Tuesday's News & Ideas - 8/16/2022

Frederick Buechner, novelist with a religious slant, dies at 96*
The New York Times: He drew on his theological credentials in essays and memoirs, and his fiction, full of colorful characters, was admired for its elegance, wit and depth.

Virginia Episcopal Diocese to spend $10 million for reparations. But how?*
The Washington Post: Advocates fear divisions will emerge over how to define reparations.

The distorted gospel of the Charlottesville rally keeps spreading
Sojourners: Five years later, Amanda Tyler is still haunted by the unforgettable footage of marchers in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the Unite the Right rally in August 2017.

Report: Catholic clergy’s unquestioned — and uneducated — power spurs abuse
Religion News Service: The report, ‘Beyond Bad Apples,’ looks at systemic causes behind the clergy sex abuse scandal of past decades.

The Village Church settles abuse complaint
Christianity Today: The Southern Baptist congregation led by Acts 29 president Matt Chandler maintained it hadn’t done anything wrong, infuriating the family of the victim.

The Spark

The pandemic’s soft closing
The CDC’s latest COVID guidelines* are the closest the nation’s leaders have come to saying the coronavirus crisis is done, The Atlantic says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers