Tuesday's News & Ideas - 5/20/2025

With fewer ordinations, seminaries find ways to serve young professionals in other fields
Religion News Service: “Desperation is a spiritual gift, and so it gives you a chance to experiment with things that, you know, 10 years ago were off the table,” said the Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean, a Princeton Theological Seminary professor.

The right reviled Francis. How will Pope Leo XIV confront the schism in the US church?
The Guardian: Some conservatives rejected Francis for his leftist leanings, but Leo could be able to realize his forerunner’s visions.

MAGA Christians have a right to practice their faith — but so do I
Sojourners: One of the more alarming aspects of the Trump administration is the way it seeks to instrumentalize Christianity — both as a weapon against its political opponents and to reward its political supporters.

New standards for Oklahoma high school students promote misinformation about the 2020 election
The Associated Press: Oklahoma’s new social studies standards for K-12 public school students, already infused with references to the Bible and national pride, were revised at the direction of state School Superintendent Ryan Walters.

Five books, movies and TV shows to understand Malcolm X on his 100th birthday
Religion News Service: On Monday, relatives and supporters of the late Malcolm X celebrated his 100th birthday. Here are five resources to understand his life, from his fight for racial justice to his spiritual trajectory.

The Spark

They all signed the Harper’s letter. Where are they now?
Many of those who were loudest in denouncing cancel culture then are now curiously silent in the face of Donald Trump’s assaults on free speech,* The Nation says.

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