Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 12/3/2025

College essay on gender puts focus on religious freedom. Here's why. 
USA Today: A student at University of Oklahoma cited the Bible in an essay about societal gender norms. When her paper received a zero for not answering the assignment, she alleged religious discrimination.

MacKenzie Scott’s billion-dollar bet on vibes* 
Vox: Scott, it seems, believes that we are all fundamentally overthinking charity. If we could trust in one another enough to just hand over the money, we could help a lot more people a lot more quickly, writes Sara Herschander.

The only promise refugee advocates are making amid Trump’s re-vetting* 
Sojourners: A Nov. 21 USCIS memo said the agency will terminate the refugee status of people already in the U.S. if they are found not to meet refugee criteria, announcing it would re-interview all refugees admitted under President Joe Biden and beyond — an estimated 233,000 people. 

African Christian leaders and health nonprofits seek to fill gaps after USAID cuts
Religion News Service: The leaders from 10 countries on the continent called for more local funding to restore essential resources to fight malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. 

Pope Leo XIV doubles down on insistence for 2-state solution to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
Associated Press: In his first airborne news conference, Leo said that it was the “only solution” that could guarantee justice for both sides.

The Spark

How to create rituals
In this interview* with Casper ter Kuile for The New York Times, the author of “The Power of Ritual” offers a guide for the secular and the sacred alike.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers