Wednesday's News & Ideas - 9/4/2024

56,000 killed in Nigeria’s ethnic and religious violence; Christians disproportionately affected
Catholic News Agency: A new report finds that ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people over four years and that Christians were 6.5 times more likely to be killed.

Montgomery County, Maryland, was most religiously diverse US county in 2023
Religion News Service: Beyond the religiously unaffiliated, which represent slightly less than 2 in 10 (17.8%) residents, the largest religious group in the county was Black Protestants, who make up 10% of the population.

I was expelled from my church. I was found guilty, but I do not feel sorry
Newsweek: While I'm heartbroken over the verdict, I'm not sorry about all I did to precipitate it. If loving and advocating for queer people is a crime, then I stand guilty, writes Thomas Jay Oord.

Faithful Politics examines 10 ways Christians do politics
Baptist News Global: Over the centuries, Christians have done politics in 10 different ways that fit into six conceptual frameworks, ranging from “complete separation and complete conflation of kingdom and country,” says Miranda Zapor Cruz in her new book.

Triumphalism after Dobbs was a mistake*
Christianity Today: Pro-lifers had an opportunity to help women imagine meaningful lives even with unexpected babies. We could have built a movement to support more generous family policies. Instead, many pro-lifers went for force first, writes Marvin Olasky.

The Spark

How Cherokee Trail of Tears beans connect a community to its roots
The beans had traveled in the pockets of Cherokee who had been forced off their homelands in the Southeast by the American government in the 1830s. Today, the collected seeds are grown and saved at the Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant site within the tribal complex in Oklahoma, says Atlas Obscura.

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