Wednesday's News & Ideas - 8/30/2023

Pastor indicted alongside Trump returns to pulpit
Religion News Service: The Rev. Stephen Lee, who is facing multiple charges regarding his alleged attempt to meddle in Georgia’s 2020 election results, began the service by reading from a passage that calls on believers to “put on the full armor of God.”

New York City mosques can now broadcast Muslim call to prayer on Friday afternoons without permit
CNN: New York City issued new guidance Tuesday allowing mosques (masjids) to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer on Fridays between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. without obtaining a permit and despite sound restrictions in city neighborhoods.

Haitian police announce investigation into deadly church-led protest
Al Jazeera: Evangelical leader Marcorel Zidor led “hundreds” of armed protesters into a gang-controlled area of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Black and white Americans continue to see Confederate monuments differently
Baptist News Global: Black and white Americans disagree greatly on how to handle Confederate memorials, despite largely agreeing on the need to acknowledge slavery and the discrimination and violence against racial minorities, a new study shows.

This ‘Jane Eyre’ enthusiast invites you to treat your favorite books as sacred text
NPR: Vanessa Zoltan is an atheist chaplain. She’s also the author of a memoir, called “Praying with Jane Eyre,” all about how she has learned to read literature like sacred texts.

The Spark

The blurb problem keeps getting worse
Publishing has come to depend on fawning endorsements,* but not every title can be “electrifying,” “essential” and “revelatory,” writes Helen Lewis in The Atlantic.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers