Wednesday's News & Ideas - 9/10/2025

Department of War quotes Bible on social media. Some link it to Christian nationalism. 
Religion News Service: “Those verses were not about the United States military,” said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister and author. “They weren't really even about any imperial military force, and quite the opposite.”

Trump says he’s bringing back prayer to schools 
Baptist News Global: The president who famously said he’s never prayed to ask for God’s forgiveness claimed Sept. 8 he’s going to reinstitute prayer in public schools — a practice outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962. 
The Washington Post: Trump exhorts Americans to pray for U.S. ahead of 250th anniversary*

For some Dobson kids, focusing on the family led to estrangement 
Religion News Service: These days, Focus on the Family is offering a new kind of parenting advice, this time tailored for parents whose adult kids have gone “no contact.”

What I learned living among leprosy* 
Christianity Today: Ann Harikeerthan’s 16 years at a rural hospital in India showed her what healing and restoration in Christian community look like.

How a musical put house, gospel and ‘noisy singers’ together* 
The New York Times: “Saturday Church” taps into music from several genres, as well as Sia, to tell the story of a teenager struggling with his sexuality and faith.

The Spark

What money really means in Jane Austen’s work 
“Talk of money in Austen is always dramatic, never just informative,” writes John Mullan in Lit Hub.

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