Wednesday's News & Ideas - 1/3/2024

Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimony
The Associated Press: Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.

Pope raises concerns about church in Nicaragua* 
The New York Times: Pope Francis used his New Year’s Day address to highlight concern over the worsening situation of the Roman Catholic Church in Nicaragua as a result of a protracted crackdown by the government of President Daniel Ortega, which has detained clerics, expelled missionaries, closed Catholic radio stations and limited religious celebrations.

Putting religious Democrats and secular Republicans under the microscope
Religion Unplugged: Do secular Republicans look like religious Republicans on abortion? Do religious Democrats look like secular Democrats? More specifically — what does the post-religious Right actually look like?

In a secular age, some young Americans still choose religious life
Religion News Service: While the numbers of priests and nuns have declined in recent decades, many millennials and Gen Zers still find a calling to religious life in the Catholic Church, even if the path to discernment has changed.

A blessedly particular theology of evil*
The Christian Century: John Swinton writes about the nature of evil without a shred of metaphysical obscurity.

The Spark

In search of an attainable New Year’s resolution 
Studies and surveys show that people aren’t great at sticking to resolutions, ditching them within the first month. However, the process you take in reaching the goal holds more weight than simply making a choice to change, says Vox.

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