Tuesday's News & Ideas - 4/23/2024

United Methodists will again debate LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings
NPR: Same-sex weddings and LGBTQ clergy are two of the topics front and center as the United Methodist Church opens its General Conference today in Charlotte, N.C. Whatever decisions are made, many Methodists are hoping their church will be able to move on after years of focusing on these issues.

Protests roil Columbia, spread to other campuses*
InsideHigherEd: The moves from the universities reflect the ongoing challenge college administrators face as they navigate the fine line between free speech and hate speech and receive criticism from all sides.
Columbia Spectator: ‘I have your back’: Union Theological Seminary president criticizes NYPD sweep of ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’

Do homeless people have constitutional rights?
Religion News Service: Will we tolerate cruelty or promote compassion? writes Kevin Nye.

The so-called Satanists out to defend religious freedom
The Bulwark: Is the Satanic Temple a political stunt? Is it a parody of religion? Performance art? A genuine new religious movement? These questions could have legal implications, prompting discussions about whether Satanists meet the “sincere and meaningful belief” test from United States v. Seeger.

Pastor apologizes for inviting Mark Driscoll and sword-swallower to men’s conference
Religion Unplugged: Megachurch pastor John Lindell apologized to his congregation Sunday for inviting sword-swallower Alex Magala and disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll to the Stronger Men’s Conference in Springfield, Missouri.

The Spark

Why feathers are one of evolution’s cleverest inventions
One might expect that, considering all the time humans have spent admiring, using and studying feathers, we would know all their tricks by now. Yet insights into these marvelous structures continue to emerge, Scientific American says.

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