Wednesday's News & Ideas - 8/12/2020

5 faith facts about Biden’s VP choice Kamala Harris -- a Black Baptist with Hindu family
Religion News Service: Few, if any, vice presidential candidates have had as much exposure to the world’s religions as Kamala Harris, the 55-year-old senator from California whom Joe Biden just picked as his running mate.

Seminaries prepare to reopen, train priests for ministry amid COVID-19
National Catholic Reporter: During its two-century history, St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore has stayed open during wars, pandemics and city riots. So in the face of COVID-19, the country's oldest seminary is preparing to do what it's always done each fall: welcome a cohort of new seminarians.
Christianity Today: Hundreds of positions eliminated at evangelical colleges and universities

Poor People’s Campaign eyes low-income voters in 13 states
Associated Press: A coalition of activists, unions, and religious leaders inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last organizing effort said Tuesday new data suggest low-income voters in key states could swing some U.S. Senate races.

A community space emerges in the shadow of a Confederate monument
Religion & Politics: Mark Valeri recently spent an afternoon at a now highly publicized site in Richmond, Virginia: Lee Circle on Monument Avenue.

What about the science, faith and ethics of a coming coronavirus vaccine?
Baptist News Global: Finding a vaccine is only one step on the journey that also includes ethical questions about who gets the first doses and who will be willing or not willing to receive the vaccine -- and what responsibility we have for each other in our choices.

The Spark

Screen time guilt during the pandemic?
People once thought too much reading was bad for kids, JSTOR says.

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