More Americans grow open to political endorsements in church

Evangelical environmentalists push for climate votes as election nears: ‘Care for God's creation’
NBC News: At religious colleges and beyond, some evangelical Christian students are attempting to draw links between their religious values and the need to protect the planet.

Advocates for women deacons ‘in it for the long run,’ despite Vatican pushback
Religion News Service: Pope Francis believes the question of the female diaconate ‘is not yet mature.’ Some women are willing to wait it out.

More Americans grow open to political endorsements in church
Religion Unplugged: Few pastors endorse political candidates outside their role at church. Even fewer endorse during a church service. Most Americans like it that way, but they’re growing more supportive of churches jumping into the political fray.

Louisiana diocese prepares to file for bankruptcy over clergy abuse claims
The Guardian: Alexandria diocese plans to file ‘prearranged chapter 11’ after settlement with victims to avoid ‘lengthy delays.’

Do athletes mean what they say about religion?
Deseret News: Athletes today talk openly about their faith. It wasn’t always this way.

Two Jewish Democrats reflect on Congressional efforts to combat surge in antisemitism
NPR: As Congress continues to deal with the policy and political implications of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel one year ago, lawmakers are also reflecting on the rise of antisemitism in the United States.

Evangelicals for Harris’ anti-Trump Billy Graham ad prompts threat of lawsuit
Religion News Service: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, led by the late evangelist’s son the Rev. Franklin Graham, has said it might sue over the ad’s use of clips from a 1988 Graham sermon.

Can 12 pastors from across the theological spectrum still love each other?
Sojourners: In August 2022, Mennonite minister Rev. Michael Gulker brought together 12 pastors of different denominations from Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a unique proposal — to spend a year together exploring their differences with the hope of finding a way beyond them.

‘I’m not interested in someone passive about Gaza’: how views on the war have changed dating in America
The Guardian: As Americans grapple with tensions within and beyond their communities, intimate relationships are strained: ‘Differences feel much bigger now’

What does poetry do?*
The Christian Century: In spiritual terms, what can poetry actually do and achieve? And what if its abiding power lies in its doing nothing?