IN THE EXECUTIONERS SHADOW

 

May 12, 2026

What is the true cost of the death penalty? This documentary explores the complex moral landscape of capital punishment through the eyes of those who have lived it. From Jerry Givens, a former chief executioner who put 62 people to death before questioning the system, to families of murder victims who find themselves at odds over the meaning of "closure." We follow the harrowing story of Earl Washington Jr., a man with an IQ of 69 who came within days of execution for a crime he didn’t commit, and the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing as they grapple with the sentencing of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. It is a raw, unflinching look at justice, error, and the human capacity for both vengeance and forgiveness.

Cruelty Is The Point

  

Jesus was political and so are we ~ how Christians vote matters

 May 12, 2026
Why does MAGA laugh and cheer when Trump is cruel? Because he hates the same people they do. This movement is not built on compassion, kindness, empathy, forgiveness, or basic human decency. It is built on resentment, selfishness, revenge, and cruelty. Trump gave millions of people permission to say the quiet part out loud — that they do not care who suffers as long as the people they hate suffer first. MAGA has shown us exactly what they value. They value guns more than children shot in schools. They value power more than democracy. They value their own comfort more than the lives of other Americans. And when Trump mocks, attacks, dehumanizes, or threatens people, they don’t recoil — they cheer. That is not politics. That is moral rot. Schadenfreude means taking pleasure in the suffering of others. And sadly, that has become one of the clearest features of the MAGA movement. This video is about Trump, MAGA cruelty, empathy, school shootings, guns, selfishness, and the complete collapse of basic decency in American politics.

IS DONALD TRUMP THE MAGA HATE JESUS ?!!

 

Jesus was political and so are we ~ how Christians vote matters

May 12, 2026

Last week, a giant gold statute to Donald Trump was raised at his billionaire's golf club. Evangelical and Jewish religious leaders were there to pay tribute. Is Donald J. Trump the MAGA hate Jesus? Meidas Canada investigates.

‘It’s not an idol,’ Trump-loving pastor declares

Spiritually burned out? Tish Harrison Warren and some ancient monks have advice.
Religion News Service: Dealing with a sense of burnout and the weariness of modern life, author Tish Harrison Warren found help in the words of long-dead Christian mystics.

 

‘It’s not an idol,’ Trump-loving pastor declares
Baptist News Global: The South Carolina pastor who prayed over a 22-foot-high golden statue of President Donald Trump last week says it is not an idolatrous golden calf as described in the book of Exodus.

 

‘The aftermath is just devastating’: Temple Israel rebuilds after terror attack
NPR: Two months ago, security at Temple Israel responded to an attack the FBI would later characterize as a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism targeting the largest synagogue in Michigan.

 

Church attendance in the U.S. has dropped. But cowboy churches are on the rise
NPR: Nearly every state in the country has one or more cowboy churches. The theology might not be different from other churches but the worship music is often bluegrass or gospel with a twang.

 

Ivy League students are suffering from religious illiteracy*
The Washington Post: I’m a Princeton professor. Many students know nothing about Christianity, Gregory Conti says.

Resources on consecrating nation to the Sacred Heart

U.S. bishops release Archbishop Sample video, resources on consecrating nation to the Sacred Heart In a video message, Archbishop Alexander Sample reflected on the meaning and history of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pope warns main threat common to religion and science is denial of objective truth Pope Leo XIV pointed out that both science and the Church clearly teach that caring for the planet is threatened by the irresponsible exploitation of both people and the natural world. Supreme Court temporarily extends access to mail-order mifepristone The drug will continue to be available at pharmacies or through mail, and it can be obtained without an in-person visit to a doctor. Trump vows to discuss freedom of Jimmy Lai, Christian leaders detained in China The president likened the call to free Lai to the complexity of releasing indicted former FBI Director James Comey as families of Chinese prisoners rallied outside the White House.

Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, announces parish closures and mergers Declining numbers of practicing Catholics, fewer priests, and deteriorating buildings in Rhode Island led to the changes.

‘Traumatized Church: What Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthian Church Teaches Us About Helping Those Who are Hurting’

 

How do we live our lives while the world burns? BY ANDREA PALPANT DILLEY Mary’s Song is an expression of maternal love BY ALETA PAYNE

Translating God’s inclusive embrace through love and lace BY MARIA TERESA GASTÓN

Delivering care for pastors who are also new parents BY SUSAN ROWLAND MILLER AND PAMELA GRAF SHORT

Pentecost Resource Guide

This list of Pentecost resources from Calvin Institute of Christian Worship includes hymns, songs, visual arts, books and sermon ideas to help you plan worship for Pentecost Sunday, traditionally celebrated 50 days after Easter.

‘Traumatized Church: What Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthian Church Teaches Us About Helping Those Who are Hurting’

By Scot McKnight and Adrienne Gibson

In their new book, scholar Scot McKnight and therapist Adrienne Gibson argue that the apostle Paul was a deeply wounded man and that reading his letters can help us understand the effects of trauma.

Formational listening tools help young people connect to their faith

By Josh Packard

Ministry practitioners of Sacred Listening share examples of how young people respond to being heard without judgment when they share their beliefs.

Letting grace guide how we welcome newcomers

By Brett McKinley Pardue

A pastor notices how small gestures can help visitors breathe — and feel the grace of God — from the moment they step through the door.

Moral fatigue and the quiet exhaustion of doing the right thing

By Khristi Lauren Adams

We are called to remain true to the common good despite opposition and adversity. That feels particularly hard now, but the Bible offers reassurance.

How do you create a church culture that supports people with mental health challenges?

Q&A with Rebecca Brune

Many people who struggle with mental wellness turn to their pastors for help, but often those clergy aren’t equipped to support them. The Congregational Collective aims to bridge that gap by helping congregations and clergy help others.

The Christian Latina Leadership Institute empowers women to lead

By Bekah McNeel

A two-year certificate program helps Latinas to fulfill their callings as ministers and in other fields by offering practical and spiritual education.

CUPC Fashion Show 2026

We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo

Christ United Presbyterian Church of San Diego

What Is The Presbyterian Church (USA)

Christ United Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Rev. Dr. Kerry Allison is the pastor of this parish church in South Park. We were established in 1981 when an invitation was extended to two churches—Brooklyn Heights Presbyterian, established in 1921 and the Golden Hill Presbyterian, established in 1956—to merge and each church accepted. The late Reverend Doctor George Walker Smith founded Golden Hill Presbyterian Church in 1956 with support from the Presbyterian Women organization. The church, located at 22nd and Market in South Park, became a human rights leader in San Diego as the congregation grew. Reverend Smith was the first black school board member in San Diego. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Christ United continues its ministry in power and presence to the present day. All are welcome to join us in worship and togetherness. 

 

Following Trump’s attacks on the Pope:

Abortion as an Ideological Weapon: The Vatican’s Denouncement

Rafael Llanes

In the face of the promotion of abortion and the lack of respect for life, the document calls for focusing attention on other factors it considers truly harmful, such as extreme consumerism, pollution, the throwaway culture, and the desire to exert absolute power over the human body through its manipulation, facilitated by technological advances.

French bishops announce the Pope’s visit for September 2026: here’s what we know

Covadonga Asturias

According to Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the French Bishops’ Conference, he has already held several working meetings with the Pope, including one during the previous week in which the framework of the trip was discussed

Following Trump’s attacks on the Pope: what the polls now reveal about support for one or the other

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Americans Side With Leo XIV on Peace as Trump’s Attacks on the Pope Draw Broad Rejection, New Poll Finds

Will the Vatican sanction German bishops for blessing same-sex couples? The Pope’s Secretary of State responds

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Speaking on May 7 on the sidelines of a book presentation in Rome, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said it was “premature” to discuss sanctions against German bishops. At the same time, he carefully avoided excluding the possibility of future intervention

A “Christian Phone Network” Enters the Culture Wars: Can Faith-Based Filtering Redefine the Internet Experience?

