Tuesday's News & Ideas - 3/19/2019

Are we witnessing the triumph of evil?
Religion News Service: What happened in the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, is as real a manifestation of evil as you can find, says Jeffrey Salkin. Which brings him to this week's holiday, Purim.

Not that kind of Methodist: my sojourn as a Baptist minister in a Methodist church
Baptist News Global: UMC's General Conference decision does not reflect the Methodists Jann Aldredge-Clanton experienced decades ago, when they welcomed her and affirmed her pastoral gifts.

Appellate court says tax break for clergy housing is constitutional
Baptist News Global: A federal appeals court on Friday gave its blessing to tax-free housing allowances for clergy, overturning a lower court decision that found the 60-year-old benefit unconstitutional.

Common ground: Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles and St. Stephen Lutheran Church become one congregation in Arbutus
The Baltimore Sun: Both churches were in financially dicey shape -- not yet about to run out of money but neither able to operate sustainably on their own.

Evangelical approval of Trump remains high, but other religious groups are less supportive
Pew Research: White evangelical Protestants in the United States continue to overwhelmingly support Trump, though other religious groups are more divided in their views of the president

The Spark

'Go with what's alive' and other writing advice from Philip Roth
Philip Roth, one of the most important writers of the last century, would have been 86 years old today. Literary Hub looked through some of his most interesting interviews to see what he had to say about the art of writing. "Writing isn't hard work, it's a nightmare."

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