several small companies offering live AI translation services for religious groups. The technology has yet to become widespread in houses of worship, but about 200 in the U.S. are using Wordly, mostly churches but also a few synagogues and mosques.
Half of US churches experiencing post-pandemic attendance growth
Religion Unplugged: Evangelical pastors are more likely than mainline pastors to say their church is growing, 57% versus 46%, Lifeway Research says.
2,400 Jewish scholars say ‘not in our name’ on arrest of Palestinian activist
Religion News Service: The letter declared that its signers will not voluntarily collaborate with federal immigration enforcement or the Anti-Defamation League, which supported the arrest of Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil.
The Spark
Feeling bummed? You’re not alone, as the U.S. drops to a record low in the World Happiness Index
Nordic countries continue to dominate the rankings while Afghanistan is once again the world’s unhappiest nation, NBC News says.
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