News & Ideas

Tuesday’s News & Ideas - 3/3/2026

  • Current politics & Purim
  • Gallup poll on Israel-Palestine
  • Care for immigrants in detention
  • Common good
  • Minneapolis mutual aid
  • Profile of Jason Lee

Impulsive kings and random chance: Purim’s parallels to our political moment
Religion News Service: While Trump wages his war of choice on the thinnest of pretexts, the Jewish calendar is focusing on the vanity of human power and the amorality with which it is exercised.

Americans’ sympathies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have shifted dramatically, new poll shows
The Associated Press: American sympathies in the Middle East have shifted dramatically toward Palestinians, according to new Gallup polling, after decades of overwhelming support for Israelis.

For immigrants in detention, spiritual care can be hard to find*
The New York Times: Some religious groups have sued for access, others have been denied entrance to detention facilities.

The common good is something we practice face-to-face*
The Christian Century: The incarnation pulls attention away from ideology and toward our neighbor.

Minneapolis united when federal immigration operations surged — reflecting a long tradition of mutual aid
The Conversation: Unlike charity or government assistance, mutual aid is decentralized, grassroots-led and not channeled through nonprofits or government agencies.

The Spark

A complimentary profile of Jason Lee that was surprisingly difficult to publish
Lee agreed to a profile and then successfully had it killed by a different magazine in which this article was originally meant to run, Nate Rogers says in Defector.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



Sign up to receive religion news every weekday in the free News & Ideas newsletter

Signup options

Most recent News & Ideas

Friday’s News & Ideas - 9/4/2026

  • No religious refugees resettled
  • SCOTUS considers school cases
  • Pastor detained by ICE
  • Gloria Steinem's Jewishness
  • Hollywood embracing religion?
  • A portrait of Muslim Americans

Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 9/2/2026

  • Wendell Berry dies
  • Girls Gone Bible podcast
  • Academics leave U.S.
  • Pastor appointed to CDC
  • Churches going solar
  • Interviews from Great Migration

Monday’s News & Ideas - 8/31/2026

  • Schism continues in Dallas UMC
  • March on Washington
  • Parton & Southern church
  • Burge on media reports
  • Muslim practices seen as threats
  • MAHA custody battle
The Congregations Project logo

Stories of hope from congregations across the United States

The Congregations Project is a monthly newsletter of true stories of faith, resilience or innovation in congregational life.

Each story is produced by congregations or about congregations: short films, reflective essays and case studies tailored for busy faith leaders and laity.

Learn More