Wednesday's Catch: 'It's Earth Day!' And More

It's Earth Day! Why it's celebrated and activities you can do
Earth Day is a celebration that comes at a time when climate change is affecting communities across the globe.

Earth Day, which falls on April 22 every year, began in 1970, after millions of protesters in the United States marched for change, following a series of disasters caused by climate change and pollution that impacted the country. It then grew to a global movement.

In 2026, the day continues to acknowledge our planet, how it provides for us and ways we can protect and preserve its beauty.

Also See: 'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic Ocean current is much closer to collapse than thought

Rio Grande church more than doubles its congregation after expanding its mission
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, a city that’s more than 60% Latino, only a few Protestant churches offer Spanish-language worship services.

When in December St. James Episcopal Church began engaging in Latino outreach, its attendance went from 70 to over 150 members, including pledging families with small children. Several of St. James’ new members who were recently baptized are in the process of becoming confirmed in The Episcopal Church. Attendance and membership continue to grow.

Australian Bishop Ordered to Resign
An Australian bishop has been ordered to resign his holy orders or be deposed, by May 1, after he secretly wed a woman he had ordained as priest.

Former archbishop of Canterbury blasts Hegseth's 'diabolical' rhetoric, calls US political culture 'demonic'
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said during a recent interview that he believes a demonic element is manifesting in the political culture of the United States, pinpointing the rhetoric of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as a prime example.

Trump's assigned verse in Bible marathon is red meat for Christian nationalists
The choice of ‘Two Chronicles’ is not a coincidence.

The loneliest age group in America revealed
Middle-aged Americans are now the loneliest age group in the country, according to newly released research from AARP, which shows that adults in their 40s and 50s are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness than any other demographic— including older adults.

Former US officials raise red flag over looming widespread collapse of American agriculture. Why our farmers can't compete (and what it means)
According to a recent letter signed by a bipartisan group of 27 former agricultural leaders, President Donald Trump’s economic policies risk triggering "a widespread collapse of American agriculture” (1).

The letter, addressed to the leadership of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, paints a grim picture: "The policies of this Administration have caused tremendous harm to the U.S. Agriculture. Farmer bankruptcies have doubled, barely half of all farms will be profitable this year, and the U.S. is running a historic agriculture trade deficit."

Also See: Tariffs, war, and now a historic drought have converged into a 'perfect storm' for US farmers and food prices

What negatively impacts US farms also negatively impacts rural communities and their churches and the nation as a whole and will lead to growing food shortages, higher food prices, and spreading food insecurity.

Christian Doctrines and Accessibility for the Disabled
This essay is part of a series on Ministry, Disabilities, and Inclusion running April 20-25. A Round Up with links will be available later this spring.

The Non-Negotiables for Building a Disability Ministry in Your Church
So much of this conversation starts with our theology of disability. How do we understand disabilities and how they fit into our world? We start by understanding that every person is made in the image of God. And what that means is that every person has the potential to have a relationship with God. And so there’s this shift now that we’re seeing, in the disability ministry world, away from the idea of babysitting and toward a ministry of discipleship.

Every person with a disability that comes into our church is an image bearer. They have the ability to have a relationship with God, whatever that looks like and whatever we may understand that to be. So, the first non-negotiable is to see this as an evangelism and discipleship issue. We’re not just going to put people with disabilities in a room so that the rest of their family can be discipled. We’re going to disciple them too.

Wesley Huff Debunks Claim That the Bible Was ‘Voted On’ at the Council of Nicaea
Did the Council of Nicaea invent the divinity of Jesus? Did a group of bishops in the fourth century determine which books belonged in the Bible? These are questions that apologists Wesley Huff and Andy Steiger addressed in the latest episode of their series “Can I Trust the Bible?”

Random Thoughts about Preaching and Being Preached To
In this article, I’ve simply collected some random thoughts on the subject and have alternated them so that half are for the ones preaching the sermons and the other half are for the ones listening to them.

Also See: How to Listen to a Sermon: Becoming a Better Hearer

Concern grows that AI is damaging users’ cognitive abilities
Last year, a team of researchers led by MIT research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna used electroencephalograms to monitor the brains of students while they were writing short, deliberately open-ended essays.

They split the 54 participants into three groups: one was told to use ChatGPT, one could search for information on Google (minus AI-generated summaries), and another had to rely on their own knowledge. As detailed in a resulting yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper, each group was tasked with writing one essay per month for three months, while a subset of each group was asked to switch to or away from using ChatGPT for a fourth month.

The researchers’ EEG findings were ominous: the students using ChatGPT “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,” they found, and even got lazier with each consecutive essay.

It’s Never Too Early to Teach Theology to Kids
When we don’t purposefully teach theology to our kids, it reveals more about our own lack of faith than theirs.

Aim High. Repent. Often
We need to distinguish between the kind of hypocrisy Jesus excoriates and the stumbling attempts of sincere believers to live according to his commands. The world often conflates the two; the church should not.