Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 5/27/2026
- Painting of George Washington
- Catholics & Pentecostals in Africa
- Union & queer students
- Vatican-Anthropic relationship
- Lobbying for funding for security
- Care over work
Conservative Christians love this painting of George Washington. The event it depicts may not have happened
NPR: A 1975 oil painting by Arnold Friberg of George Washington praying is on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.
Africa is Catholicism’s future, but Pentecostal churches are growing faster*
The Washington Post: The growth of Christianity in Africa has turned the continent into a denominational battleground. Pope Leo’s visit to Angola came as his church confronts a rising challenge.
A seminary where queer students belong*
Insider Higher Ed: Union Theological Seminary offers an affirming faith community while challenging exclusionary narratives about LGBTQ+ identity.
Inside the unlikely Vatican-Anthropic relationship that's reshaping the AI ethics debate
Religion News Service: Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on AI was released Monday (May 25), with Chris Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, at his side.
Religious leaders, lawmakers push for $1 billion to secure houses of worship
NPR: At a recent Shabbat service in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Rabbi Jen Lader shared plans to lobby Congress to pour more funding into a federal program that strengthens security at houses of worship.
The Spark
Why care matters more than work
Reproductive justice offers a new way to think about human flourishing beyond the job market, JSTOR says.
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