Wednesday's News & Ideas - 5/8/2024

Uniting the United Methodist Church*
The Assembly: The church’s General Conference, which concluded last week in Charlotte, was the first test of whether the remaining members can forge a new path on same-sex marriage, lesbian and gay clergy and international accord.

Southern Baptists, losing members, find solace in baptisms and better attendance
Religion News Service: While membership in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination is down, participation in worship and baptisms went up in 2023. But a new statistical report found that many Southern Baptist Convention churches do little to address sexual abuse.

Abortion opponents claim they can reverse medication abortion, drawing legal challenges in three states
Baptist News Global: While America’s attention is on the legal battle over continued access to two pills used in medication abortions, a fresh battle is brewing over a controversial protocol alleged to reverse the effects of the abortion pills.

Artists created images of Christ that focused not on historical accuracy but on reflecting different communities − a scholar of religious history explains
The Conversation: Throughout history, artists created images of Christ that would speak to different communities.

Speaking in two tongues*
The Christian Century: Growing up bilingual primed me to see the gifts offered at Babel and Pentecost.

The Spark

Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort 
Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island of Dominica have described for the first time the basic elements of how they might be talking to each other, in an effort that could one day help better protect them, says the Associated Press.

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