Thursday's News & Ideas - 9/2/2021

Supreme Court upholds new Texas abortion law, for now
NPR: The U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday night refused to block a Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 5-to-4, with three Trump-appointed justices joining two other conservative justices.

California, LA County both to pay $400,000 settlement to John MacArthur’s church
Religion News Service: This agreement, county officials said, was reached in the context of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in February that told California it couldn’t enforce a ban on indoor worship because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Amid COVID surge, loved ones worry for these unvaccinated evangelicals
Religion & Politics: “My mother and stepfather’s vaccine hesitancy is definitely due to the white evangelical Christian bubble they live in,” one person said.

‘A church without walls’: Anglicanism divided on shift away from tradition
The Guardian: Plan for new communities led by lay people in unconventional venues has prompted the Save the Parish campaign.

Minister for seniors at Riverside confronts ageism and the shame it brings
Kaiser Health News: Later life is a time of reassessment and reflection. What sense do we make of the lives we have lived? How do we come to terms with illness and death? What do we want to give to others as we grow older?

The Spark

Long-haulers are fighting for their future
Many people with long COVID feel that science is failing them, The Atlantic says. Neglecting them could make the pandemic even worse.