News & Ideas

Wednesday's News & Ideas - 10/9/2024

  • Jewish lawmakers on antisemitism’s rise
  • Anti-Trump Billy Graham ad
  • 12 pastors explore differences
  • How war has changed American dating
  • What does poetry do?
  • Fat Bear Week champion

Two Jewish Democrats reflect on Congressional efforts to combat surge in antisemitism
NPR: As Congress continues to deal with the policy and political implications of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel one year ago, lawmakers are also reflecting on the rise of antisemitism in the United States.

Evangelicals for Harris’ anti-Trump Billy Graham ad prompts threat of lawsuit
Religion News Service: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, led by the late evangelist’s son the Rev. Franklin Graham, has said it might sue over the ad’s use of clips from a 1988 Graham sermon.

Can 12 pastors from across the theological spectrum still love each other?
Sojourners: In August 2022, Mennonite minister Rev. Michael Gulker brought together 12 pastors of different denominations from Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a unique proposal — to spend a year together exploring their differences with the hope of finding a way beyond them.

‘I’m not interested in someone passive about Gaza’: how views on the war have changed dating in America
The Guardian: As Americans grapple with tensions within and beyond their communities, intimate relationships are strained: ‘Differences feel much bigger now’

What does poetry do?*
The Christian Century: In spiritual terms, what can poetry actually do and achieve? And what if its abiding power lies in its doing nothing?

The Spark

Ferocious mother 128 ‘Grazer’ wins back-to-back Fat Bear Week titles 
The 2024 Fat Bear Week champion* is the first in tournament history to win while caring for a baby, says The Washington Post.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Nicene Creed conversations

The newest season of the “Public Worship and the Christian Life” podcast features three powerful conversations about the Nicene Creed to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the ecumenical Creed that emerged in 325.  

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