Tuesday's News & Ideas - 1/3/2023

Benedict XVI, pope who resigned to spend final years in quiet, dies at 95
Associated Press: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.
The New York Times: Benedict’s death Leaves Catholic conservatives bereft*

How sweet the sound: New orchestral piece to celebrate 250 years of Amazing Grace
The Guardian: A Black orchestra celebrates the song first heard on New Year’s Day 1773 when a repentant former slave trader declaimed verses in church.

Children being raised in America today attend church far less frequently than their parents and grandparents did
Baptist News Global: While shifts in church attendance patterns have been decades in the making, the current generational shift from parents to children represents a significant downturn, according to Gallup’s data.

Delores Williams’s voice in the wilderness*
Christian Century: At her funeral, scholars, family, and friends gathered to celebrate the womanist theologian’s world-changing gifts.

Jewish leaders warn: Changes in Israel’s religious status quo could ‘unravel ties between us’
Haaretz: Heads of major organizations request urgent meeting with Netanyahu over expected changes to Law of Return and the conversion rules.

The Spark

The education of X González
After the Parkland shooting, I became an activist, a celebrity, a “survivor” — and the pressure* almost killed me, X González writes at The Cut.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers