Tuesday's News & Ideas - 6/25/2024

Philadelphia pastor elected to lead historic Black church in New York City
Religion News Service: The Rev. Kevin R. Johnson was elected as Abyssinian Baptist Church’s new senior pastor, likely bringing an end to a national search to replace the late Rev. Calvin O. Butts, who had served the church for a half-century before his death in 2022.

St. Louis archdiocese documents history of slavery by clergy in pre-Civil War era
Crux: A new report on the history of slavery in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, details how many people were enslaved by the archdiocese’s first three bishops, as well as 11 diocesan priests, and seven other clergymen who ministered there in the nineteenth century.

Louisiana parents sue to block display of Ten Commandments in schools*
The New York Times: A law enacted last week requires the display of the commandments in every public classroom. The parents argued it “pressures students into religious observance.”

Israel’s top court rules ultra-Orthodox Jews must be drafted into military, in blow to Netanyahu
CNN: Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, delivering a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has the potential to unravel his ruling coalition.

10 ways Christians can protect democracy
Sojourners: The vast majority of Americans believe in, practice, and defend democracy — but there are partisan elites with powerful antidemocratic impulses gaining a foothold.

The Spark

It’s mourning in America
In the past century, grief has shifted from a public process to a private problem — something meant to be solved, The New Yorker says. Is there a better way?

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