Friday's News & Ideas - 5/10/2024 cjk41@duke.edu Fri, 05/10/2024 - 09:25 Union plans to divest Faith leaders & mental health crisis SBC candidate causes controversy Lesley Hazleton dies Haitian aid United States of Avocado Union Theological Seminary trustees endorse divestment from ‘companies profiting from the war in Palestine’ Columbia Spectator: The institution is one of the first in the United States to announce plans to divest from such companies. How faith leaders can get a grasp on the mental health crisis Religion News Service: Clergy can’t solve every congregant’s mental hea ..read more

Thursday's News & Ideas - 5/9/2024 egl22@duke.edu Thu, 05/09/2024 - 11:16 Professor ousted after ‘woke’ posts School lawfully fired gay teacher Christian urban designers Istanbul church reopened as mosque Pastors advocate for public education ‘She was no “mammy”’ Grace College professor ousted after online commentators flag ‘woke’ social media posts Religion News Service: It’s the latest in a string of professor terminations at Christian colleges seemingly tied to clashes over narrowing and often unspoken political and theological criteria. North Carolina Catholic school didn’t violate t ..read more

Wednesday's News & Ideas - 5/8/2024 egl22@duke.edu Wed, 05/08/2024 - 11:45 Uniting the UMC SBC losing members Reversing medication abortion? Historical images of Christ Speaking in two tongues Learning sperm whale language Uniting the United Methodist Church* The Assembly: The church’s General Conference, which concluded last week in Charlotte, was the first test of whether the remaining members can forge a new path on same-sex marriage, lesbian and gay clergy and international accord. Southern Baptists, losing members, find solace in baptisms and better attendance Religion News Service ..read more

Alison Bowen shicks@duke.edu Wed, 05/08/2024 - 10:46 Alison Bowen is a freelance writer and editor living in Chicago. She has experience writing for multiple publications and was a features writer and editor at the Chicago Tribune. Journalistlarge-photohide-photoshow-titleOff ..read more

Tuesday's News & Ideas - 5/7/2024 cjk41@duke.edu Tue, 05/07/2024 - 10:15 Many UMC clergy fully come out Diversity of religious ‘nones’ Abortion views across US Neurodivergent children Vatican Swiss Guards Olympic medals for art After vote to repeal LGBTQ bans, many gay Methodists are now fully out Religion News Service: On the first Sunday after the conclusion of the denomination’s General Conference, many queer United Methodists celebrated their release from the tight and narrow spaces that had confined them. The number of religious ‘nones’ has soared, but not the number of atheists The ..read more

What narrative are you telling about your organization and your community? apm47@duke.edu Sun, 05/05/2024 - 21:19 ..read more

Monday's News & Ideas - 5/6/2024 cjk41@duke.edu Mon, 05/06/2024 - 10:02 UMC churches react to change Hillsong abuse settlement NPS funds to churches Israeli army invading Rafah Ukrainian church Pushkin books disappearing ‘A better church is possible’: Methodists celebrate as the church embraces the LGBTQ CNN: The United Methodist Church has been at war with itself for decades over its stance on homosexuality. Hillsong abuse settlement rejected over NDA* Christianity Today: Victim says she wants accountability more than money. Churches tied to Civil Rights awarded National Park Service pr ..read more

Willie Dwayne Francois III apm47@duke.edu Sun, 05/05/2024 - 21:36 The Rev. Willie Dwayne Francois III serves as senior pastor of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey, and as president of the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, a national think tank and policy advocacy organization. He also serves as associate professor of liberation theology at New York Theological Seminary and as director of the NYTS master of professional studies program at the Sing Sing and Bedford Hills correctional facilities. Francois’ pastoral activism takes shape around racial equity, economic justic ..read more

Friday's News & Ideas - 5/3/2024 cjk41@duke.edu Fri, 05/03/2024 - 10:16 UMC removes anti-gay language Religious voters’ views on Biden & Trump Student journalists on protests Christian NBA team Chicago churches & sanctuary status Revenge of the home page United Methodists remove anti-gay language from their official teachings on societal issues Associated Press: United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality ... incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series o ..read more

Thursday's News & Ideas - 5/2/2024 cjk41@duke.edu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 09:28 UMC repeals ban on LGBTQ clergy Learning from student protestors New Orleans archdiocese searched Flannery O’Connor biopic Notions of apocalypse Tibetan monasteries & climate United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy Associated Press: United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. What we have to learn from students leadi ..read more