Thursday’s News & Ideas - 9/25/2025

Rapture, again: Why the end times never end 
Religion News Service: We need theologies that bring us deeper into the society’s pain, not dreams of an escape hatch. 

Some admirers of Charlie Kirk hope response to his death signals start of a religious revival 
The Associated Press: With JD Vance calling Kirk “a martyr for Christianity,” and a Catholic cardinal calling him “a modern-day St. Paul,” some Kirk admirers suggest his assassination will galvanize people to become more engaged in church. But a sustained surge would run counter to trends.

Religion often shapes someone’s view of abortion – but what about a woman’s actual decision? 
The Conversation: Research reveals that, on average, strong religious beliefs and involvement in a religious community do not make an American woman less likely to terminate her first pregnancy, so long as she conceives without a potential marriage partner. 

A Christian activist’s case for deep ‘soulwork’ in hard times 
Religion News Service: A new guidebook explores how faith leaders can undergird their public activism with private spirituality.

Mural unveiled at St. Patrick's Cathedral sends message on immigration* 
The Christian Century: A 25-foot mural at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, unveiled last week and blessed during Sunday mass on September 21, honors generations of immigrants to New York, taking on a new meaning in today’s political climate.

The Spark

The uncanny testimony of AI Holocaust survivors
As the last Holocaust survivors approach the end of their lives, an AI scholar grapples with technology that promises to freeze them in time, in this essay for Longreads.