Tim Daniels

What is new is the attempt to build an entire mobile ecosystem around explicitly religious moral criteria.

Seventy Years of Speaking Hebrew and Living Catholic Unity: This is what the vicariate for Jewish converts to Catholicism in the Holy Land is like

ZENIT Staff

On May 2, the vicariate celebrated the 70th anniversary of its foundation with a solemn liturgy at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Bishop Lowe elected to second term as NZCBC president

ZENIT Staff

Bishop Lowe said the New Zealand bishops work very collaboratively, which is a source of comfort for him as president.

The decline of marriage in a specific country (New Zealand): a symptom of a global trend and the Vatican’s response

ZENIT Staff

At the same time, divorces rose by 5 percent in 2025, reaching 7,887 cases. For the first time, the country’s divorce rate surpassed its marriage rate, although Stats NZ noted that the two indicators are calculated using different population bases.

Ten Popes and Ninety Years as a Religious Sister: This Is the World’s Longest-Living Nun

Rafael Manuel Tovar

Sister Francis Piscatella told Fox News: «I’ve stopped counting my years. I never thought I’d reach this age.»

This is what the religious landscape will look like in 2075: the Muslim population is growing, while Catholics remain the largest Christian group

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Christianity Remains the World’s Largest Faith, but Islam’s Rapid Growth Is Redrawing the Religious Map

Study Reveals Increase in Church Attendance (and Donations): The Surprising (and Encouraging) Findings You Should Know

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Digital giving expanded dramatically during and after the pandemic. In 2020, only 58 percent of congregations offered online giving options. By 2025, that number had climbed to 76 percent. Researchers estimate that roughly 40 percent of church income now arrives through online donations.

Questions about liturgy: Cloths on Altars

Fr. Edward McNamara

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

How a Catholic woman saved tens of thousands of orphans

After stillbirth loss, mother of 7 returns to school to help others heal After navigating loss and grief, Kelly Helsel is officially now a licensed counselor thanks to the guidance given to her by the Catholic Church and her desire to use her experience to help others. Pope Leo XIV prays for Sahel victims At the Regina Caeli, the pope also thanked the Canary Islands for welcoming a cruise ship with passengers sick with hantavirus. ‘Love is stronger’: How a Catholic woman saved tens of thousands of orphans Out of the horrors of the Burundian Civil War and the Rwandan genocide emerged a woman willing to risk her life for peace.

How Christ transformed 2 young converts from Islam The converts describe their journey to faith in Jesus Christ, their experience of receiving the sacraments at the Easter Vigil, and the importance of their catechists and Christian community.

America’s pastor pipeline is collapsing

America’s pastor pipeline is collapsing
Axios: Fewer Americans want to become pastors, accelerating a leadership vacuum inside one of the country’s oldest civic institutions.

 

‘There’s not much of a choice,’ clergy abuse accuser says of NY Archdiocese’s settlement offer
National Catholic Reporter: The proposal requires unanimous consent from plaintiffs by June 27, followed by a 30-day signing period, in order to take effect.

 

At 90, my grandma is leading worship at her retirement home*
Christianity Today: Her decades of service to her community inspire me to be like her, Kelsey Kramer McGinnis writes.

 

James Dobson’s appearance in the Epstein Files
Religion Dispatches: While Dobson wasn’t personally connected to Epstein, his teachings are, according to some of those most familiar, a natural fit for bad actors seeking to enable or excuse the sexual abuse of children.

 

Documentary tells story of Washington National Cathedral's West Rose window*
The Christian Century: A documentary on the Washington National Cathedral’s West Rose stained-glass window tells the story of the window’s creation and how it made the neo-Gothic building a space that embraces both tradition and modernity.