Tuesday’s News & Ideas - 8/11/2026

After aid cuts, U.S. announces $2 billion for Christian groups*
Christianity Today: The Trump administration named World Vision to lead a new Christian consortium that will support HIV treatment and disaster relief.

Cary pastor in ICE custody received little medication before stroke, daughter says*
The News & Observer: She posted a video to her social media July 31 alleging her father, a 55-year-old Cary pastor, had been denied food, water and his stroke medication for weeks before the stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body.

‘We garden on our knees’: Kew Theology & Gardening project explores faith, nature and climate
Religion News Service: In a corner of west London, an Anglican church is using its proximity to one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world, Kew Gardens, as a reason for a new venture linking theology and nature.

The little-noticed Supreme Court case that could impact where people pray
CNN: For a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court that almost always sides with religious interests, the appeal is primed to expand the power of churches, synagogues and other religious entities to challenge zoning laws that restrict their access to residential neighborhoods.

Meditation, hunt-a-monk games and 2 hours of silence: Welcome to Buddhist summer camp
Religion News Service: While Christian and Jewish summer camps have flourished for more than a century, Buddhist camps remain rare, leaving a handful — like Dharma Camp — to come up with their own traditions.

The Spark

The doulas who help us die
In an aging America, thousands of people have adopted a new vocation: supporting others as they confront the end of life,* The New Yorker says.

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