Tuesday's News & Ideas - 5/9/2023

UMC bishops request 2026 General Conference as hundreds more churches disaffiliate
Religion News Service: To date, at least 2,804 churches have left the United Methodist Church since 2019, according to United Methodist News Service.

Kenyan pastor suspected in cult deaths to remain jailed
Associated Press: The pastor faces possible terror-related charges in the deaths of more than 100 his congregants, many of whom are believed to have starved to death.

‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’ depicts the star’s lifelong struggle with sexuality and religion
NBC News: The new documentary explores the late singer’s complicated life constantly swinging between the secular and the profane.

Ron DeSantis’s campaign Christianity*
Christianity Today: Can the creator of “God Made a Fighter” political ads woo evangelicals from Trump?

Two popes, Roman and Coptic, meet to bolster Middle Eastern Christianity
Crux: This week there will again be “two popes” at the Vatican when Francis meets his Coptic Orthodox counterpart, Pope Tawadros II, who is visiting in a bid to strengthen relations with the Catholic Church and bolster support for Christians in the Middle East.

The Spark

New Jersey is burning
Wildfire season* is starting earlier, and not just on the West Coast, New York Magazine says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers