Thursday’s News & Ideas - 5/27/2021

Study: More churches closing than opening
Religion News Service: The study, which analyzed church data from 34 Protestant denominations and groups, found that 4,500 churches closed in 2019, while about 3,000 new congregations were started.

Southern Baptists prep for biggest convention in 24 years
Christianity Today: One year after calling off their annual meeting due to COVID-19, more than 12,600 Southern Baptists plan to attend this year’s in Nashville, the convention’s biggest turnout since 1997.

Eve Pitts: The Church of England’s first Black female vicar -- and one of its fiercest critics
The Guardian: Despite attempts to drive her out of the church, she has spent decades fighting racism wherever she has encountered it. Now she is pushing the C of E to honor the enslaved people it exploited.

Will support for Palestinians grow among U.S. Christians?
Sojourners: As U.S. public opinion broadly begins to shift, some faith leaders and scholars see an opportunity for U.S. Christians to increase their support for Palestinian human rights and condemn Israeli occupation.
Religion News Service: Survey: Young, diverse generation of evangelicals shows growing ambivalence toward Israel

It’s not just the SBC banning Critical Race Theory; now state legislatures are joining the fight
Baptist News Global: The affirmation that the six SBC seminaries will not teach about systemic racism and inherent injustices is sweeping Republican-led state legislatures this year.

The Spark

Anger in Tokyo over the Summer Olympics is just the latest example of how unpopular hosting the games has become
Tokyo’s predicament is only the latest and most extreme example of the way host cities tend to lose interest by the time these events happen, says The Conversation.

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