News & Ideas

Tuesday's News & Ideas - 5/14/2024

  • Analyzing Methodist split
  • Vodou grows in Haiti
  • Psychedelic churches
  • Turkey converts church to mosque
  • Religious indie games
  • Cat at Watergate

What the Methodist split tells us about America
Vox: A separation of church and church.

Shunned for centuries, Vodou grows powerful as Haitians seek solace from unrelenting gang violence
Associated Press: Shunned publicly by politicians and intellectuals for centuries, Vodou is transforming into a more powerful and accepted religion across Haiti, where its believers were once persecuted.

Drugs, sacraments or medicine? Psychedelic churches blur the line.*
The New York Times: Organizations that describe themselves as churches are providing psychedelics to followers. The compounds, which show promise as treatments for depression, are illegal in most settings.

After Hagia Sophia, Turkey converts a second ancient Byzantine church into a mosque
Religion News Service: Muslim worshippers at the mosque on Friday said they viewed Chora Church’s rededication as an Islamic site to be a national win for Turkey.

2024 is the year of the hyper-religious indie game
The Gamer: Indie games are appropriating Catholic iconography or including religious themes

The Spark

A beloved alley cat now lives in the Watergate. Was she kidnapped, or rescued?
This is the saga of Kitty Snows,* street queen of Foggy Bottom, and the neighbors who are fighting over her, The Washington Post says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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starry night art

Advent and Christmas resource guide

From music and visual arts inspiration to children’s book recommendations, this guide from the Calvin Institute of Chrisitan Worship provides Advent and Christmas worship planning resources.

Learn More