Tuesday's News & Ideas - 2/13/2024

Suspected Lakewood Church shooter Genesse Moreno had criminal history, mental health issues, documents say
ABC News: Moreno is accused of entering the Houston megachurch with her 7-year-old son before opening fire as hundreds of people were taking their pews before a Sunday afternoon service, according to police.

For Black ‘nones’ who leave religion, what’s next?
Religion News Service: When Black Americans leave religion, they rarely leave it altogether. But even as they retain elements of Christian culture, what other communities are they embracing beyond the church?

Whitewashing evangelicalism*
Intelligencer: John Fea’s overarching argument — that evangelicalism has been flattened by its critics — works by omission. Context weakens it. If we are to believe, as Fea writes, that American evangelicalism hasn’t completely earned all its negative coverage, we have to ignore much of what evangelicals say, and do.

Pope and Argentine President Milei embrace after pontiff canonizes Argentina’s first female saint
The Associated Press: Pope Francis and Argentine President Javier Milei embraced Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica, as Argentine faith and politics came together during a Mass to canonize the country’s first female saint.

Roster of Pentecostal ‘prophets’ hits the road for Trump
Religion Unplugged: A troupe of pro-Trump “prophets” are headlining seven election-year live events called FlashPoint LIVE to spread the above gospel and “rescue America,” according to ads for the tour.

The Spark

Chaos and cosmic order: The year of the dragon
Grace Loh Prasad writes at Longreads about trying to make it home in time for Lunar New Year.

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