Tuesday's News & Ideas - 3/23/2021

Preachers and their $5,000 sneakers: Why one man started an Instagram account showing churches’ wealth*
The Washington Post: From his couch in Dallas, Ben Kirby began asking questions about the lifestyles of the rich and famous pastors when he was watching some worship songs on YouTube on a Sunday morning in 2019.

Life in U.S. religious congregations slowly edges back toward normal
Pew Research Center: But the COVID-19 pandemic is still a major presence in houses of worship as many Christians plan to stay home on Easter.

United Methodist bishops cancel virtual special session of General Conference
Religion News Service: The special session in May was meant to allow delegates to suspend the rules to allow the use of mail-in ballots to keep the denomination running through its postponed General Conference meeting in 2022.

Why Christianity put away its dancing shoes -- only to find them again centuries later
The Conversation: Evidence from the ninth through 15th centuries in Western Europe suggests that Europeans not only tolerated dance, but incorporated it into religious thought and practice.

Lament is the appropriate response to the reality of pain
Sojourners: Please do not ignore the eight dead bodies and please do not ignore the pain that is acutely felt by the AAPI community. Instead, please join us in our grief.

The Spark

The eternal fantasy of a racially virtuous America
Partisans on all sides overlook the brutal legacies* of white supremacy, Kimberlé Crenshaw writes at The New Republic.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers

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